Showing posts with label 3.5 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3.5 stars. Show all posts

December 15, 2022

Book Review: Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn

at 12/15/2022 02:00:00 AM 0 comments

An unlucky witch and her know-it-all nemesis must team up in the first of a new, hot romantic comedy series from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn.

Could it possibly get any worse than having absolutely no magical abilities when you’re a member of the most powerful family of witches ever? It used to be that I’d say no, but then I keep getting set up on dates with Gil Connolly whose hotness is only matched by his ego. Seriously. I can’t stand him. Even if I also can’t stop thinking about him (specifically kissing him) but we’re going to pretend I never told you that part.

So yeah, my life isn’t the greatest right now, but then it goes straight to the absolute worst hell when I accidentally make my sister’s spell glitch and curse my whole family. And the only person who can help non-magical me break the spell? You guessed it. Gil the super-hot jerk.

Now we have to work together to save my family and outmaneuver some evil-minded nefarious forces bent on world domination. Oh yeah, and we have to do all that while fighting against the attraction building between us because I may not be magical, but what’s happening between Gil and I sure feels like it.


Buy Links


Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Books-A-Million


Book Depository  |  Google Play  |  IndieBound 




Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader's copy from Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, via NetGalley. The following thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. 


This is my first introduction to Avery Flynn and her writing style. First things first. The cover is 5/5. I love the leafy scrollwork with witchy paraphernalia sprinkled about. Our main character is Tilda Sherwood, a member of one of the most powerful witch dynasties that there ever was. It's too bad Tilda is decidedly unmagical. That's a rough hand to be dealt. If my many years of reading Korean manhwas have taught me anything, life can go one of two ways for a powerless MC. One, the MC is bullied, ridiculed, and reviled by their family members and the rest of society. Or two, the MC is protected and loved before experiencing a traumatic event that spurs their transformation into a powerhouse with a thirst for vengeance. Typically, it's the former. Tilda usually finds herself often humiliated and the butt of the joke. Her opposite and supposed nemesis, 
Gil Connolly is the typical witchy researcher. The book is told in dual POV with the occasional Fourth Wall breaking. This is the first book in the Witchington series, but I felt like there was a lot going on at once and a lot left unresolved. The reasoning behind Tilda's dislike of Gil seemed superficial. The worldbuilding was both heavy and lacking in detail at the same time. There were mentions of the Council, the Resistance, and The Beyond, but there was little context of the whos, whats, and wheres. The rules of magic and magic theory were unclear and inconsistent. Since this was a witchy rom-com, the HEA was expected, but there was too much left unexplained and unexplored to be satisfactory. 

3.5 stars



About the Author

Photo Credit: Avery Flynn


USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling romance author Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip. She lives outside of Washington DC with her family, Dwight the cat, and a pack of five dogs all named after food. If she’s not reading romance or binging reality TV, she’s most definitely plotting to take over the world so she can banish Crocs from existence. Also, if you figure out how to send Oreos through the Internet, she’ll be your best friend for life.

Follow Avery on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. Like her on her Facebook page or friend her on her Facebook profile. She’s also on Goodreads and BookLikes.

Join her reader group, The Flynnbots, and receive special sneak peeks, prizes and early access to her latest releases!


Social Links


Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads

June 26, 2021

Blog Tour Book Review: Pug Actually by Matt Dunn

at 6/26/2021 02:00:00 AM 0 comments

Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear collars.

Doug’s human, Julie, has been adrift since she lost her mom (which is strange, because she’s usually pretty good with directions). Doug just wants Julie to be happy, and he doesn’t think she’s going to get there while she’s seeing her married boss, Luke. What’s worse, she’s saying if things don’t work out with Luke, she might end up like her lonely cat-lady neighbor. Horrified by the prospect of a sad Julie and untrustworthy feline companion, Doug decides it’s time for an intervention.

Despite his short legs and some communication roadblocks, Doug sets out on a quirky, sweet, and hilarious mission to find his rescuer the love she deserves. Though he doesn’t totally understand the strangeness of human relationships, he knows he can’t give up on Julie - after all, being a rescue dog works both ways…


Read an excerpt of Pug Actually here!


Disclaimer: I received a review copy from MIRA/HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

I like the idea of a story from an animal's POV, particularly, when dogs play cupid for their humans. Doug the Pug loves his human, Julie a.k.a the Female Lead. Unfortunately, Julie is "dating" her boss...her married boss. It irked me to no end how willfully blind Julie was to the reality of her relationship with Luke. It's a story as old as time. Both Doug and Priya, Julie's bestie, see the situation for what it is. Luke is literally having his cake and eat it too. Everyone in Julie's life, from her bestie to her father to Dot, the coffee lady, tried their best to dissuade Julie from staying with Luke, but their words go unheeded for a good chunk of the book. I do not like the FL. Julie is whiny, stubborn, and willfully blind. I found the other characters, i.e. Dot, Julie's Dad, Priya, and Doug, more likable than the FL. Tom, the Male Lead (ML) and Dot's son, is a decent guy, but I didn't really feel the chemistry between Tom and Julie. For one thing, their interactions have been one-sided. Julie's behavior and treatment of Tom, in the beginning, was rude and unpleasant. As for character development, there was little to be found. Julie spends a good chunk of the book as Luke's sidechick. Let's call a spade a spade here. Julie is Luke's sidechick, and possibly not the only one. Now, before you come for my throat, I understand that toxic relationships can warp one's perspectives and do a number on the human psyche, but Julie has her rose-colored glasses on tight. There's only so much naivety I can handle in an FL. Granted, Luke is a POS of the highest order and manipulative to boot. I would have been happier with this book if Luke's wife kicks his cheating butt to the curb, rather than her underwhelming response to her husband's cheating. Pug Actually is billed as a rom-com and there are some of both present, but it was generally underwhelming.

3.5 stars

About the Author

Photo Credit: Cassandra Nelson

Matt Dunn's romantic comedy novels include The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook (shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award and the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance), A Day at the Office (an Amazon #1 bestseller across several categories), Thirteen Dates (shortlisted for the Romantic Comedy of the Year Award), and Kindle #1 Bestseller At The Wedding. He's also written about life and love for The Times, Guardian, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Company, Elle, and The Sun. 

Social Links:

Author Website  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads




October 6, 2020

Blog Tour Book Review: The Code For Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor

at 10/06/2020 01:00:00 AM 0 comments

In this contemporary romcom retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma by USA TODAY bestselling author Jillian Cantor, there’s nothing more complex—or unpredictable—than love.

When math genius Emma and her coding club co-president, George, are tasked with brainstorming a new project, The Code for Love is born.

George disapproves of Emma’s idea of creating a matchmaking app, accusing her of meddling in people’s lives. But all the happy new couples at school are proof that the app works. At least at first.

Emma’s code is flawless. So why is it that perfectly matched couples start breaking up, the wrong people keep falling for each other, and Emma’s own feelings defy any algorithm?


BUY LINKS:


Books-A-Million  |  Walmart  |  Google  |  iBooks  |  Kobo


*Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Emma is a code geek. Numerical coding is her bread and butter. The coding club is in desperate need of a new project for an upcoming competition. Emma gets the idea to code for a matchmaking app. This isn't the first Young Adult dating app story I've read. Borrowing names from Jane Austen's Emma, this YA rom-com was a charming retelling. I've never read Jane Austen so I can't really make any comparisons to the original material. Emma is a socially awkward person, but she makes a code for matchmaking based on zero experience with love. What???? While testing on her fellow classmates, Emma is confronted with the truth of the human condition. Despite perfect coding, there are just some things that cannot be calculated. Overall it was a cute read, if somewhat unrealistic. The characters with borrowed names were present, but the pairings had didn't do it for me. There was a lack of chemistry between the pairings and that was disappointing. On the surface, there's potential for a deep dive into human relationships and the complexity of human emotion, but the story is told from Emma's POV so it falls a little short. 

3.5 Stars


PROLOGUE

 I’ve always loved numbers a whole lot more than I love people. For one thing, I can make numbers behave any way I want them to. No arguments, no questions. I write a line of code, and my computer performs a specific and very regulated task. Numbers don’t play games or hide behind some nuance I’ve missed. I write an equation, then formulate a definitive and absolutely correct answer.
And maybe most importantly, numbers never leave me. I tell this to Izzy as she’s sitting on her suitcase, trying to force it closed, having just packed the last of her closet before leaving for her freshman year at UCLA, which is exactly 2,764 miles from our house in Highbury, New Jersey. A number which seems insurmountable, and which makes me think that after this day, Izzy’s last one at home until Christmas break, we’ll be more like two strangers floating across a continent from one another than sisters.
 “Numbers,” I say to Izzy now, “are much better than people.”
 “You’re such a nerd, Em,” Izzy says, but she stops what she’s doing and squeezes my arm affectionately, before finally getting the suitcase to zip. She’s a nerd, too, but not for numbers like me—for books. Izzy is running 2,764 miles away from New Jersey to read, to major in English at UCLA. Which is ridiculous, given she could’ve done the same at Rutgers, or the College of New Jersey, or almost any one of the other sixty-two colleges in our state, any of which would’ve been within driving distance so we could’ve seen each other on weekends. Izzy says she’s going to California for the sunshine, but Dad and I both know the real reason is that her boyfriend, John, decided to go to UCLA to study film. Izzy chose John over me, and that part stings the most.
“I can’t believe you’re actually going,” I say, and not for the first time. I’ve been saying this to Izzy all summer, hoping she might change her mind. But now that her suitcase is zipped, it feels like she’s really leaving, and my eyes start to well up. I do love numbers more than people. Most people.
 Izzy and I are only seventeen months apart, and our mom died when we were both toddlers. Dad works a lot, and Izzy and I have barely been apart for more than a night in as long as I can remember, much less months.
 She stops messing with her suitcase now, walks over to where I’m sitting on her bed and puts her arm around me. I lean my head on her shoulder, and breathe in the comforting scent of her strawberry shampoo, one last time. “I’m going to miss you, too, Em,” she says. “But you’re going to have a great senior year.” She says it emphatically, her voice filled with enthusiasm that I don’t believe or even understand.
“You really could stay,” I say. “You got into two colleges in New Jersey.” This has been my argument to her all summer. I keep thinking if I say it enough she really will change her mind. But even as I say it, I know it’s probably too late for her to change anything for fall semester now, no matter how much I might want her to. And she just looks back at me with worry all over her face.
“Em, you know I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” I wipe my nose with the back of my hand, pulling away from her.
She leaves me on her bed, and goes back to her suitcase. She shifts it around, props it upright and then looks back at me. “You know what you need?” she says, breathing hard from managing the weight of her entire life, crammed inside this giant suitcase. “To get out there this year. Be more social. Get some friends. Maybe even a boyfriend.”
 “A boyfriend?” I half laugh, half sniffle at the ridiculousness of it.
“If you keep busy, you won’t even notice I’m gone.” She speaks quickly, excitedly. There’s nothing Izzy likes more than a good plan, but this sounds terrible to me. “Christmas will be here before you know it—” she’s still talking “—then next year, you’ll be off to college, too.”
 Maybe that would be true for her, if I were the one leaving, and if she were staying here. If I were the older one, leaving for California first, Izzy would stay here, spend the year with John and barely even notice my absence. Which is what I guess she’s about to do at UCLA. But I’ve always needed Izzy much more than she’s needed me.
“I hate being social. And I don’t want a boyfriend,” I say. “And anyway, you know what the boys are like at our high school. No thanks.” Mostly, they’re intimidated by me and my penchant for math, and I find their intimidation so annoying that I can barely even stand to have a conversation with them, much less a date. And the few that aren’t? Well, the one that isn’t—George—is my equal and co-president of coding club. He also happens to be John’s younger brother. We’re something like friends, George and I. Or maybe not, because we don’t really hang out outside of family stuff, school or coding club, and I guess in a way we’re supposed to be rivals. One of us will for certain be valedictorian of our class this year. The other will be salutatorian. And knowing George, he’s going to be more than a little bit annoyed when he’s staring at my back during graduation.
“You love numbers so much and you’re so good at coding,” Izzy says now with a flip of her blond curls over her shoulder. She wheels the suitcase toward her bedroom door and stops and looks back at me. “You could always code yourself a boyfriend.” She shrugs, then laughs a little, trying to make this moment lighter.
I don’t even crack a smile. “That’s a really ridiculous thing to say,” I tell her. “Thank God you’re going to be an English major.”
 But later, after it all fell apart, I would blame her. I’d say that it was all Izzy’s fault, that she started the unraveling of everything with her one stupid offhand comment on the morning that she left me.

Excerpted from The Code For Love and Heartbreak by Jillian Cantor Copyright © Jillian Cantor. Published by Inkyard Press.

About the Author

Jillian Cantor is the author of award-winning and bestselling novels for adults and teens, including In Another Time, The Hours Count, Margot, and The Lost Letter, which was the USA Today bestseller. She has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Cantor lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.


SOCIAL LINKS:

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads

May 9, 2017

Book Review: Cursed by Jennifer Chance

at 5/09/2017 12:00:00 AM 0 comments

add to goodreads.png
When the prince she was supposed to marry falls for someone else, Edeena Saleri is done with Garronia's courts, crowns, and family curses. She grabs her sisters and escapes to the nobility-free coast of South Carolina, USA.

Refuge isn't anything like it's supposed to be, however. The family's island vacation home now borders a singles' retreat, which Edeena's sisters embrace all too eagerly. Worse, the private protection firm Edeena hires is run by the most infuriating man she's ever met--a rough-hewn, dark-eyed, charismatic charmer named, of course, Prince. He's not a royal and he's nowhere near noble, so there's no way he can break the family curse. And yet...

Vincent "Prince" Rallis has spent his whole life justifying his name. The son of hardworking immigrant parents, he's hustled for every dime, finally building a personal security firm with the muscle and grit to live up to its promises. He's used to keeping his cool, but when the high-strung, high-class Edeena shuts him down despite her obvious interest, pride demands he fight for her--even if he has to track her back to her glittering court to prove his point. Only once Prince arrives in the seaside kingdom of Garronia, he finds his troubles are just beginning.

Sometimes love in Garronia can be magic. And sometimes you're just
 Cursed.

Buy Me!



This book is the fifth book in the Gowns and Crowns series, but I have read the first book, Courted. I have yet to read books two through four, but this book felt more like a standalone. This book did have a slow start. A good portion of the book was to set up the infamous Saleri "curse." The leading lady, Edeena Saleri, and her sisters are in America for a suppose vacation, while Edeena tries to figure out what to do about the family curse. Then, there's Vincent "Prince" Rallis. A hardworker and owner of a security company with the best rep in the States. The pair of them are mismatched couple, but despite the difference in their backgrounds, they somehow work together as a couple. They grew on me as a couple and I'm okay with that. I am interested to find out what happily ever afters Jennifer Chance has in store for the other Saleri girls

3.5 STARS

About Jennifer Chance

Jennifer Chance is the award-winning author of the new adult Rule Breakers series as well as the contemporary romance modern royals Gowns & Crowns series. A lover of books, romance, and happily-ever-afters, she lives and writes in Ohio. In addition to her work in romance, she is also Jenn Stark, urban fantasy author of the Immortal Vegas series, and Jennifer McGowan, YA author of the Elizabethan spy series The Maids of Honor. She is truly NOT trying to become 27 Jennifers, but it's getting a little dicey. 
Connect with Jennifer




January 10, 2017

Blog Tour Book Review: Seduction by Calista Fox & The Billionaire's Virgin by Jackie Ashenden

at 1/10/2017 08:55:00 PM 0 comments
Description: 100 Shades of Sin...

Delicious and hot, the seductive Bayfront Billionaires need one thing, and one thing only: the woman made for them, the one woman on earth who can complete their trio of passion and desire.


Lily Hart has taken a temporary position as a live-in butler for billionaire musicians Jackson Sterling and Lexington Alexander. She expected to be on call day and night. But what she did not plan for was that these two billionaires would be as handsome as sin and hell-bent on having her in their bed. Entirely skilled at the art of seduction, they make Lily burn for pleasure in ways she never knew she could.

Jax and Lex have been waiting for a muse, and when breathtaking, sensuous Lily arrives on their doorstep, they know she’s the woman to join them in the seductive web the three of them weave. But passion between three can end in flames, and Lily, Jax, and Lex must decide—is opening their hearts worth the risk?



Buy Links

B&N Nook  |  Kobo  |  Ebooks.com

Excerpt
Lily dressed in her uniform every morning, hair in a tight bun, and then served Jax and Lex brunch at their location of choice, either on one of the many patios or on the terrace off the music room. She went about her duties while they worked on the sheet music. Then she changed, let her hair down, and slipped into an evening gown for their late-night practice sessions.
She did exactly as they requested, attending to them when needed, but also sitting quietly, getting lost in the compositions and their creative process.
Occasionally the two men went out for dinner and drinks with friends, but she could see with each passing day that they were determined to improve upon what they’d already built. And Lily admired and respected their dedication and commitment to perfecting each arrangement.
It wasn’t just that she was lusting after both men—which was incredibly difficult to contain when she was still trying to be professional—she also genuinely adored Lex and Jax. Liked them more and more as she got to know them better. She was privy to their confidential discussions and she found their international travels enthralling, their views worldly and intelligent, and their philanthropic efforts generous.
Which only served to intensify her desire for them to the boiling point.
Though both gave her lingering glances and neither abstained from suggestive comments, even in front of each other, neither Lex nor Jax had made a physical move on her.
Until one afternoon, toward the end of her first month at the estate.
Lily was hanging Lex’s dry cleaning in his dressing room and returning his polished shoes to the shelves above one of the many racks. Or, at least, trying to. She really couldn’t reach that far even on tiptoe, but all the other spaces were spoken for.
“Here, let me,” he said from behind her, catching her by surprise. And making her pulse jump.
He took the shoes from her raised hand and set them where they belonged. In doing so, his body brushed hers, his chest pressing lightly to her back, his pelvis to her butt. Setting every nerve ending ablaze.
“Have Greta get you a stepladder,” Lex told her in his casual, sexy tone.
“Good idea.”
He lowered his arm, resting his hand at the dip of her waist. He leaned close and drew in a long breath. “You smell so damn good.”
Liquid fire rushed through her veins.
Lily turned to face him. “You’re finally touching me.”
“Yes.” His gorgeous blue eyes shimmered warmly. “And you don’t mind.” It wasn’t even a question.
“No.” Otherwise she would have conveniently sidestepped him. And being a gentleman, he would have let her.
Jax, however . . . She sensed that with his more aggressive nature, he’d cajole her into owning up to what she’d said to him on the terrace the night of the party—about her limited engagement at the mansion and the invitation that presented.
Lex was more of the coaxing kind. And she found that equally stimulating. So she gave him a soft smile.
His gaze dropped to her mouth. His expression morphed into a more contemplative one.
“You had valid points that night we discussed you being our muse and how we feel about you. Does it turn you on that we both want you, Lily?”
She swallowed hard. She’d practically been on pins and needles since she’d arrived at the estate. Following the evening when they’d expressed their interest in her . . . she’d all but waited with bated breath for one—or both—of them to corner her like this.
Yes, she’d needed to process. They’d obviously grasped that. But Christ. The fantasies had run rampant night after night. And being in a suite between Lex’s and Jax’s—though additional suites separated them on either side of hers—had her brimming with excitement. She was in such close proximity to them on a floor that offered immense privacy. It’d taken all the willpower she possessed not to leave her bed and climb into one of theirs.
But now here was Lex, pushing the envelope.
So Lily brazenly confessed, “It does turn me on. Even more than when I met you individually. Which is certainly saying something.”
“Good.” His lips whisked over hers in a feathery kiss that instantly tightened her nipples and ignited her insides. He murmured, “Because taking it slow with you has been much more difficult than we’d anticipated.”
“I don’t just jump into things,” she told him.
“We figured as much.”
Lily’s breathing was shallow, her heart racing.
Lex seemed to carefully catalog every reaction she had to him—every reaction he incited.
His grin was a bit cocky now that she was all but swooning under his electric gaze, feeling a little light-headed at the nearness of him. At his mouth, still so close to hers that all she had to do was lean in for another kiss and fall easily under his spell of seduction.
And he knew that was exactly what she was thinking.
He nipped playfully at the corner of her mouth, making her toes curl.
“You’re teasing me,” she whispered, her pussy throbbing at the way he toyed with her and the blatant need burning in his eyes. To claim her mouth? To claim her?
Lily didn’t actually think he’d take her right here and now, in his dressing room in the middle of the day.
But what an amazing fantasy to weave! Lex being so captivated by her that he couldn’t stand another second of the flirtation without giving in.
She’d suspected Jax would be the one to get caught up in the moment and have his way with her if she gave him the right signal. Lex, however, seemed to enjoy the little cat-and-mouse thrill of the chase. Either approach would work with her when it came to these two men. The thought of how varied each would be in tempting her, drawing her in, excited her even more.
She had a feeling everything about their foreplay and eventual conquering of her—if that was what they were both intent on—would provide the sort of double whammy that would leave her limp and boneless.
And thoroughly satisfied.
Prompting Lily to say, “I like the proposition you made. What you and Jax want from me.” She pulled in a long stream of air, looking for a little boost of courage, and then she daringly told Lex, “I’m more than intrigued by the way you two look at me. Not just when you’re taking in the sight of me in a different dress or watching me bend over to grab something from the butler’s pantry.” She crooked a brow at him, wondering if he’d deny it.
Of course, he didn’t. Modern-day scoundrel that he was, Lex’s sexy grin returned.
She should be forewarned by all the zings ricocheting through her body. Yet she wasn’t able to focus on any red flags this time. Especially the way Lex was currently devouring her with his hungry gaze.


Copyright © 2017 by Calista Fox and reprinted by permission of Swerve.




If you want a quickie ménage à trois story to read, this is for you. The story starts with Lily, a trained butler. I thought that butlers were typically male, but for the sake of this story, the main female character has professional butler on her resume. She apparently comes from a legacy of butlers and despite her gender, she too has taken on the position. She is newly hired in the home of Jackson Sterling and Lexington Alexander, hottie musicians with abs for days. One is the typical grumpy, angsty type and the other is distinctly sexual in all mannerisms. After meeting their new butler, both guys want to bang her and share her...with each other. Damn, that was fast. Must be animal magnetism or something like that. So you learn early on that these two had a history of sharing women and the last one caused an emotional rift that took a toll on their creativeness. Lily quickly becomes their new muse and things are looking up. Since this book kind of felt like a novella, there isn't much of a cliffhanger ending. A steamy sex scene was pretty much the only saving grace of an otherwise average plot. 
3.5 stars 





Book #1 in the intensely sexy Billionaire Fairytales by Jackie Ashenden where sometimes dark and tortured, sometimes bad boy and charming, but always dominant and sexy billionaires steal their heroines' breath away.

Xavier De Santis: Charming. Disgraced. Playboy.

The headlines are always shouting about the excesses of the so-called Prince Charming of the De Santis family. Problem is, Xavier is everything they say he is. 

But now he’s gone too far, and he has has been ordered to clean up his image. Volunteering at a homeless shelter, Xavier sees a bright light amidst all the bleakness. An angel whose luminous face and tragic beauty call to him in ways he can’t explain.


Mia: Homeless. Vulnerable. Virgin.


When the shelter Mia calls home closes, she is left with nowhere to go. Nowhere except the luxurious, glorious palace of a home where Xavier De Santis has invited her to stay. This too-handsome billionaire is dark, dangerous…and also too good to be true. Surely Mia can indulge in her fantasies and escape the hardness of her daily life for just one night?


As one night turns into two, Mia knows that eventually, the magic will end. She can't keep the beautiful clothes. She can't keep the soft bed. And most of all, she can't keep the hard, handsome man who makes her crave his touch with every breath she takes. 


Mia doesn't belong in his world. But as Xavier tempts his rags-to-riches heroine with exquisite pleasure and heady desire, Mia may have no choice but to surrender to him completely.

Buy Links


Excerpt
“No.” The word was breathless, her gaze meeting his, wide and dark. She looked surprised, as if she hadn’t been expecting to say it either.
“No?” He found he was almost holding his breath. “No, what?”
“I don’t…I can’t….” She stopped, looking away yet again, her mouth firming.
His patience was hanging by a thread. He was either going to have to get up and leave himself or… Well, shit, he didn’t know what else. Maybe go and get some relief in the shower or something.
“I don’t want to do anything you don’t want,” he said roughly. “So you’d better tell me what it is you do want, sweet thing.”
“I don’t know.” She sounded desperately unsure of herself. “I’ve…never done this before.”
“Sex you mean?” Because he had to get this straight for both of them.
Yes.” She ducked her head, her shoulders hunching. Which had the unfortunate - well, unfortunate in terms of his restraint - effect of widening the gap in her shirt, giving him a glimpse of the soft curves of her tits and a flash of small, pink nipples.
He dug the fingers of his other hand into the arm of the couch, not giving a shit about the leather. “So…you’re a virgin?”
“I guess.”
“But you know how it all works, don’t you?” A perfectly valid question when he didn’t know what her old bitch of a grandmother had told her. If she’d told her anything at all.
Her head came up at that, annoyance glittering in her eyes. “Of course I do, I’m not stupid.”
He held her gaze. “I didn’t say you were. But I need to know you understand what I want.”
“I know. Believe me, I know. I see it all the time on the streets.”
Xavier let out a breath, a cold ripple of understanding washing over him. Jesus, and he could imagine what she’d seen. Prostitutes probably, and sexual assault. Sex as a transaction, as a show of power.  Nothing good. Nothing pleasurable.
“What I want from you,” he said carefully, “is not in any way what you’ve seen on the streets. Do you understand? It’s about pleasure. For both of us.”
Another flicker in her eyes. “Well, yeah. Of course.”
“So you know completely what I’m talking about.” It was obvious that she didn’t - at least it was obvious to him.
She looked abruptly down at her hands again. “I mean… the guys seem to like it.”
And the women didn’t, clearly.
Xavier shifted, turning fully to face her, because if she thought he was going to be one of those assholes on the street, who forced women, who wanted to show off their power by hurting them, or who were just after a fuck for their own selfish reasons, then she was mistaken.
Yes, he wanted her, and maybe by chasing her, it meant he was selfish too, but he didn’t want this only for himself. He wanted this for her as well. He wanted to make her feel good, wanted to cancel out whatever she’d seen on the streets of sex and show her what it was really like.
“Look at me, Mia.”
She shook her head.
He reached out again, gripping her chin firmly and lifting her head up so she had no choice but to meet his gaze. There was confusion in her eyes, and fear, all the same emotions that had been there when he’d kissed her the day before. And desire too. But did she even recognize that? Had she ever felt it before with anyone? If not, then no damn wonder she was so confused.
“The kind of sex I want is about pleasure. For me, sure. But mainly, I want to show you how good it can be for you.” Her skin was so soft against his fingers and he wanted to stroke her, but this was important so he kept still. “Do you want that? Would you like me to show you how good I can make you feel?”
She stared back at him and he could feel the tension in her jaw. “I kind of do,” she said huskily after a moment. “But…I’m afraid.”
“What of? Me?” He had to ask.
“No. It’s more that…I’ve never felt like this.”
“Never felt like what?”
Her throat moved as she swallowed. “Like…I want something.”
This time he couldn’t stop himself, stroking along her jaw with his thumb. “And what you do want, sweet thing?”
Her eyes were very dark. “I think…I want you.”
A deep sense of satisfaction moved through him, along with a sharp triumph that made him want to push her down and give her what she wanted immediately.
But no. He wasn’t going to do that. He needed to be slow, be careful.
Being with someone who was afraid of their own desires was new to him, and he had no experience to guide him. Normally he just made stuff up as he went along using trial and error, but with Mia… Jesus, he couldn’t afford an error.
Already this thing with her was far more complicated than anything else he’d had with other women, and that alone should have made him pull back. Complicated was definitely not what he was after.
Yet… She wanted him. And he was desperate to give her what she wanted.
He stared at her, keeping his grip on her chin firm. “Then you can have me.
Her eyes widened a little. “I… I don’t know w-what to do.”
“You don’t have to do anything. Just keep looking at me and let me do the work.” God, he couldn’t wait.  He would show her everything.
Reading out, he flicked open the second button on her shirt.
She tensed, but didn’t pull away, so he kept going, tugging open the fabric. The two halves of the cotton gaped and she shivered.
“Are you okay?” He watched her face carefully.
She gave a little nod, trembling as he reached for the third button and undid it, the fabric gaping even further, revealing those pretty, perfectly round tits. He let himself look as he pulled open the rest of the buttons, measuring the tension in her by the taut feel of her chin in his hand.
Christ. A flush had spread down over her chest, her nipples tight and hard. His cock ached, impatient as always, but somehow knowing that he was in charge of what happened here, that he was responsible for her pleasure made everything easier to deal with.
He was not going to fuck this one up.
He refused.
Sweeping his gaze back to her face, he made sure she was looking at him, as he reached out once more, resting his fingers once again on her throat, letting her get used to his touch. Before easing them down, sliding lightly over her chest, tracing little patterns on her skin.
Her breathing had changed, becoming faster, ragged sounding in the silence of the room. There was a darkness in her eyes, the same kind of darkness he’d seen in them when he’d kissed her, her pupils dilated, an almost glazed look in them.
“Does this feel good, Mia?”  He followed the curve of one breast with his fingertip. “It’s okay if it does. You’re allowed to have it. This is yours, it can’t be taken away.” His fingertip reached her nipple then circled around it a couple of times before gently brushing over it. “You know that, right?”
She shuddered, a sound escaping her throat, something small and glistening running down the side of her nose.
A tear.
“No,” she whispered hoarsely.

Copyright © 2017 by Jackie Ashenden and reprinted by permission of Swerve.


This was another quick read for me. Rich, bad boy serving community service in a soup kitchen. Then, he meets a girl who could care less about his money, looks or charms. Mia (the girl) just wants her meal and a dry place to sleep. Female lead has a bit of a sad backstory. Xavier is intrigued by the little female who ignores him. Angry at first, for her indifference to him, and it annoys him to the point where he looks for her whenever he has to work a shift. I thought this was kind of like when a guy plays hard to get and the girl puts in more effort to be noticed by her crush. The "girl" of this scenario is Xavier, which I found a little funny. After much effort, Mia and Xavier finally grow closer together until they finally do the deed. For Mia, it's a dream come true. She gets to sleep on a nice, soft bed and gets her world rocked by a sexy guy who knows how to rock. ;) Overall, it was a good read. 
3.5 stars

About the Authors!
Calista is a former PR professional, now writing fast-paced, steamy books to set your pulse racing! She has won many Reviewer’s and Reader’s Choice Awards, as well as Best Book Awards. Calista has crossed the country many times over by corporate jet and travels internationally, always with her laptop in tow to capture intriguing story elements and exotic locales! She is also a member of Romance Writers of America and a Past President/Advisor of the Phoenix chapter.

Social Links




Jackie Ashenden lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband, the inimitable Dr. Jax, and their two kids and two cats. When she’s not torturing alpha males and their stroppy heroines, she can be found drinking chocolate martinis, reading anything she can lay her hands on, posting random crap on her blog, or being forced to go mountain biking with her husband.  Jackie writes dark, sexy contemporary romance for St Martin’s Press, the titles Mine To Take, Make You Mine, and You Are Mine.

Social Links

Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Website
 

The Consummate Reader Copyright © 2010 Designed by Ipietoon Blogger Template Sponsored by Online Shop Vector by Artshare