Adam's Apple By Liv Morris (Touch Of Tantra, #1)

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / SMASHWORDS

Author's Page:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter

Genre:

Contemporary Romance

Summary On Goodreads:

***AN AMAZON TOP 100 BESTSELLER*** 

Uniquely told in Adam's point of view. Warning: Contains adult situations intended for readers eighteen and over.

Adam Kingsley reigns as the young prince of Manhattan. Everything he touches turns to gold, making him the envy of Wall Street. Women swoon at his feet, money is no object, and his killer good looks are as wicked as sin. A dangerous trifecta that allows him to possess anything or anyone he desires.

What more could a thirty-two-year-old man wish for? Maybe that his life never changes and his murky past stays far away... Sounds reasonable, yet life seldom is.

Kathryn Delcour is an alluring socialite with unique erotic tastes who helps others find true sexual fulfillment. When she suddenly appears on the New York City social scene, Adam finds this complex woman too tempting to resist. He will stop at nothing to have her, yet she is warned to stay away from him and his player ways. Kathryn tries to keep him at arm's length, but her arms may not be strong enough to hold the charismatic Adam Kingsley at bay.

The passionate lure of ancient sexual practices, a past that isn't content to remain buried and a present filled with intrigue, danger and revenge. An erotic story sweetened with secrets, seduction, and suspense.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

***Arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for honest review***

Again, I find myself seduced by the beautiful cover of the book that had potential, but didn't live up to my expectations. These gorgeous covers make me forget that I overgrew these type of stories long time ago. After the first couple of pages of reading I already knew that me and the main character of the story Adam Kingsley won't get along...at all. The main reason for that was that the guy in question is a big rich & famous man slut with every skirt in the town knowing the backside of his limousine. His "little" adventures and attitude annoyed and bored me throughout the whole book. I believe that people can change, but I didn't see any redeemable quality about him. I despise players and guys alike who think that they are God-given and that any woman should be lucky that they even talked to them and he was one of them.

"I take cocky, rich boys like you and teach them how to make love to women until they're barely able to mutter a word. Completely and utterly blissed. That's really what separates the men from the boys, Mr. Kingsley. Sex as an art form versus f**king for a release." - Kathryn.

In comparison to him, the main female character Kathryn was definitely more interesting and bearable. I liked her a lot at first, especially after she set straight our poor rich boy after they first met. She seemed like a strong & confident woman with a strong attitude, but even that image shattered soon enough and I was truly disappointed, but I still think that the author should have written the story from her POV and not Adam's. And the meaning behind tantric sex? Meeh, I'm sorry, but it bore me til' death. I read a lot of  erotic romances with way better sex scenes. This ones were just too plain in a sense: is it over yet?

The writing style was o.k., but the plot of the story wasn't anything spectacular or never seen before. The bottom line is that I expected a lot more from the story, some deeper meaning, but unfortunately, I didn't get it. I believe there will be a lot of readers out there who will enjoy this type of story, but it just wasn't for me.

XOXO

Scorpion (Memory Of Scorpions, #1) & Lying With Scorpions (Memory Of Scorpions, #2) by Aleksandr Voinov

Buy The Book:

AMAZON /  BARNES & NOBLE / RIPTIDE PUBLISHING

About The Author:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter

Genre:

MM Fantasy/ Military

Summary On Goodreads:

You learn your wisest lessons from your enemies. Assuming, of course, you survive the encounter. 

Kendras is a casualty of war: injured, penniless, and quite possibly the last surviving member of the only family he's ever known—the elite fighting force known as the Scorpions. When a steel-eyed stranger offers him medicine and shelter in exchange for submission and a secret task, Kendras has no choice but to accept. He is a Scorpion; he’ll do whatever it takes to survive.

But his true goal is to rebuild the Scorpions. Neither Steel’s possessive nature nor Kendras’s shattered foot can keep him from finding the last of his brothers... or the mysterious leader of the Scorpions, a man who held Kendras’s heart long before Steel tried to take it for himself. The goal is simple, the situation anything but. To rescue his leader and escape from Steel for good, Kendras must fight through a morass of politics and intrigue, where enemies are allies and even allies have hidden agendas.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

Ever since Captive Prince,  I've been waiting for a good fantasy/ military MM book and I've finally found it. I've read a lot of books by A. Voinov since Dark Soul Series which were up til' this book my favorite by him, but this was frigging awesome!!!

"If you lie with scorpions, you’d better have a taste for poison."

Come & meet Scorpions- a small group of  deadly mercenaries/soldiers  for  hire  and one of their soldiers in rising- Kendras, an orphan and former slave saved and trained by  the very leader of Scorpions Adrastes a. k. a. The Officer. Scorpions are not your ordinary group of soldiers. They have existed for centuries and not anyone can become one of them. They are chosen from the mass by the Officer and even then they have to pass one final test in order to be accepted in the group, but once you're accepted, you become a Scorpion for life, nothing else can come first. The other soldiers from the group become your only family, both brothers & lovers, your everything. We meet Kendras when he's at the very bottom- alone, injured & penniless as a result of his last mercenary job he did with other Scorpions. For the first time in a long time he is all alone without the others, clueless whether anyone of them even survived the last battle, but then a stranger comes to him and offers him an offer which the desperate situation he found himself doesn't allow him to resist and so his journey begins.

“I'd meant to seduce him into my bed but he seduced me into his life.” 

Dark, edgy, brutal, intriguing, emotional & way-too-hot. There is romance in the story, but  it is more in the background and it's not your usual type of romance. It was a major mind-fuck with present and past events mixed giving it a certain dose of mystery and unpredictability and I loved that. You think you know something or someone, but then something major happens and you see how wrong you were. The story is complex and interesting with a lot of amazing characters. The writing style was flawless like always.


I highly recommend it to every MM fantasy fans, especially to the fans of movies like 300, The Gladiator or Spartacus.

“All men die, Kendras. Better get used to it. And then fight until the end, with every breath, every heartbeat, every single, last thought.”

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / RIPTIDE PUBLISHING / BARNES & NOBLE

Genre:

MM Fantasy/ Military

Summary On Goodreads:

If you lie with scorpions, you’d better have a taste for poison. 

Now that Kendras’s lover Adrastes has claimed the throne of Dalman, Kendras is tangled deeper than ever in politics and intrigue. As the new leader of the Scorpions and Adrastes’s one true friend, he and his men stand between Adrastes and those who wish him dead.

And many do. Adrastes openly challenges the ocean priesthood for power while establishing himself at court and brokering with the realm’s various factions. He means for the Scorpions to become a fearsome legion again, but Kendras must first learn how to be a good officer and recruit to replace the fallen. His choices will determine the future of a group steeped in hundreds of years of history and tradition.

As both Kendras and Adrastes settle old scores, a new enemy arises in Commander Graukar, a war hero loyal to the old order. In his formidable mountain fortress, Graukar may hold the balance of power. But while Adrastes aims to either rule or destroy Graukar, Kendras finds himself doubting Adrastes for the first time, and sharing more with Graukar than he ever thought possible.

RATING:

***REVIEW***

***ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for honest review***

"I'm  the Officer. I'm a Scorpion. I've accepted the contract to protect Lord Adrastes, but I'm not his slave.

I loved the the first book in the series, but in that case this one deserves 10 stars, because it surpassed all my expectations. I don't have words to explain the amazing fantasy world and characters the author has created. The book was simply  u.n.p.u.t.d.o.w.n.a.b.l.e.

Power is one seductive force, because once you experience her sweet flavor, it always leaves you hungry for more.   And being power-hungry can change people, but usually only for worse or does it finally show their true face? And yes, I'm looking at you our sweet-tongued, noble Adrastes. I don't know why, but I wasn't your biggest fan even in the 1st book and this development of the plot only shows that my instincts were right. And finally even Kendras begins to see it too that you're not worthy of the throne he put you on. Kendras, the new leader of Scorpions. Kendras, the leader game-changer who does something that none of the previous officers did and I loved him for that. Kendras, whose every next choice pulls him in the cruel world of politics and religion deeper and deeper. A lot of big things happen to Kendras in this book, some of them were good and some not so good.. One of the most important is the story behind his origin and appearing of new, life-changing characters into his world.

"Kendras.

Graukar lifted his eyebrow. "That's your name?"

"Yes." Kendras took another, deeper sip, feeling the spirit warm his body from the inside. " The Officer has no name. He serves his men, not his own honor."

Graukar took a sip from his cup. " Then I'll call you Kendras tonight. Go back to being officer tommorow."

The story was again dark, edgy, unpredictable, emotional and full of action. It was Aleksandr Voinov at his best. This is so far my favorite book by him and I can't wait for the next one. Again, all MM fantasy fans, especially fans of movies and shows like 300, The Gladiator, Games Of Thrones or Spartacus- what are you waiting for? Go and buy this book and prepare for one hell of a ride ;)!

"To take the measure of a man, watch not how he treats his friends, watch how he treats a conquered foe."

xoxo

Donners of the Dead by Karina Halle

Buy the book:

Amazon / Kobo / Indigo

Author's:

Website / Twitter / Goodreads

Book summary:

The year is 1851 and pioneers in search of California gold are still afraid to travel on the same route as the tragic Donner party did years before. When the last wagon train to go into the Sierra Nevada mountains fails to arrive at their destination, Eve Smith, an 18-year old half-native girl with immense tracking skills is brought along with the search party, headed by an enigmatic former Texas Ranger, Jake McGraw.

What they find deep in the dangerous snow-covered terrain is a terrifying consequence of cannibalism, giving new meaning to the term “monster.” While the search party is slowly picked off, one by one, Eve must learn to trust Jake, who harbors more than a few secrets of his own, in order to survive and prevent the monstrosities from reaching civilization.

My rating: 

3.5 stars

My review: 

Donners of the Dead was good. I was not blown away by the awesomeness like with other Karina Halle’s books, but this one was very good too.

Why I liked it, well this is a historical novel (but hey you, history haters, don’t give up on this yet), with some supernatural elements thrown in (zombies), horror (you will be creeped out) and of course, some steamy romance. 

Why I was particularly looking forward to this novel was because it was based on real events: Donner party was a group of real people who got stuck in Sierra Nevada in the 19th century and had to resort to cannibalism in order to survive. A history fan that I am, I found it fascinating. 

The main reason why I didn’t fully enjoy this book is probably because I had high expectations. And the book didn’t fully live up to those. I’m a huge Karina Halle fan and I think this book is not her best one. This is a standalone, fast paced books, and I guess I missed Karina’s traditional way of slowly revealing things to us, making us love her characters that are always a bit on the flawed side. Characters that you’d usually hate, but Karina makes you care for them. (That is why I loved The Artists Trilogy and EIT.)

So yeah, that didn’t really happen here. I did like Eve, she’s quite a likeable character. A half Native girl, not really accepted in a society, not even her own family. She’s strong, but not in that aggressive sense; and very clever, with survival instincts.

Jake, main male hero, on the other side, I did not find all that appealing. Sorry to say, but I don’t see attraction there. He’s your typical alpha male and let’s just say he’s not my type. I found him annoying and chauvinistic. 

So, I guess the main reason why this didn’t quite work for me is the romance part. Whereas I found the bits about cannibalism and the whole zombie thing fantastic, all the more because it was based on real facts, and it really adds the credibility. Halle works her magic once again to spook you out big time.

*ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.* 

xx,

Dirty Deeds (Dirty Deeds, #1) by S. E. Jakes

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / RIPTIDE PUBLISHING / B & N 

Author's Page:

Goodreads / Blog / Twitter

Genre:

MM ROMANCE / MILLITARY

Summary on Goodreads:

Two seasoned operatives finally meet their match: each other.

Cillian works for the mysterious Special Branch 20: an organization that runs black ops commissioned by the British government. His specialty is deep undercover assignments with virtually no support. He’s been alone for so long that he no longer knows anything else.

Mal’s also used to being alone. Wanted in several states and even more countries, he’s not allowed in the vicinity of any of his former Navy SEAL teammates. And his current assignment is to track Cillian in order to discover the spook’s endgame. Except he’s no longer sure which one of them is getting played.

Cillian isn’t about to let the mission that’s consumed him for the past several years crumble because an outsider is poking around where he doesn’t belong. But Mal forces his way through Cillian’s defenses—and into his heart—exposing a devastating betrayal that could destroy them both.

Rating:

***REVIEW***

Hi guys, WTHB team has been busy with real life (university, teaching, boyfriends, babies etc.), so we are taking it a bit slow with our blog, but no matter what- reading is still our No.1 favorite way of escaping reality, so we'll try to post from time to time if and when we find some free time. 

                                                                                                Miss you guys, xoxo

***Arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for honest review***

I recently read the 1st two books in Hell Or High Water Series by S. E. Jakes (which reminds me that I’ll have to write a review soon) and loved them. Those were my first reads by this author and they were more than satisfying, so when I saw that there was an ARC of her new book on Netgalley, I didn’t even read the synopsis of the book I just knew I had to have it. O.k., psst, I admit the mouthwatering cover had something to do with that, but damn- who can blame me, right?

Only a few pairs and groups of three lined the walls,entwined, and Cillian briefly considered joining a couple who were watching him as they jerked each other off. But then, a strong hand clamped down on his shoulders, a grip that would normally have him turning around to break the arm holding him. Except here it made him hard. Especially when the grip turned into a one-handed massage of Cillian's shoulder, then moved to caress the back of his neck before twisting into his hair enough to tilt his head to the side...

So imagine my surprise when I started reading and realized that this short novel (95 pages) is actually a spin-off of the Hell Or High Series featuring two of my second favorite characters Mal & Cillian. Two super hot & super bad-ass special agents involved in one major mind-fuck of an black operation- what more could a MM Military fan ask for *_*?! Oh boy, these two naughty boys were so hot together, especially their sex-ting!

What if I spoil you, Cillian?

And just how do you plan on doing that?

Any way I want to, I think I you'd like letting it be my choice.

I think you don't know me.

Bullshit I don't. I know I''d have you any I wanted you.
You're very confident.
You like that, right? Want someone who's confident enough

to just slam you  down and take you, just because they can?
Doesn't everyone have that fantasy every now and again?

And the ending!!!...It was epic! I didn't see that coming at all, but I love it and hate it at the same time. Love it, because it was awesome, hate it because I don't have the next book in the series in my hand right now. The author gave us just a glimpse of what's bound to happen in the future and I’m so excited and impatiently anticipating for their full length novel. I highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys MM Military books.

Btw. Big thanks to Riptide Publishing for always approving my ARC requests- I’ll be your loyal servant 4ever.

XOXO

Misbehaving by Tiffany Reisz

Buy the book:

 Amazon / Kobo / Barnes & Noble

Connect with the author:

 Website / Facebook /  Twitter / Goodreads

Book summary:

Wanted: Adventurous, open-minded man willing to try anything…

As a popular sex blogger, Beatriz gets paid to have orgasms. So being on deadline the week of her sister’s wedding isn’t as rough as it sounds. There’s just one hitch: Bea’s assignment is to write a review of a sex position manual, but she doesn’t have a plus one to play with.

The good news: Ben, the one who got away back in college, is also attending stag--and he's as temptingly gorgeous as ever.

The bad news: Ben turned down Bea’s offer of graduation night sex five years ago.

The best news: He’s not planning on making the same mistake twice.

*

A red-hot retelling of Much Ado About Nothing for people who love Shakespeare but thought his plays could use a few more sex scenes.

A Cosmo Red-Hot Read

Misbehaving on Goodreads  
 

 My rating:
4  entertaining stars

My review:

Tired of emotionally draining books that make you bawl your eyes out?
Looking for a light, sexy and funny read? 

 Well, look no further, cause this is fun!

I admit, I'm not Shakespeare's biggest fan. I probably have Much Ado About Nothing somewhere amongst my books; I just never had the desire to read it, but this is Shakespeare I could really get behind.

I liked Misbehaving for a few reasons. 
1. I'm a huge fan of the author's work. Her Original Sinners series is my favorite series ever, and although this is very different from it, being pretty vanilla and all, I still enjoyed it very much. It's got Tiffany written all over it.
2. Since this is a novella, there isn't much written about the characters, but what I did read was enough for me to like them.
3. It's full of sexy humor. I wasn't just once that I laughed out loud at something these characters said.
4. It's short. I usually prefer long books, but when there's a lack of free time, short is good.
5. Oh, and there's a mention of one of my dear Sinners.


Beatriz is a kick-ass female  lead. She's smart, witty, open, independent, confident, and reminds me a lot of Nora (you know who I'm talking about, don't you?), and she has the solution for making the world a better place, which surprisingly is a lot similar to Barney Stinson's theory about world peace. 
Not only is Bea awesome, but she also has the best job in the world. She basically gets paid to have orgasms. I mean, really, where do I sign up? Her latest assignment: to write a book review for The Manual, a book about sexual positions, and to do that she needs a partner who she can try those positions with.

Enter Ben, a ghost from the past. Ben is a sweet, funny guy, who fusses a lot about some minor details like what he's wearing, but he's adorable when he does that. He and Bea have some history together, and some unresolved issues. He is also the best candidate to be Bea's partner.

You just know it's gonna be interesting. And it was. It was also hilarious. Those two just cracked me up.

Since all of this was happening just before Bea's foster sister's and Ben's best friend's wedding, there were lots of situations with the bride and groom to be that added to the funny, especially the groom.


This really was a perfect read to take a break from all the angst.


Still not sure whether or not to read it?

Here's an excerpt.

I hope anyone who reads it has as much fun as I did.

XOXO