Book Review: Second Chances by Lauren Dane

I fell in love with Lauren Dane's writing after reading the first book of her Brown Sibling series. This is an author who knows how to get to the heart of her characters, show their vulnerabilities and strengths amid the spiciness that is this author's trademark.

SECOND CHANCES had me in tears mid-way through and I have to hand it to Ms. Dane. having me bawl like a kid who lost their beloved pet is a rarity when I read a book lately. I was enthralled with Rori's journey back to her home town, her family conflicts, her yearnings for the town bad boy and the one man who stole her heart. It was truly a work of art and one I give 5 stars. 


My review of SECOND CHANCES:

There comes a time when you pick up a book and within moments of starting it, you know you have something special in your hand. This was the case when I opened SECOND CHANCES. Lauren Dane delivers a heart stopping story that will leave you in tears and smiles. I don’t want to go into detail as to spoil the surprises in this book, but all I can say is OH MY GOD! This is an author who seriously knows how to pull the emotions from her characters and draw in her readers with each page. I fell in love with this author’s writing and found myself smiling, laughing, sighing and crying all throughout the SECOND CHANCES. A good author knows how to draw their readers in and have them feel the characters emotions deeply. I do have to say this, there are some scenes of BDSM and D/s lifestyle that may not appeal to everyone.

 I fell in love with feisty Rori, a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. The men in this book had me drooling and I so want to move to this small town just for the eye candy alone. Ms. Dane has a perfect knack in creating complex and strong characters that resonate with the reader. Jude was a character I wanted to slap silly. Even though he was a hot and sexy, he made me want to bounce him to the curb with his antics in the beginning. Zach was a man who pulled me deep under his spell and had me squirming in my seat. He was the perfect Dom in my book: sweet, sexy and treated Rori like the queen he thought she was. There were a few secondary characters that had me smiling and cheering as they kept the story flowing along nicely. The characters were multi-faceted and not afraid to show the reader their vulnerabilities.

SECOND CHANCES delivers an emotional story that leaves you smiling in the end as one woman finds herself trying to live again after a personal tragedy. Ms. Dane is fast becoming my favorite author to read and if you haven’t picked up one of her books yet, what are you waiting for? Each time I open a Lauren Dane book, I find myself lost in the story with some amazing characters that I want to be friends with and a story that leaves me wanting more. SECOND CHANCES is a story that will heat up your cold nights. I just suggest you keep an ice bucket or your significant other nearby to help with all the heat it will generate.

Guest Author Shirin Dubbin

Pissed Off and Lovin’ It
by Shirin Dubbin

It’s the day after Christmas and my mind is fried. Or maybe baked. Heck, I don’t know, higher brain function is beyond me right now. Which makes what I’m about to say funnier than it might’ve been. I don’t know whether it’s the toasted state of my grey matter or the fact I’m on the downside of a romance but I’ve been thinking a lot about breaking up and…how to put this delicately? Aw, I ain’t got pretty words today, let’s call it what it is: angry sex. It’s so much fun! Haven’t you ever antagonized your sweetie so they can get all puffed up and pissed off, resulting in the two of you going at it—in a good way? Ah, the joy of the little things. ^_^

In my new release, Dreams’ Dark Kiss, I have a scene that goes there. After a night of fighting off corporeal nightmares bent on her destruction Ciaran, my heroine, gets mean with my hero, Keoni. They have a spat, leading to glorious body-rocking. I can’t share the entire scene but here’s a taste:

Excerpt from Dreams’ Dark Kiss (an angry prelude to getting groin-y)

She stared back at him. Dark emotion swirled inside her aura, clouding her thinking, and she said what she supposed she must to protect herself. “Fuck you.”

The man growled and reached for her. She snatched the frying pan from its place on the stove. Keoni knocked it aside, sending it sailing across the room so fast she could only gape at her empty hand. Bang. A cabinet door dislodged and slid to the floor, crushed by the rocketed pan.

She screamed and rushed him. He took her by both shoulders and lifted her off the ground while she kicked and screamed a stream of expletives cruel enough to gut punch him in a one-two combination.

She knew the words wounded him. She didn’t care.

Keoni managed to set her down on the countertop and push himself between her legs, putting an end to her barrage of kicks. Ciaran pushed against him until he imprisoned her arms by firmly pressing them to her sides.

She heaved with the exertion, making the mistake of meeting her man’s gaze. Hurt darkened his eyes.

Agonizing moments passed before Keoni spoke.

“You testing me? Huh? ’Cause you can stop now. I’m not gonna hurt you, hit you, curse you, belittle, demean, or do anything to make you even a little uncomfortable. None of it. I’m a man, tita. A real one. And I know it’s not what you’re used to, but you better get acclimated real quick. Unless you’ve decided to live a half life, cut off from one another in a warped version of what life mates are meant to be, you’re gonna have to cut this shit out.”

He walked a furious path around the granite island and came back around. Placing his big hands on either side of her, he leaned in. Ciaran opened her mouth, then shut it, her eyes filling with tears.

“That choice enough for you? You wanna keep this up? Fine. We’ll live in separate houses, neighbors with visitation rights. ’Cause I won’t live my life fighting with you. No matter how much I need you.”

“Fine,” she said.

“Fine?”

A humorless snort punctuated the question. “Fine.” Keoni turned away and stared out the window above the sink. Without warning, he whirled back to face her. “No. Not cool. Why’re you so angry with me?”

“Because.” Her jaw trembled, and she lowered her eyes, unable to face the intensity of his gaze.

“What?”

Because I’m not good enough. Because I’m rude. Because it’s always my fault. Be—

“’—cause you’re too perfect, and I’m scared.”

Now what man wouldn’t let a woman have it—in a good way—after that? =giggle= So what do you think, any thoughts on why angry sex is such a treat?

Find out more on Shirin at the following places:

Website

Twitter

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Blog

Newest release: Dreams Dark Kiss now available at Carina Press

Buy HERE

My Review for His For The Holidays Anthology

His For The Holidays
Josh Lanyon, LB Gregg, ZA Maxfield & Harper Fox
Carina Press
Contemporary M/M Holidays
4 out of 5

Four stories of families, Christmas antics and the magic of the season as these talented authors transport the reader when reading HIS FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

First up is author L. B. Gregg’s Mistletoe At Midnight, a charming tale of first love revisited, forgiveness and magic all within the confines of a family who enjoy meddling. Can a man find a way to have his first love in his life again this Christmas?

 I have to admit, this author’s contribution had me in stitches. I loved the dynamics between Owen and his family, who all seemed to want to meddle in the poor man’s love life. The characters fairly stepped of the page and within a matter of minutes I was drawn into a story that had me flipping the pages with eager abandon, looking to see what would happen next for Owen and Caleb. If you haven’t read on of this author’s books, try the latest novella from LB Gregg and get ready to grin your way to a wonderful Christmas.

Next up was Harper Fox’s Nine Lights Over Edinburgh and one that I found a little too heavy for this anthology. Don’t get me wrong, it was a well written story but it felt out of place with the other books and light-heartedness of the stories in HIS FOR THE HOLIDAYS. The characters were well written and the story flowed nicely. I haven’t read one of this author’s books before and plan to check out the backlist to see if there are any more to read over the holidays. 

Third up is I Heard Him Exclaim by Z. A. Maxfield and found it utterly charming. The story was well told, the characters well written and the romance between Steve and Chandler was sweet and at times, so very hot I thought the computer screen was going to melt. I haven’t read one of this author’s books before but found the novella in this anthology to be a perfect introduction to this author’s writing. I am eager to see what else I can find to enjoy in the backlist of titles by this author.

          Finally, author Josh Lanyon delivers Icecapade, a story of a jewel thief turned novelist and his nemesis, FBI detective finding love after a decade of being apart. Just one teeny problem…the detective thinks he is the one who is robbing houses and is determined to put Noel behind bars…for good. Can Noel show Robert that he is a reformed thief?

          Josh Lanyon is a master at creating complex characters and making them completely lovable. Noel and Robert is a perfect pair together and though Robert comes after Noel, convinced he is a thief still, Noel finds a way to melt his icy heart. Vulnerable and sexy, the way this author creates his books leaves the reader with magic from beginning to end. I am hoping the author comes back to Noel and Robert again in the future. I would love to read more about them.

          HIS FOR THE HOLIDAYS is a perfect mix of fun and lightheartedness within the magic of Christmas. Each author delivers a wonderful novella that will keep you highly entertained from beginning to end. If you are looking for a sweet anthology to explore, then grab HIS FOR THE HOLIDAYS and settle in for an afternoon of reading fun. I look forward to finding out what these authors have in store for their readers in the future.

Review for Silver Bound by Ella Drake

Here is my review for Carina Press book, Silver Bound by Ella Drake.

I am giving it 4 out 5 stars.

Silver Bound
Carina Press
Available Nov. 22nd, 2010
Buy HERE
Sci-fi/futuristic erotic romance

Sheriff Guy Trident has loved Jewel Quinn for years. When he lost her to a marriage to a pampered, rich lord, his heart broke in a million pieces. Picking those pieces and putting his heart back together has Guy wishing he never heard of Jewel Quinn; especially when he gets a visit from her father, the man who vowed that Jewel will never marry a lowly rancher’s son, that she is a prize for someone better. Well, seems life has its kicks and this one has Guy in its sights. Jewel is captured by slavers and is silver tipped, a procedure that leaves her with no memories of her life before the hour she wakes up and her body bound to her master who will use her sexually and keep her enslaved forever. That is unless Guy can race to the rescue and help Jewel remember that woman she used to be and stop the madness that is following them. Can Guy help Jewel survive before it is too late?

My Review:

SILVER BOUND is a pulse pounding ride from start to finish. I was enthralled with the entire story, the characters and the race against the clock as Guy, Jewel and their allies try to find a cure for Jewel and stop the evil that is chasing them. Ella Drake is a new to me author who writes a well written story that transports you to planets above, space jaunts and a race against time amid the stars. It was a wildly entertaining story that had me flipping the pages eager to see what would happen next. The characters are well written, very life-like and multi-dimensional. You could feel their emotions, desires and conflicting emotions as they try to stay one step ahead of the person who wants Jewel at his mercy. The author does a great job in keeping the sexual tension between Guy and Jewel on high through most of the story and let me tell you, when they finally give into their passion, it’s explosive. Make sure to keep the bucket of ice cubes nearby or your significant other for your going to need relief from it all.

If you are looking for a new type of sci-fi romance to read, then try Silver Bound. Just make sure to keep your seat belt on and your chair in the upright position. It's going to be a bumpy ride.