Corralled: A Blacktop Cowboys Novel
by Lorelei James 
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade
Available: August 3, 2010
Genre: Western Contemporary Romance
Book received from: Smexy Books

Sports therapist Lainie Capshaw has been rehabilitating injured cowboys long enough to know that a charming western drawl combined with a fine physical form doesn't mean you fall for the man.

So no one is more surprised than Lainie when she finds herself involved with not one, but two different men: Hank Lawson, a bullfighter, and Kyle Gilchrist, a bull rider. Lainie feels guilty about her two-timing, but it doesn't keep her from doubling her fun-that is until Hank catches her with Kyle.

She's shocked that Hank isn't mad. But she's more shocked to learn Hank and Kyle are hometown buddies. But when the men offer to share her-in every way-she knows that she's going to have to choose the one man who can give her the ride of her life...

Reviewed by: Fiction Vixen

Whoo-ee!  Lorelei James does it again!  I have recently become a fan of Lorelei James’ Rough Riders series so when I heard she had a whole new series about to release I was all over it.  I couldn’t wait to dig into another luscious cowboy story.  To say that I had high expectations for Corralled is an understatement.  I was not disappointed.  I was hooked, first line in the book:

“Screwing two guys doesn’t make you a slut”

Kyle Gilchrist—bull rider and Hank Lawson—bull fighter, have been friends since childhood.  They’ve gone their own way in life but now they have reunited on the rodeo circuit and plan to be traveling partners.  That’s the plan until they discover they’ve both been seeing the same woman.

Lainie Capshaw is a med-tech spending lots of time on the road as she works two different rodeo circuits providing first-aid and medical treatment to rodeo competitors.  Since she’s on the road so much, there’s not a lot of time for relationships but it’s nice to spend a little time with a sexy cowboy now and then.  She’s had a part time fling going with Hank for a while and it’s worked out well. No promises, just occasional casual dating and some quality time between the sheets.  But when she meets Kyle the chemistry is between them is off the charts so why not enjoy his part time company as well?  She’s feeling just a little guilty about seeing two men at the same time but since both relationships are casual she’s going with it.  Until she finds out that Hank and Kyle are friends.  Both still want her and but she refuses to choose one over the other and doesn’t want to become between their friendship. 

Hank and Kyle come up with a solution.  They will share Lainie if she’s up for it.  Both men are alpha and competitive by nature so this cold be a win/win for Lainie.  Due to a forced vacation, she’s got time on her hands so she hits the road with the boys as they compete for her affections and try to win her heart while seeing to her physical pleasure as well. *waggles eyebrows*  Let me just say that both Kyle and Hank are delicious, but Hank had my heart from the get go.  MINE!

I love a good m/f/m romance.  Unfortunately I’m not always convinced of the relationship dynamics since jealousy, and competitiveness is a fact of human nature and not easily overcome even in best of situations.  That is part of why I loved Corralled.  Although it was Kyle and Hank’s idea to share, both went into the three way relationship with the idea of winning Lainie over.  Neither one of them thought of the three way relationship as an indefinite situation, both looking to win Lainie’s heart in the end.  But even though they are both competitive, they are also life long friends and seemed to respect each other despite the jealousies that arose.  I really felt like this was a very believable relationship and loved how the men respected Lainie, as well as each other, and managed preserve their friendship.  I was a little surprised at how agreeable they both were to sharing in the first place though.  Being alpha men, it seems like they both would have been more resistant in the beginning.  I suppose the opportunity to have an ongoing threesome with a desirable woman made the decision easier. :) Lainie goes into the relationship with excitement but with several reservations as well.  She doesn’t want to come between friends and at one point wants to walk away without either man in the best interest of their friendship.  With a little convincing from her best friend, she gets on board the three way train eventually.

The main focus of the story is on the romantic relationships between Kyle, Lainie and Hank.  But we also get a chance to learn about some about their familial relationships.  Each has an interesting past and in the process of learning more about these three characters we’re introduced to secondary characters that will hopefully be stepping up in future books in the series.  I especially liked  Hank’s rebellious younger sister Celia and Lainie’s best friend and champion barrel racer Tanna.  Both hold their own being surrounded by cowboys in a male dominated sport and I look forward to seeing them both again as the series progresses. 

For fans of the Rough Riders series don’t worry, you won’t be miss out on all the goodness you’ve come to love in a Lorelei James cowboy romance.  You still get smokin’ hot cowboys, lots of western charm, and plenty of available lube. *g*  Corralled is a great start to another erotically charged western romance series. Be warned though, you may be tempted to pull up roots and hit the road in search of your own rodeo cowboy.  :)

Favorite Quote:

She looked at him over her shoulder.  “What color condom are you sporting?”

He grinned.  “Yellow.  Feel free to comment about a yellow submarine bein’ long, thick, hard, and filled with seaman.”

Lainie couldn’t help it; she giggled.

 

 

Purchase a copy of Corralled

Other books in the series:

Saddled And Spurred – March 2011

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Visit Lorelei James at:

Website | Blog |Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

Nauti and Wild
by Lora Leigh & Jaci Burton 
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Available: August 3, 2010
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book received from: Penguin

You’ve seen them. Looking for trouble, and looking irresistible, riding into town, straddling 73 cubic inches of throbbing horsepower.

Boys so bad it takes a special kind of woman to satisfy them.

But some women are made for high speed handling…
Lora Leigh, the New York Times bestselling author of Nauti Intentions and Nauti Dreams revisits that sultry and “sinfully good”* Southern landscape with a story of a good girl gone bad--and doing it for all the hottest reasons. But she’s not the only one going down that road…

Jaci Burton, the national bestselling author of Riding Wild and Riding Temptation, lets loose in a story of a hot biker hired to keep an eye on the reckless daughter of a Nevada senator. She’s hooked up with a rival biker gang--a dangerous move that makes the wild beauty more vulnerable than she imagined…

Reviewed by: Samantha 

 

Nauti Kisses by Lora Leigh

I am a faithful follower of Lora Leigh’s Nauti Boys series. When I opened this book to the dedication page and read the following:

“This Last Nauti book is dedicated to the fans and readers of the Nauti series who asked for just one more. The final in the series, for all of you.”

My heart may have stopped beating for a second. No more Nauti boys? What’s a nauti girl to do? I quickly pledged my undying love and delved right into this last story, Nauti Kisses.

Nauti Kisses involves John (Rogue’s brother from the last book) and Sierra. John is rich and engaged to an ice queen named Marlena. Sierra is the goddaughter of John’s father. One night, Sierra tells John that his fiancée isn’t just an ice queen but a complete bitch that has been cheating on him and plans to only marry him for the great merger it would appear to be to everybody on the outside. Later in the night Sierra shows up at John’s place to console him. John has always been attracted to Sierra but has always managed to resist her - until this night. Drunken activities ensue. Sierra is hurt and runs away. Cut to one year later and John is now living in Kentucky on one of the Nauti Boys’ boats. He gets a call from his father that Sierra has been badly beaten and that John’s father is sending Sierra down to Kentucky for John to protect her. Now cue up the usual Nauti antics and voila(!) we have ourselves the usual Nauti escapade. I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot as it is only about 142 pages long.

I base my review of this story solely on what one may come to expect from a book in Lora Leigh’s Nauti series. I have to say though it just wasn’t Nauti enough for me. I was a little turned off by the “virginal and beaten” female and the Nauti boy who wants to immediately get her into bed. She is badly bruised and still has marks on her neck. Something just didn’t click for me. And I am saddened my Nauti boys have left me forever with this as the last story. On the upside there were a few glimpses of Dawg, my favorite Nauti boy. *Swoon*

 

Riding the Edge – Jaci Burton

This is the first thing I have ever read by Jaci Burton. After reading this story, I am not sure how that is possible?

Riding the Edge is the 4^th installment in her Wild Riders series. Rick is a member of the Wild Riders and sent to protect Ava, a senator’s daughter. Rick must re-join his cousin Bo’s motorcycle gang, the Hellraisers, as a way to infiltrate and figure out what Ava is doing with the gang. The chemistry between these two leaps off the pages from their first meeting. I was smitten with Rick right away. (How have I missed this series??) As the tough loner Rick grows closer to sweet and smart Ava, he is wrestling with the requirement for him to still do his job to figure out what bad things his cousin is up to in the gang. Again – I don’t want to give away too much of the plot as it is a fairly short story. But I will say that the pages of this story are filled with passion, sexy chemistry, and what I would consider above-par dialogue for this genre. Also, it wasn’t a problem at all for me that I hadn’t read any of the previous Wild Riders books. I did of course order the very first one in the series as soon as I was finished with Riding the Edge.

Favorite quote:

Ava sized up the biker she’d just been introduced to. Tall, damn fine—looking, with dark hair, dark eyes, in need of a shave, and looking all too dangerous. Classic biker look in jeans, chaps, and leather jacket. Wow. Just…wow.

 

 

Overall Book Rating:

 

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Kiss of the Rose: The Tudor Vampire Chronicles
by Kate Pearce 
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Signet
Available: August 3, 2010
Genre: Historical Romance
Book received from: Penguin

Desperate to defeat King Richard III and gain the crown, Henry Tudor made a pact with the Druids binding him and his heirs to the Druids' struggle against vampires. Ever since, the Llewellyns, a vampire- slaying family, have been in the king's employ. Now Henry VIII reigns, and his father's bargain has been almost forgotten-until bloodless corpses turn up in the king's bedchamber. To save the king, Vampire hunter Rosalind Llewellyn must form an uneasy alliance with Druid slayer Sir Christopher Ellis. But soon, Rosalind must face an unthinkable truth: that her sworn enemy may be her soulmate...

Reviewed by: Amy 

The old saying goes, "never judge a book by it's cover," but, alas, this Tudor's lover did months ago.  I could not wait to get my hands on Kate Pearce's new release, Kiss of the Rose, the first story of The Tudor Vampire Chronicles.  I had all kinds of expectations after seeing the luscious couple on the cover, especially after recently finishing HBO's series finale of The Tudors. (I lusted myself into oblivion with the likes of Henry Cavill and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.) So with cover and concept at hand I went in full throttle, wanting to adore this story.  While this story did not fire me up like a shirtless JRM's King Henry did, I do think it has potential to hopefully become a stellar series.

Henry VIII is now King of England and an ancient vampire is out to destroy him. The King is unaware of an agreement that his father made years ago with the Druids. This agreement united both himself and his decedents with the Druids to destroy Vampires. The King discovers the agreement after Lady Rosalind Llewellyn, Vampire slayer and Druid, arrives at court to provide proof in a letter written to Henry from his deceased father. The letter confirms the vow that was made and Rosalind explains that she has been sent to protect him from the rogue Vampire that is killing members of Court.  Rosalind is fiercely loyal to her family's calling as a Vampire slayer.  It's something she has trained for her whole life.

Rosalind is accompanied to Court by her longtime friend and trainer, Rhys Williams. Rhys no longer sees Rosalind as a fighter, but as a woman who he has grown to have deep feelings for and who he hopes will eventually become his wife.  Rosalind is a strong, feisty, independent woman who has always thought of marriage as unappealing. And while Rosalind sees that Rhys's feelings for her have changed, she only views him as a dear friend and questions if she could ever feel more.  Upon arriving at Court, Rosalind and Rhys soon find that there is an addition to King Henry's protectors, Druid slayer and Vampire protector, Sir Christopher Ellis. From the first meeting, both Christopher and Rosalind feel an attraction between them, but know that they are sworn enemies and therefore the idea of being anything else is a moot point. The Vampire Council determines that the threat against the King is unusual and declares a prophecy that both Christopher and Rosalind are to join together to overthrow the rogue Vampire.  Both Rhys and Christopher battle for Rosalind's heart while trying to form "a truce" in order to arrange a plan on how to destroy the rogue Vampire before it reaches the King.

While I like the concept of a Vampire after the King, the so called vampire appeared more like a speedy ghost. There was reference to the smell of blood, dead corpses but never a vampire caught in the act of draining a victim. And while the plot had an interesting twist on the paranormal it still felt like it was dragging at times.  I believe this could have been prevented had the author incorporated more of the historical aspect of the story to balance the dominating paranormal tone.  I was disappointed the time period was only a surface addition to the overall story with little reference to the history of the Tudor dynasty. Also, any of my friends will confirm I am a serious cheese lover; feta, gouda, cheddar, etc, but not when it comes to dialogue between lovers. And I have to attest there were quite a few cheesy moments in the love scenes.  The ending leaves you unresolved with the trio's relationship and the prophecy unfulfilled which leads into the second novel, Blood of the Rose.  Overall, I do believe the series has potential and hope that Ms. Pearce will add more of the Tudor history in the books to obtain an overall balance. In the meantime I will return to my King Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) on HBO and lust on!

 

Favorite Quote:

Are you suggesting that I would merrily swive any man who asked me?

I'm not suggesting anything other than perhaps we should scratch this itch before it becomes bothersome.

She stared pointedly at the black codpiece that covered his groin. I suggest you scratch it yourself. I'm sure you are more than capable.

Purchase a copy of Kiss of the Rose: The Tudor Vampire Chronicles

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Visit Kate Pearce at:

Website | Blog | GoodReads

City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 3)
by Stacia Kane 
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Available: July 27, 2010
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Book received from: Purchased by reviewer

IT’S A THIN LINE BETWEEN ALIVE AND UNDEAD.

Chess Putnam has a lot on her plate. Mangled human corpses have started to show up on the streets of Downside, and Chess’s bosses at the Church of Real Truth have ordered her to team up with the ultra-powerful Black Squad agency to crack the grisly case.

Chess is under a binding spell that threatens death if she talks about the investigation, but the city’s most notorious crime boss—and Chess’s drug dealer—gets wind of her new assignment and insists on being kept informed. If that isn’t bad enough, a sinister street vendor appears to have information Chess needs. Only he’s not telling what he knows, or what it all has to do with the vast underground City of Eternity.

Now Chess will have to navigate killer wraiths, First Elders, and a lot of seriously nasty magic—all while coping with some not-so-small issues of her own. And the only man Chess can trust to help her through it all has every reason to want her dead.

Reviewed by: Fiction Vixen

City of Ghosts is one of those books that needs to be discussed the moment you finish reading it.  You know, those really intelligent conversations where you blurt out things like, “OMG! WTF! Can you believe how that all went down?”.  It doesn’t matter who you have this discussion with, anyone will do.  You just need to have it.  Even if it’s with your unsuspecting husband who has no idea who Terrible is and why you’re so excited about him. (Sorry hubs) I actually had many moments like this throughout the book but after finishing, I was literally exhausted, and found it difficult to talk past the lump in my throat. It’s not often that I read a book and have to put in down for breaks because my muscles are tense and my jaw hurts from gritting my teeth.  Even a few days after finishing City of Ghosts, this book is still with me, I am still thinking about it.  I feel like the grit of this story is all over me and I’m not ready to wash it off just yet.

City of Ghosts is the third installment in the Downside Ghosts series.  With each book in this series Stacia Kane pushes the limits just a little further. I continue to be impressed with the superior story telling, and the incredibly vivid, crisp writing.  Once again, Stacia Kane brings the Downside to life by immersing me deeply into a complex, gritty world that is steeped in fantasy, horror, and mystery. The level of violence in City of Ghosts goes well beyond what we’ve seen in the previous books, and I admit I was pushed slightly out of my reading comfort zone.  However, the violence never felt gratuitous and simply thrown in for shock value, but instead it felt appropriate for the dangerous world in which Chess Putnam lives.

Within the sometimes shocking violence, and suspense, Stacia Kane weaves a deeply complicated relationship between Terrible and Chess that will tear your heart to pieces.  Their relationship has been building up to an emotional boiling point in the previous two books but City of Ghosts brings it on an emotional level like no other.  Chess and Terrible are both flawed but not beyond what is forgivable, and amidst the constant threat of danger, the desire to love and be loved is present within them.  The range of emotional turbulence in their relationship kept me on the edge of my seat and absolutely breathless. 

If the series were to end here, I would be deeply disappointed, however the ending of City of Ghosts is intensely satisfying and left me in tears.  Thankfully, this is not the end for Chess, Terrible and the Downside Ghosts series.  Stacia Kane has confirmed there will be a 4th and 5th book, she just needs to write them.

If you have not read this series, get thee to a book store now!  This is one of the best Urban Fantasy series I’ve read and City of Ghosts is on my top ten favorite books for 2010. 

Favorite Quotes:

She’d never been able to resist temptation—especially an unhealthy one—and at that moment he was another pill, another line; one she needed, one she would die if she couldn’t have, and her entire body was already vibrating in anticipation.

 

Oh, yes. Terrible’s eyes narrowed; he gave Chess the kind of look most people reserved for ax murderers. Ax murderers who killed children. And kittens. She shivered.

 

Purchase a copy of City of Ghosts

Other books in the series:

• Unholy Ghosts
• Unholy Magic

Other reviews on GoodReads

Visit Stacia Kane at:

Website | Blog |Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

Check out my guest post with Wicked Lil Pixie over at SmokinHotBooks. The top 10 reasons you NEED to read Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane.

 

My summer reading challenge is coming along nicely.  I just started Prey in Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series (or is it Werecat series?).  I’ve already read Shift, the 5th book, so when I finish Prey, I will be done with the series to date.  I really look forward to the release of Alpha in October.  I’m nervous.  Last book in the series and it’s going to be heart breaking.  There’s just no way around it.  Help me decide,  do I read Mercy Thompson next?  Or Chicagoland Vamps?  I can’t decide, you decide for me.

• Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews– DONE
• Shifter series by Rachel Vincent – One more book and I’ll call this one DONE!
• Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs
• Chicagoland Vampire Series by Chloe Neill

Here are the stats for my July reading roundup:

• 2 – 5 heart ratings
• 14 – 4 heart ratings
• 1 – 3.5 heart ratings
• 2 – 3 heart ratings

 

Dark and Disorderly by Bernita Harris
3.5 hearts
Enjoyed this UF and looking to more from this author. 

My Way to Hell by Dakota Cassidy
4 hearts
A really witty, funny read. I’m hooked and I’m going to read Dakota Cassidy’s Accidental Vampire series ASAP.

Awakened by a Kiss (Fiery Tales, Book 1) by Lila DiPasqua
4 hearts
A wonderful debut and a very sexy retelling of classic fairytales.  Loved it!

Long Hard Ride (Rough Riders, #1) by Lorelei James
4 hearts
Completely hooked on this series. I officially love cowboys. Nom.

Rode Hard, Put Up Wet (Rough Riders, #2) by Lorelei James
4 hearts

Cowgirl Up and Ride (Rough Riders, #3) by Lorelei James
4 hearts

Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders, #4) by Lorelei James
4 hearts

Rough, Raw and Ready (Rough Riders, #5) by Lorelei James
3 hearts

Branded As Trouble (Rough Riders, #6) by Lorelei James
4 hearts

Should’a Been A Cowboy (Rough Riders, #7) by Lorelei James
4 hearts
I’ll be posting my final round of mini reviews on this series in a few days. Cam is a sexy beast!

All Jacked Up (Rough Riders, #8) by Lorelei James
4 hearts
I liked this one but missed the cowboys.  Keely is one of my favorite characters in the series.  Glad to finally read her story.

Raising Kane (Rough Riders, #9) by Lorelei James
4 hearts
Love Kane and am glad he’s no longer going by the name Buck. LOL.  I think I’m still more partial to his twin though.

Stray (Shifters, #1) by Rachel Vincent
4 hearts

Rogue (Shifters, #2) by Rachel Vincent
4 hearts

Pride (Shifters, #3) by Rachel Vincent
4 hearts

Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, #2) by Stacia Kane
5 hearts
What an amazing book. Amazing!

City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #3) by Stacia Kane
5 hearts
This will stay with me for a while.  Review coming soon.

Wolf Signs (Granite Lake Wolves, #1) by Vivian Arend
3 hearts
This was part of the Under The Northern Lights anthology released in print early August.  It’s the first book in the Granite Lake Wolves series.  The heroine was deaf which made for an interesting dynamic.  Enjoyed this one.

Wolf Flight (Granite Lake Wolves, #2) by Vivian Arend
4 hearts
Another story in the The Northern Lights anthology and the second book in the Granite Lake Wolves series.  Really enjoyed this one.  Loved that the hero was not the typical alpha male. 

As you can see, I got distracted with the sexy cowboys this month.  I’m not sorry.  *waggles eyebrows*  Lots of great books on my TBR for August as well.  Did you have a good reading month in July?  What’s on your August TBR? 

 

The winner of Home Is Where The Bark Is by Kandy Shepherd is…



 

 Alea said... 16

 

I've had my eye on this author, I'd love to enter! Thanks!

Congratulations Alea, I’ll be sending an email shortly.  Thanks to all who entered.

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