Inside Out by Lauren Dane  Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Berkley Trade Available: November 2, 2010 Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance Source: Author

Ella Tipton is a survivor. In the wake of an attack that left her nearly dead, she’s spent each day putting her life back together. Once vibrant and outgoing, she’s needed to reclaim the best parts of who she was while retaining the hard won lessons. There hasn’t been room for any romantic entanglements, even if she were ready. Still, it didn’t mean she had to stop sneaking looks at Mister Tall, Dark and Tattooed himself.

Security professional Andrew Copeland isn’t quite sure when his jones for the lovely and decidedly skittish Ella developed. He’s known her for years, has watched her triumph over the pain she’d been dealt. Cope is no stranger to women, but he knows the nervous flush he gets every time he talks to her is different than any attraction he’s had in the past. Determined to get Ella to let him in, Andy does the one thing he can think of to get close: he offers her hands-on training in self-defense.

While Ella’s sure he’s just being nice, the prospect of being able to touch him and gain the tools to push away the last vestiges of her fear is more than she can resist. Soon enough, Cope shows Ella his feelings are far more than friendly and re-ignites something deep inside her. Before long desire and love turn them both inside out.

Reviewed by: Sophia (FV) 

Ella Tipton, manager of a small café owned by Erin from the previous Brown Sibling books, has been through hell and back.  She was attacked and nearly killed by her ex-husband and has spent the last several years rebuilding her life and getting back on her feet.  She’s a tough lady but still suffers from the fallout of the attack now and then.  Although romance is not on the menu she has a crush on Andrew Copeland, longtime friend to the Brown family.  He stops by the café often and aside from some light flirting their friendship is pretty casual.  But that doesn’t stop Ella from fantasizing now and then.

Andrew Copeland has had his share of women.  They’ve come and gone through the years but he’s had a special attraction to Ella for a long time.  But the time has just never been right to make a move.  Ella has been through a lot of personal trauma and so he’s kept his distance romantically, only offering friendship and support when he can.  He’s watched her grow and he knows she’s something special.  When he offers to teach her some self defense techniques Ella accepts.  Spending time getting physical sends their mutual attraction into overdrive and bumps their relationship up to a whole new level.

Although neither Cope (Andrew) or Ella is related to the Browns they are both are still considered family and treated with the love and care the Browns are known for.  Cope is related to the family by marriage, his brother Ben is married to Erin Brown.  Ella is a long-time friend to Erin and is the manager of her café.  While Ella and Cope share a mutual attraction to each other they are both a little unsure of how or if their relationship should move forward.  They’ve been friends for so long and there is a little awkwardness as they move toward a more romantic relationship.  They may be unsure, but their circle of friends and family see it clear as day, these two belong to each other. 

Cope has a reputation as being a ladies man but he is always quick to point out that he’s not a jerk who treats women badly.  Although he’s never settled down and committed, he’s still a decent guy and respectful of the women he’s been with.  But Ella moves something in him and he soon realizes he’s ready to leave that lifestyle behind.  With a lot of heart to heart with his buddies, Cope decides Ella is the one. 

Ella is one of the cutest heroines from this series.  She a tough survivor but her exterior is fun and cute and I really liked her.  Even though she’s has a lot to deal with from her past and still suffers from panic attacks ,she’s not over dramatic or whiney.  On the other hand she doesn’t overdo the bravado either.  She’s dealing with life, family issues and is falling in love with a man she has crushed on for years.  She fits in perfectly with the Brown family circle of friends and things are looking up for her.

One of the things I noticed as this series has progressed is how the gentlemen have evolved.  They’ve always been good strong characters to love, but in this book we see them spending lots of bonding time together having deep and meaningful relationship talks.  As they have one by one fallen in love and settled down, they’ve learned a few things about relationships and are willing to share their insight with their friends.  The big, tough tattooed hotties don’t mind sharing a few beers and getting mushy now and again. 

What I like about this series is the constant presence of the protagonists from previous books.  Lauren Dane doesn’t give them a happily ever after then send them on their way.  She has created a big family and keeps the characters we love present and accounted for with each book.  While she gives us wonderful new romances with each installment, she also allows the reader to be a part of the relationship ups and downs after the happily ever after.  Inside Out is no exception and we get a little peek into Brody and Elise’s life as they plan their wedding.  We also get some time with Ben, Erin and Todd as Erin nears the end of her pregnancy.  There was a some turbulence in this sub-plot and I think it overshadowed Cope and Ella’s story at times, but it was nice to see the Brown family do what they do best and come together as a family in hard times. 

In the previous books we saw some pretty intense external conflict.  However with Inside Out the story is mainly focused on the developing romantic relationship between Ella and Cope.  They both have some personal issues to deal with, but the obstacles that need to be overcome are not as threatening as in the previous books.  There are some familial problems for Cope and Ben, and hopefully we’ll see those conflicts resolved in the future. 

Inside Out is another great installment in the Brown Siblings series.  Lauren Dane writes good solid characters that face life head on, love big, and put a fresh shine on the concept of friends and family in the romance genre.  I enjoyed watching Cope and Ella fall in love with the support of the friends and family they love. 

Favorite Quote:

I know he’s a nice guy, but he comes in bad boy wrapping paper.

Other books in the series:

• Laid Bare
• Coming Undone

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Author’s Website

Purchase Links: Amazon || Book Depository

Second Chances by Lauren Dane  eBook Publisher: Carina Press Available: October 25th 2010 Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance Source: NetGalley

Ten years ago, Rori Simon left town shy, unattractive and with zero self-esteem. Now she’s back, older, stronger and finally loving herself—and it shows. Hot men are soon knocking at her door, including Jude Callahan, the bad boy who starred in her teenage daydreams…and her adult fantasies.

Jude can’t believe the sexy, confident woman before him is actually Rori! She’s gotten under his skin like no other woman has…and brings out secret desires he can’t resist. He wants to dominate Rori with every fiber of his being. Wants to own her and pleasure her. To cherish her as he makes her his.

Rori discovers she likes being controlled. She also knows Jude is not a one-woman man. Everything changes when she meets Zach Helm. Edgy, sensual Zach knows just what she needs, and before long, she’s in love. Jude watches them together and wonders if he’s lost his chance forever…

Reviewed by: Sophia (FV)

Rori was awkward and overweight as a teen and suffered with self-esteem issues.  But she went off to college, saw the world and went through some emotional and physical changes over the years.  After a messy break up with her boyfriend, she has returned to her hometown and with a whole new outlook. Since the moment she’s arrived it seems she’s caught the eye of every available bachelor in town but there is one in particular she’s got her eye on.  Rori wants the town bad boy, Jude Callahan.  They were friends as kids but Rori had a crush on him back then and wouldn’t mind taking their friendship to a new level now that they’re adults.  Jude is not a one woman man though, and Rori is not interested in being one of many.

Jude finds just about everything about Rori attractive.  She’s all he can think about and there’s something about her that is different from his many other conquests.  He can see himself settling down with Rori, he wants her bad. But his old habits die hard and he has a hard time reconciling the idea of what it means to be in a committed relationship.  His bad behavior opens Rori’s eyes to the fact that she can’t change him—doesn’t want to change him. She then finds love in the arms of another man. 

I’ll start off saying right here, right now, Lauren Dane knows how to write a steamy story, no doubt about that.  For an erotic romance to work for me, there has to be good strong emotional connections between those engaging in the red hot steamy sex and Ms. Dane certainly knows how to deliver on that level as well.

Although Jude came off like a jerk at times I liked him. The emotional and sexual chemistry between him and Rori also worked for me. Jude is conflicted in his need for Rori and his inability to grow out of his bad boy tendencies and Rori, a former ugly duckling is realizing a life long fantasy in her new relationship with Jude.  Both seem a little overwhelmed by this new relationship and where it’s headed.  I really wanted them to communicate and work things out, but such as life, it was not meant to be and Rori moves on to find happiness with another.  However Jude knows he screwed up and he let the only woman he ever loved walk away. Now he must watch from afar as Rori finds happiness with another.

Rori moves on and falls head over heals in love with Zach who seems to be absolutely perfect for her.  Here is where I began to struggle with the story a bit.  Although we know Jude loves Rori and is struggling to accept that she has moved on, he becomes absent from the story for a long period of time, and I’ll be honest I missed him.  Zach and Rori have a budding relationship with no place in it for Jude, but I felt his absence unsettling since the relationship between Rori and Jude was left open on Jude’s part. Although I liked Rori and wanted her to find happiness, I just never bought into her relationship with Zach.  His character seemed flat not as developed as I hoped for. I never picked up on the emotional connection between them at all. 

Although I felt the eventual outcome of this book was obvious because of the title, Lauren Dane managed to take the expected and create a very emotional story that takes her characters on a journey of personal growth, tragedy and redemption.  I felt there were some flat spots along the way, however I loved how the friendship and romance played out between Jude and Rori.  Second Chances was an enjoyable read.

Favorite Quote:

“I want her. I don’t want her to love anyone else. I want her to love me.”

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Author’s Website

Purchase link: Carina Press

 

 

 

 

Desire is the most dangerous sensation of all.

With tensions between the Federation and Imperial ‘Verses rising, one woman may hold the key to victory. The dangerous mission to smuggle her out of Imperial Territory falls to Daniel Haws and his team, the ultra secret Phantom Corps. This elite squad of the Federation Military is the only one trusted and skilled enough to remove her from under the watchful eye of her father, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial ‘Verses.

Carina is used to wearing a mask. Her father and his men think her little more than a pretty prize to be won by a man more ruthless than the rest. When he announces his intention to marry her to one of his henchmen, a man known for his cruelty, Carina knows she has to move as soon as possible to get out. But getting secret information to the Federation has served her well for years and she appeals to them for help.

She expected rescue from a man who’d been her enemy. But she wasn’t prepared for just how intense her attraction to Daniel Haws would be. Born as adversaries into different ranks, and on the run for their lives, they now need each other to survive–by holding on to the only thing they have in common: a growing desire that is dangerous, irresistible, and insatiable…

I can’t look at this cover without shivering then stammering…then shivering again.  I think this is one of the sexiest covers I have even seen.  Shall we just sit here and stare for a bit?  Yes, lets. 

Ok, now that we’ve absorbed the loveliness, head on over to Lauren Dane’s blog and read an excerpt from Insatiable.  Hopefully that’ll be enough to hold you over until release day in July 2010. 

Coming Undone by Lauren Dane Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Trade Available: January 5, 2010 ISBN-13: 978-0425232705

After his parents’ death, Brody gave up a promising career to care for his family. Now, with his siblings grown, Brody owns his own business, and for the first time in years he’s alone. Elise has come to Seattle with her daughter to find peace. After years as a world-famous ballerina-and trapped in a marriage gone bad-she’s looking for neither love nor attention. But she finds both in the handsome, honest man who befriends her with no strings attached.   Brody and Elise discover in each other the wild, physical passion they need. But it’ll take a shadow from Elise’s past to make them look beyond what they need-to what they truly desire.

A tattooed, Harley riding bad ass.  What’s not to love?  Brody is the older brother to his two siblings Adrian and Erin.  Nearing forty, he owns a successful tattoo shop, a nice home, and enjoys a satisfying life knowing both of the siblings he raised are settled in successful careers and happy.  Surrounded by family and good friends, life is good for Brody.

Elise, a former ballerina, and now owner of dance studio, moves in across the street from Brody, hoping to establish a quiet life for her and her young daughter Rennie.  She’s rebuilding her life after a  violent relationship with Rennie’s father and hoping to escape her former in-laws who seem bent on making her life a living hell. 

A freak accident brings their worlds together and they begin an amazing friendship that will eventually change their lives in ways neither of them ever expected. 

Fresh off my high of reading Laid Bare  I hoped that Coming Undone would be every bit as good.  Well, it’s not—it’s even better in my opinion. 

Brody is sexy on so many levels.  Besides his obvious physical appeal, he’s the guy you know you can count on without even asking when times get rough.  He’s the protector, the fixer, the gentle giant.  He possesses a self assured sexuality without being cocky and just the right amount of confidence to curl your toes.  

Elise is an independent, dedicated single mother who is determined to leave her past behind and create a happy, safe home for herself and her young daughter. Although she has been through hell and back, Elise is strong and seeks no pity from her friends.  Young and sexy she discovers that wounds from the past have not permanently scarred her spirit or her sensual nature.

Both Laid Bare and Coming Undone are centered around families and their relationships, but I did wonder how a young child would fit into this erotic romance.  Lauren Dane handled this beautifully developing the relationships appropriately, without portraying the child as an obstacle in the developing emotional relationship between Elise and Brody.  Instead Rennie, Elise’s daughter, captures everyone’s hearts around her with her sweet honesty and sunny personality.  She is truly charming. 

Elise and Brody have blazing hot chemistry and waste no time in heating things up.  Because both are busy business owners and Elise is first and foremost a mom who puts her daughter first, they have to be creative with their private time together.  This makes for great spontaneous sexual situations and they learn to seize the opportunities as they present themselves.  Translation: hot sex in a very mirrored dance studio between dance classes, hot desk sex at the tattoo shop…you get the picture.  During their first unplanned sexual encounter:

He pulled out a lone condom, checked the expiration date and breathed a sign of relief.  He’d need to make a donation somewhere that afternoon when he left, to thank the universe for that luck.

For those of you who loved Todd, Erin and Ben from Laid Bare, don’t worry, you haven’t heard the last of them or their very interesting relationship.  You’ll get a small peek into their lives as they’ve moved from newly weds to marital bliss and yes, you even get a little encore Erin/Todd/Ben ménage bonus. 

Once again, Lauren Dane weaves a sexy tale of love and romance with characters that are firmly grounded in family and emotionally sound.  The sensual nature of her characters will keep you warm and breathless as you follow them through the ups and downs of discovering new friendships and finding love.

I assumed we’d get Adrian’s story next. He’s the rock star brother to Erin and Brody. Instead we’ll be reading about Cope, Ben’s sexy brother in the next book.  Read the back cover copy here.

Coming Undone will be available January 5th, 2010. 

Author’s Website | Blog | Twitter Pre-order Coming Undone Purchase Laid Bare

Read my review of Laid Bare

ARC was provided by the author.

I’ve really been trying to cut back on my book purchases lately.  I have more than enough to read well into the middle of next year probably.  Maybe even longer if I’m honest.  But Bree of the writing team of Moira Rogers happen to mention on twitter that most of Moira Rogers backlist titles were 30% off on fictionwise.com.  I just happen to pop over to fictionwise.com to have a look and guess what.  I blew my book diet, big surprise. 

I’ve had my eye on Crux recently and at 30% off, who am I to say no?  Nice cover, favored author(s), first book in the Southern Arcana series…all the signs that I needed this book. 

Jackson Holt makes a decent living as a private investigator in New Orleans, home of one of the largest underground supernatural populations in the United States. He and his partners have never met a case they couldn’t crack…until a local bar owner asks him to do a little digging on her newest hire.

New Orleans is the fourth destination in as many months for Mackenzie Brooks, a woman on the run from a deranged stalker. After all, any man who shows up on her doorstep claiming to be her destined lover has more than a few screws loose. But crazy doesn’t explain why he always finds her no matter how far she runs.

When her well-meaning boss puts a PI on her case, Mackenzie comes face to face with the incredible truth: magic is real, and whatever spell has kept her hidden and separate from the paranormal world is rapidly deteriorating.

With time running out, she has no choice but to trust Jackson as he struggles to uncover the truth of her past-and her destiny.

 

I was feeling a little naughty so I grabbed a couple of Last Call titles by Moira Rogers.  If you’re not familiar with the Last Call series, you’ve not been naughty enough.  These are short stories (“short and campy” to quote Bree of Moira Rogers) based on a paranormal bar called Last Call.  All one needs to do is order up a drink from a “special menu” to signal other bar patrons of your “intentions” for the evening.  Sound sinful? 

Detective and werewolf Zack Elliott visits Last Call to satisfy his need to dominate, but it doesn’t satisfy his unrequited love for a woman he can’t have. Still he’s managed to keep his desire for her under control…until a chance encounter in their apartment building sends him back to the bar for relief.

Iris has spent the last two decades living a strict life of self-denial as New York City’s only demon social worker. She lives in fear of the power inside her, and the dark needs that tempted her down a dangerous road before. But love and need are leading her down that path again, and her only hope is to give in to the man she loves and trust that he’s strong enough to keep her safe from the darkness inside.

Another Last Call title.  Shame on me.

Caitlin Carlson, the only non-witch in the powerful Dumitrescu line, needs to lose her virginity, and fast. A family legend about a pure soul with prophetic visions has put her first in line for a good, old-fashioned sacrifice, and visiting Last Call seems like the perfect way to head off her one-way trip to the altar. Buy a drink, go upstairs, have sex. Simple.

Virgin Daiquiri: Looking for a first lover.

Being a demon isn’t as easy as it used to be, especially with the dwindling number of corruptible souls in the 21st century. Luckily for Leofric, he’s never been particularly concerned with corrupting enough innocents to earn a promotion off of the mortal plane. But when a virgin wanders into Last Call and stirs up competition among the younger demons, Leo finds himself tempted to rethink his stance on mixing a demon’s business with a woman’s pleasure.

And, since I’m on a Lauren Dane kick lately, I grabbed Sleight Of Hand.  30% off!  Hard to say no.  This will give me a chance to check out her paranormal style since I’ve only read her contemporaries so far.

What’s up with that cover? 

This story was included in the anthology Night Whispers Volume II

Vampire king, Xander Stryker has found his match in human bar owner, Lissette Norris. Between the two there’s enough chemistry to melt plastic.

But there-s trouble in the form of Graciella Stryker, Xander’s mother. She’s mad as hell after finding out what a faithless jerk Xander’s father was and she will stop Xander’s half brother from entering into their tribe at all costs, including murder.

Trouble is, the boy has come to stay with Lissie and all hell has broken loose. Lissie has had it with Xander’s mother’s murderous impulses and Xander’s soft hearted stance toward her.

There’s a new queen in town and she’s taking no prisoners

So with the 30% discount I didn’t spend too much and my Kindle is loaded up with plenty to keep me busy.  Well, it was loaded before but now there’s more goodness. 

What about you?  Any good bargains come your way lately?  Used book sales, awesome library finds, amazing e-book discounts?  Share the love.