Blinded By Our Eyes by Clare London  eBook Publisher: Carina Press Available: June 22nd 2010 Genre: GLBT Romantic Suspense

London art dealer Charles Garrett has devoted his life to appreciating and acquiring beauty, both in art and in his companions. His fashionable life is rocked to the core when he discovers the body of a young artist, Paolo Valero, in a pool of blood in his gallery.  As Paolo’s mentor, Charles is haunted by the horror of his violent death. Seeking closure, he investigates Paolo’s past and soon discovers a tangled web of motives and potential suspects, some closer to home than he ever imagined. He’s drawn to Antony Walker, an aggressive, handsome sculptor with unsavory ties to Paolo. Charles is unsettled by Antony’s forceful nature but irresistibly attracted to his passion and his art. When the evidence points toward Antony’s guilt, Charles is thrown into emotional turmoil. Has he lost his heart to a killer?

Reviewed by: Samantha 

When Charles Garrett walks into his art gallery one night and finds a grizzly scene full of blood, a dead body, and a sobbing ex-lover, his world gets turned upside down. Charles then sets about trying to put together the puzzle pieces behind the murder of his friend and talented artist Paolo while he helps Paolo’s brother (and Charles ex-lover) deal with his grief. But nothing is making sense to Charles as he slowly starts to discover Paolo’s secrets. And one of Paolo’s secrets lead Charles straight to the fierce and fiery Antony. But can Charles trust that Antony is telling him the truth and how should Charles handle his instant attraction to Antony when Antony may well be a suspect?

The one thing I can say about Blinded By Our Eyes is that Clare London really got the mystery part right in this book. It was suspenseful and when the truth was revealed I was quite surprised. In fact my mouth was definitely hanging open for a period of time while I continued to read. However it did take a while to get to some romance. The romance definitely does not take center stage in the story. Once it got there, it was fairly hot but it definitely left me wanting more. What I struggled with a little while reading this is the way the story is told. It is written in first person and often it felt like Charles was actually reciting the story to me. I didn’t really feel like I was on the journey with him while he sought to solve the mystery behind Paolo’s death. It felt more like I was sitting in a coffee shop with him and he was telling me a story that had happened to him. I haven’t read anything else by London and perhaps this is her writing style, but it took a little getting used to at first.  I also felt the reveal of the big mystery seemed a bit rushed. After Charles spent so much time on his own seeking out the truth or thinking about why Paolo would have been killed, when the truth was revealed, it really wasn’t through Paolo’s self-discovery. This felt a bit strange to me considering the overarching theme of the book.

Overall the plot of the book had me mildly satisfied even though I could have used a few more sexy scenes to also keep the heat going along with the mystery.

 

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Luck Be a Lady by Cathie Linz  Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Available: October 5, 2010 Genre: Contemporary Romance Source: Publisher

A shocking announcement at her cousin’s Vegas wedding sends retro- loving librarian Megan West on a whirlwind tour across Nevada with brash cop Logan Doyle. It’s the gamble-and perhaps love affair-of a lifetime…

Reviewed by: Samantha 

Megan West is a librarian from Chicago spending the weekend in Las Vegas for her cousin’s wedding. Her cousin already had a previous failed attempt at marriage before even getting down the altar. So this time around control freak Megan is determined to not let anything stand in the way of her cousin finding wedded bliss. But in runs hot cop Logan Doyle just before the "I Do’s" thinking he’s stopping the marriage of his grandfather, only to be surprised when Megan takes control of the situation and him.

After a long day and successful wedding reception, Megan is ready to call it a night. But Megan forgot her purse, so she heads back and overhears the secrets of all secrets that causes everything in this control freak’s life to unravel – her mother isn’t really dead. In her attempt to the flee the hotel she runs into Logan who wants to help her. Megan and Logan then set off on a interesting weekend around Nevada and encounter one bizarre circumstance after another before they head their separate ways back home to Chicago. Back in Chicago, Logan still can’t resist what he is feeling for Megan or his desire to help her find her mother even though he is trying to resist his usual predicament of helping damsels in distress which always ends badly for him.

Luck Be a Lady was a very quick read that I got through all in one sitting. It is heavy on the dialogue which I felt was a good thing because the banter between Megan and Logan made up for the depth that was lacking in the story. I would say this is a simple contemporary romance that was fast paced but also came off a bit campy at times. Some of the things they encounter while in Nevada trying to find information on Megan’s mother were kind of "out there" for them to be believable. With Logan being a cop I would have thought he would have been a little more forceful and in control with some of the crazy cast of characters they met. It was like the first half of the book was a campy comedy. Once everyone got back to Chicago, the story got more serious especially as Megan finds out more information about her mother and Logan’s family grows more concerned with how he is grieving over the loss of his partner. In addition, the sexual tension between Logan and Megan really started to heat up. I will say I was quite pleased with the way the author handled the growing intimacy between Logan and Megan, and I thought these scenes were well done for this genre. I think that’s what kept me going on this book – the chemistry between the two made me want to get to the steamy stuff instead of putting the book down and never picking it up again. If you are looking for a quick lighthearted read and you like a book with lots of dialogue then this might be a good read for you.

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Hard To Hold   by Julie Leto  Paperback: 264 pages Publisher: HCI Available: September 14, 2010 Genre: Contemporary (Reality) Romance

New York lobbyist Michael Davoli feels like he’s been sucker punched when he meets Anne Miller at a Jeff Tweedy concert. And it doesn’t take long for him to realize that he’s fallen hard when they wind up living in the same Albany apartment building. After all, Anne’s hot, his dog likes her, and she can pick a lock faster than Sydney Bristow can disarm a nuke.

Always fiercely independent, Anne’s crackerjack reporting skills and keen intellect are no match for the chemical reaction she has to this man with electric blue eyes. But while he effortlessly holds her with his gaze, he withholds the embrace she longs for. Why is he so distant? Has Anne misread his signals? Yet there is no doubt that she’s under his skin and he’s in too deep when Mike confesses that he harbors two secrets that could keep them apart: He has a neurological disorder that has shadowed him since childhood, and although he’s mastered the physical tics so others don’t notice, he may never be able to hold her in his arms at night for fear of the bruises he could inflict.

Anne isn’t about to let anything like Tourette’s syndrome keep her from the man of her dreams. But Mike has a second secret. Will this secret be the one that even a grand passion cannot survive?

Reviewed by: Sophia (FV)

I used to avoid reading contemporary romance because it sometimes hit a little too close to home.  I read to escape the real world for a small amount of time each day and so I turned to genres that would take me to worlds beyond my own.  However, this past year I’ve discovered that contemporary romance can take me away like a nice Calgon bath and I’ve come to really enjoy the genre.  So when presented with the opportunity to read a reality based romance from the new True Vows™ series I was on board. 

Micheal Davoli, a lobbyist, has recently moved to New York.  While out with friends at a concert one night he is introduced to Anne Miller, a crime reporter.  They hit it off immediately, or so Anne thought.  Anne invites Michael out for drinks but Michael turns her down leaving Anne totally confused, thinking she must have misinterpreted the vibes she was getting from Michael.  But Michael has Tourette’s syndrome and although it’s nothing like the extreme cases most people have probably heard of, Michael has a more difficult time managing his tics under stressful situations and so he bowed out of the invitation. 

Time passed and although they had mutual friends, Michael and Anne never crossed paths again but both still thought of each other often.  Until one day, as luck would have it, Anne discovers Michael struggling with his dog while moving into his new apartment that just happened to be in the same building she lives in.  Reunited they discover the attraction is still there.  Now they have to see who will make the first move toward developing a friendship and an eventual romance. 

Michael is sweet, on the shy side and cautious when it comes to relationships because of his Tourette’s syndrome.  He prefers to take things very slow and while I can appreciate that in a real life situation, it’s not really what a want in a romance novel.  Anne is cute, and a little quirky and thank goodness willing to step up and make the first move to get ball rolling.  They are opposites in so many ways but seem to somehow compliment each other nicely.

Hard To Hold is exactly what it’s billed as; a book based on a true life couple and their road to happily ever after.  It’s a sweet romance however if you are expecting a story filled with drama and major relationship obstacles that need to be overcome, you may be disappointed in Hard To Hold.  Anne and Michael seemed like just your average everyday couple that had to face everyday issues that arise in almost every new romantic relationship.  They faced a few trials that would test most relationships but nothing too far out of the ordinary.  It’s a story you might enjoy listening to at a dinner party with friends.  However, reading this story as a full length novel, I found it a bit slow, and somewhat lacking in entertainment value and overall enjoyment.  I have to admit, I feel uncomfortable admitting that because although I am referring to the story as a whole, these are also the details of someone’s real love story.

Even in contemporary romance, I need a touch of fantasy, a bit of the unexpected and a chance to leave the world behind for a little while. However I didn’t experience that while reading Hard To Hold. Instead it was an average story, about average people living in the real world, which is fine, but it’s not what I read romance for.

 

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Improper Ladies by Author by Amanda McCabe Paperback: 448 pages Publisher: Signet Available: September 7, 2010 Genre: Historical Romance

The Golden Feather Young Caroline Aldritch is shocked to learn her late husband’s only legacy to her is a notorious gaming establishment-where she must hide her face from all, including the dashing Lord Lyndon, who’s determined to unmask the secretive beauty…

The Rules of Love Rosalind Chase must endure her brother’s friendship with the notorious rake Lord Morley. But when she can’t stop thinking of the insufferable libertine, Rosalind wonders if his ways just might be the path to love…

Reviewed by: Samantha 

Improper Ladies contains two previous books released by Amanda McCabe: The Golden Feather and The Rules of Love.

The Golden Feather Caroline owns and runs The Golden Feather, a gaming establishment, while hiding her face behind a disguise. It would be disgraceful for the people of the town to find out a lady runs such an establishment. Caroline needs the money from the establishment to ensure her sister receives a good education. One evening she has an arousing encounter with the enchanting Lord Justin Lyndon. But Caroline must take care to never reveal her true identity to him. After Caroline sells The Golden Feather, she and her sister Phoebe arrive in a seaside town to spend their summer season. Caroline could have never guessed that the family next door spending their summer seaside would be the Lord Lydon himself along with his brother and mother.

The Golden Feather is a simple and uncomplicated historical romance that moved at a quick pace in large part due to the chemistry between Caroline and Justin. As the two spend their summer next door to each other, they each find themselves more and more smitten with each other. I actually found myself more and more smitten with Justin as I read. Caroline knows she can never reveal her true identity for fear she and her sister will be shunned. The story is also infused with other fun characters such as Caroline’s exuberant sister, Phoebe, and Justin’s boisterous and somewhat troublesome younger brother Harry. When I first saw the title of the book was Improper Ladies, I must admit I kept reading along waiting for something "improper" to happen between Caroline and Justin. I guess the "improper" part was the fact that Caroline owned a gaming establishment. The romance in this book is very chaste, so don’t expect to read any improper happenings on the pages. What you can expect is well drawn out characters that were enjoyable to read with each having a uniqueness that kept the story interesting and sweet.

Rating:

 

The Rules of Love Rosalind is the schoolmistress of a school for girls. She has also secretly written a book called A Lady’s Rules. The girls at her school and women everywhere are reading the book and living by the rules. Rosalind must sell lots of copies of her book to help pay for her brother’s debts which he keeps racking up at a feverish pace. One of her favorite students, Lady Violet is heading home for the break and waiting to be picked up by her brother, Lord Michael Morley. Rosalind believes Michael leads her brother into all sorts of trouble. After a brief encounter between Rosalind and Michael at the the time he picks his sister up from school, both leave each other with feelings of attraction. When Michael learns of the book of rules he sets out to break as many as he can. Her book stops selling and Rosalind must go to London to figure out what is going on. She of course comes across Michael in London where he starts to pursue her.

I did not enjoy The Rules of Love as much as I did The Golden Feather. I found the chemistry between the two lead characters of Michael and Rosalind to be a bit forced. And unlike Justin in The Golden Feather, I just didn’t find myself swooning much over Michael in The Rules of Love. This story was again very simple and uncomplicated, and the romance was very chaste. Again, I kept reading while waiting for something improper, but I think the only improper things I found was Rosalind’s desire to drink whiskey (which she really should have drank to maybe loosen up a bit!) and the fact that she hid the truth that she was the author of A Lady’s Rules. I did enjoy Rosalind’s sister, Violet. She was a sweet girl with an infectious personality. I also enjoyed the way Michael showed his softer side by looking after his sister. This story was just a little slow for me and overall I found it to be anti-climatic.

Rating:

 

Overall Rating for Improper Ladies:

Favorite Quote: From The Golden Feather

Justin: "Trying to distract you from what, Miss Lane?" Phoebe: "From my purpose in coming here." Justin: "Which is?" Phoebe: "To tell you what a looby you are, of course. A wicked looby." Justin: " A – what?" Phoebe: " A looby." "It is a word I heard your brother use. And I am sure you are one."

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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 4th 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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