{Adult Romance Review} Breakaway by Catherine Gayle

{Adult Romance Review} Breakaway by Catherine Gayle

She’s reaching for a breakaway pass.

Dana Campbell has spent the past seven years in self-imposed isolation for a crime she didn’t commit. The danger is well in the past, but her panic attacks make it impossible to have a normal, healthy relationship with a man. Even her counselor has given up on her. She has to find someone she trusts to help her fight through the panic, or her seven-year ordeal will become a lifetime sentence. There’s only one man she feels safe enough to ask.

He got caught with his head down.

As the captain of the NHL’s once elite but now fading Portland Storm, Eric Zellinger knows a thing or two about keeping his focus on the job. Questions are flying about his ability to lead the team back to the playoffs. If they don’t make it, he might be shipped out of town. It’s the worst time possible for his best friend’s kid sister to divide his focus. How can he give her what she needs without jeopardizing both the Storm’s playoff hopes and his future with the team?

It’s her only chance, but it’s his last shot. (Blurb via Goodreads)

{Details} ebook, 264 pages. Published December 11th 2013 by Night Shift Publishing (first published December 10th 2013) 

 

{Rating} 4/5 - I really liked it!

 

{Review}

"Amani's Family-Style Italian Restaurant was nearly empty." (page 1, line 1)

The storyline was engaging - I couldn't put it down - but it was also heartbreaking. What happened to Dana... Dana made me cry.  To see the person she was before, to see who she is now, the daily struggles she faces, how far she has to go to live a 'normal' life. As difficult as it was to watch Dana's journey, I really enjoyed the story.

Eric. Love him. He's the perfect mix of tender and fierce, of protective alpha male, of hot and sweet. I liked the hockey element, that while Eric's trying to help Dana and all the emotional repercussions of that he's also facing tremendous professional pressure; I really felt for his struggles.

I loved the dual POVs, the writing, the pacing, the love story, and the only problem I had was that I didn't buy Dana's obtuseness. I couldn't believe that she didn't see how much Eric loved her after what he did for her, what he was willing to go through for her. You don't do what Eric did unless you deeply, truly love someone.

I'm definitely going to be on the look out for more stories by Catherine Gayle and the next book in the Portland Storm series.

{Adult Paranormal Review} Hear No (Hidden Evil Trilogy #1) by Lizzy Ford

{Adult Paranormal Review} Hear No (Hidden Evil Trilogy #1) by Lizzy Ford

 

It's only the end of the world ... Nathan's job for the past three thousand years has been to clean up supernatural messes. Jaded, ruthlessly effective and selfless, he's seen it all and can handle anything - demons, homicidal angels, even bad bosses. His latest challenge: A creature named Shadowman is seeking out the three keys it believes will open portals between earth and hell. Nathan must eliminate the human host guiding Shadowman to the keys. Except Nathan isn't expecting the woman anchoring Shadowman to the human world to be beautiful, witty, innocent and completely unaware of the creature manipulating her. Worse, she makes him feel alive for the first time in his long existence, and he haphazardly discovers she's meant to become the love of his life. Life becomes more complicated when Nathan helps rescue one of the key holders, a deaf girl charged with protecting the secret of who Shadowman really is: the first of four demons headed to the human world, intent on bringing about the Apocalypse. They will succeed, unless Nathan kills the woman he loves, and sends the demon back to Hell. (Blurb via Goodreads)

{Details} 254 pages. Published October 25th 2013 by Guerrilla Wordfare (first published October 16th 2013)

{Source} Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

{Rating} 3/5 - I liked it!

{Review}

"Amira Santiago studied the face of her mentor, guardian and friend in the dim light of the seedy hotel room on the south side of Washington, DC." (page 1, line 1)

I thought the story was interesting - angels, demons, the apocalypse. There's a lot going on, I needed some kind of chart with all the relationships, with who - and what - the characters were. But they were also varied and interesting. Is it wrong that I liked the knife wielding, kind, well mannered, ready to dismember Satanist? Probably. But I did anyway.

I had mixed feelings about the main character, Nathan. Nathan can be an ass - he is an ass more than once, especially towards Kaylee - but he also has good intentions and unorthodox methods. He's also got that alpha male thing going for him.

The story really did make me think, what would you do when the fate of the world is in your hands? What's one life in the face of the apocalypse? What would you sacrifice? What could you sacrifice? And the ending? Where Ford left us? Gah! I must know what happens next.

{Adult Minute Review} Beg by C.D. Reiss

{Adult Minute Review} Beg (Songs of Submission #1) by C.D. Reiss

My name is Monica. I’m a singer born and raised in Los Angeles.

I’ve stopped dating. When I cut a record, or win a Grammy, maybe then I’ll be with someone, but every man in my past has done everything he could to make me submit myself to him, and it’s gotten in the way of my career. I won’t do it again.

But there’s Jonathan. He owns the high-rise hotel where I work, and he is gorgeous and charming. I refuse to fall in love with him, even though when he asks me to submit to him, I want nothing more. (Blurb via Goodreads)

{Details} Kindle Edition, 102 pages. Published January 16th 2013 by Flip City Media Inc. 

{Source} Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

{Rating} 3/5 - I liked it!

{Review}

"At the height of singing the last note, when my lungs were still full and I was switching from pure physical power to emotional thrust, I was blindsided by last night's dream." (page 1, line 1)

I liked Monica. She's a strong, intelligent, talented woman working very hard to succeed. She's not looking to be rescued. She has also decided not to get involved with a man while pursuing her music. And then she meets Jonathan, a man who gets to her. While I didn't really connect with Jonathan, we saw very little of him, I did want to know more about him. Do I want to know what happens next? Yes. I think Monica is an interesting, complex character and Jonathan is still a huge mystery that I want to solve.

{Adult Paranormal Minute Review} Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson

 {Adult Paranormal Minute Review} Full Blooded by Amanda Carlson

Born the only female in an all male race, Jessica McClain isn’t just different—she’s feared.

After living under the radar for the last twenty-six years, Jessica is thrust unexpectedly into her first change, a full ten years late. She wakes up and finds she’s in the middle of a storm. Now that she’s become the only female full-blooded werewolf in town, the supernatural world is already clamoring to take a bite out of her and her new Pack must rise up and protect her.

But not everyone is on board. The werewolf Rights of Laws is missing text and the superstitious werewolves think that Jessica means an end to their race. It doesn’t help when Jessica begins to realize she’s more. She can change partway and hold her form, and speak directly to her wolf. But the biggest complication by far is that her alpha father can't control her like he can the rest of his wolves.

When a mercenary who’s been hired by the vampires shows up to extract information about the newly turned werewolf only days after her change, they find themselves smack in the middle of a war and there's no choice but to run together. When it’s up to Jessica to negotiate her release against her father’s direct orders, she chooses to take an offer for help instead. In exchange, Jessica must now swear an oath she may end up repaying with her life.(less)

{Details} 352 pages, Published September 11th 2012 by Orbit (first published September 1st 2012). Source: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

{Rating} 3/5 - I liked it!

{Review}

"I drew in a ragged breath and tried hard to surface from one hell of a nightmare." (page 1, line 1)

I thought it was an interesting take on the werewolf idea, that there aren't female werewolves. The story was original and fun with a strong, kick ass, take no prisoners heroine, a powerful and mysterious shifter of some sort named Rourke, a prophecy, vampires and a witch with an agenda. The characters were great, the story kept my attention and where they left things... I was definitely intrigued and want to know what happens next.