Review: Lumina by Georgia Fox

Lumina by Georgia Fox

Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Historical Romance

Heat Rating: 4

 

Blurb

Isabelle is about to have her virginity auctioned off to the highest bidder. Only stern, sensible Salvatore, her cruel aunt’s solicitor, can rescue her. While he’s been her tutor, she’s fallen deeply in love. But Salvatore has dark secrets that keep him from temptation. Their futures seem destined to be apart.

Her pride wounded by his rejection, and trust broken by a shocking discovery, Isabelle tries to forget him. Determined never to endanger her heart again, she finds another man to satisfy her sexual needs.
Until a surprise inheritance brings her back to Salvatore.

Now named “Lumina”, she wants two things from him – the cock he once denied her. And vengeance.
Salvatore, now a free man, has other ideas. He bitterly regretted losing her before and he’ll do anything to keep her this time, even sharing her with other lovers.
Until she’s ready to commit herself solely to him.


Lia's Review
 
Lumina, by Georgia Fox, is the story of a woman’s transformation from a naïve little girl to a wanton hussy.

Isabelle was ripped away from everything she knew and thrown into a world as different from hers as night from day. While living with her mother and siblings, Isabelle was exposed to a poor country girl’s life of hard work, no fortune, but the belief of true love. But when her wealthy aunt takes her on as her newest ‘project’, Isabelle is now fortunate to live the life of riches, education, and culture. There is only one price; no true love. Her aunt wants to auction off her virginity to the highest bidder. After all, only a man of money could be worth this girl, even if she didn’t love him. Devastated, Isabelle sets out to rebel against her aunt and make her own decisions, and her own mistakes.

I instantly liked Isabelle. She was smart and passionate. Behind the naïve girl, there was a strong, brave woman wanting to emerge, and as the story progressed, we saw the transformation in her, as well as the events that led her to it.

Salvatore was a flawed hero. I loved his imperfections and hypocrisy, and hated it at the same time. He was a hero who sinned and needed redemption. Although he redeemed himself in this readers eyes.

The story as a whole flowed wonderfully, with the words painting vivid pictures. There were no dragging moments, no dullness. I was pulled in from page one and not let go until the final page. It was a truly great read and I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good story along with hot sex.

5 Tea Cups!

      

Review: Forbidden Desires by Kelly Yeakle

Forbidden Desires by Kelly Yeakle

Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Alternative Romance

Heat Rating: 2
 

Blurb

When Dani meets the delicate beauty that is Carmen she knows instantly that she wants her—in her life and in her bed. But can Miss. Commitment-phobic look beyond the sex to see the woman beneath?

To Carmen, the wildly beautiful Dani is a new and exciting friend. What she hadn't counted on is the simmering desire she feels when in Dani's presence. As her relationship with her boyfriend sours, Carmen begins to wonder if there is more to Dani than she realizes.
Should she give in to this, the most forbidden of desires?


Lia's Review

When I started to read this novel, I was blown away at the imagery used in the first few chapters. The author painted a picture with vivid colors and heartfelt emotion. I instantly liked Carmen. She reminded me a bit of myself. I could related to her and wanted her to succeed. Dani was Carmen’s opposite, and it was their differences that made them into such a great couple. When reading this book, it felt as though I was reading about real people. Both of their personalities were so well developed and realistic.

I loved that there was no bad guy in this book. Although David, Carmen’s boyfriend was the element that stood between Carmen and Dani’s happiness, David himself wasn’t a villain. He was just a typical man who forgot how to treat a woman. By the end on the book I actually felt bad for him.

One thing I hate is when a relationship is rushed and forced. It’s so rare to see a book where the romance takes time to build. This story had that. Dani and Carmen didn’t fall head over heels with each other in a week. It took time. They developed a friendship first, and only then moved to the next step. Their attraction to each other seemed more real with the friendship. By the end of the book, I was convinced that they were in love and happy together. Perfect character development!

My only complaint with this book is that a lot of it was telling the story. I wish there had been a little more show and a little less tell. Besides that, however, it was a great and memorable love story.

4 Tea Cups!

 

   

Review: Haunted Heart by Carolyn Rosewood

Haunted Heart by Carolyn Rosewood

Publisher: Etopia Press
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

All Rowena Sommers wants is a quiet life away from Hollywood gossip and her vicious Oscar-winning ex-boyfriend Brett Fontaine. Her career and reputation in a shambles, thanks to Brett, Rowena returns home to restore her ancestral home and soak up some familiar, hometown sympathy. But having won a twenty-million-dollar defamation suit against Brett hasn’t endeared her to the hometown fans, and the man she’s hired to restore the old home is none other than the ex-jock who used her cruelly in high school to win a bet. And now a paranormal investigator is telling her the place may be haunted.

Van Whitney is no stranger to gossip. He's been struggling to keep his family's restoration business afloat, and when he agrees to restore Rowena's home, he vows to keep their relationship professional. His childhood friend has become a beautiful, sexy woman, but she attracts gossip like flies to honey. When strange things start happening at the house, Van discovers secrets upon secrets, and a plot that may be other than it seems. But his attraction to Rowena might be more dangerous than anything from the past…


Lia's Review

Haunted Heart started off with Rowena Sommers returning to her home town. Back to a place of betrayal, rumors, and the love of her life.

I’m a sucker for a second chance at love storylines, especially when the romance never got to blossom the first time around. Rowena Sommers had a huge crush on womanizer and high school football star Van Whitney when she was a teen but he hurt her badly using her to win a childish bet. Now, years later, Rowena doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake again. I found Rowena’s motivations and behavior to be very realistic. I loved the way she interacted with all the other characters in the book.

Van Whitney lost everything when his life fell apart during one fire. He saw just the amount of damage gossip and rumors can do to a person. When he signs up to remodel Rowena’s great Aunt’s house, he knows he will have to face some gossip around town, but is he ready for the full impact of working for a Hollywood starlet? I really liked Van. As hero’s go, I loved his dark past and the shameful incident that ruined his life. I liked that he had hardships that he had to recover from. He was a strong and modern hero.

The plot and supporting characters really made this story come together and I loved it from beginning to end. I truly great read. If it weren’t for the several typos and a few areas where there was a bit too much telling and not enough showing, you would think you were reading a NY Times bestseller and not an e-published novel. This is not the first book I read by Carolyn Rosewood, and it will certainly not be the last. This woman has a bright publishing future ahead of her, and she definitely has a fan in me.

4 1/2 Tea Cups!

      

Review: Up a Dry Creek by Avery Flynn

Up a Dry Creek by Avery Flynn

Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 2

Blurb

Claire Layton expects the usual busy Saturday night at Harvest Bistro to be killer on her stiletto shoed feet. She never imagines there’d be an actual murderer on the loose at her restaurant in rural Dry Creek, Nebraska. But when she discovers a customer dead in a dumpster, the killer demands she find the victim’s phone and flash drive or face fatal consequences.

Jake Warrick, a cocky and mind-numbingly hot private investigator, becomes Claire’s unlikely ally in the search. Jake just wants to solve the case and get out of this hick town, but the diminutive and curvaceous Claire turns his plan upside down as they uncover a more complex crime than they ever imagined. The two bicker and banter like Tracy and Hepburn caught in a whirlwind of intense sexual attraction as they try to find the killer before it’s too late.



Lia's Review

The instant I started to read Up a Dry Creek I was thrown into a suspenseful adventure with entertaining characters and a great plot. It’s a fast moving novella and before I knew it, I was on the last page.

When restaurant owner Clair Layton finds a body in her dumpster, she is shocked and terrified, yet that’s only the beginning. The killer thinks she has something that she doesn’t and he’s not going to stop until she turns over the item or dies. Clair was a very entertaining character. A spitfire redhead, she was temperamental, feisty, and smart. Her dog, Onion, stole the show at times and I was absolutely entertained by those characters. Jake, the hero, was modeled after many women’s hearts. He was strong and brave and oh so sexy. The romance was hot and steamy and at times I was afraid my ereader will melt.

The plot itself was very entertaining. Although the mystery part was very predictable, I still enjoyed the story in itself. The villains were evil and scary even if as a reader you know who they were a mile away.

In the middle of the book it seemed like the mystery dried up and was replaced with hot romance. Although I didn’t mind that, I felt like the author was about to leave us with a bunch of unanswered questions. Luckily, near the end of the story she continued writing the mystery storyline again until the end. I did hope that the middle would have had some mystery in it too, to balance out the suspense and the romance. It felt a bit scattered. Besides that, however, the book was perfect.

The ending was great. I will not spoil it for anyone but I can say that Ms Flynn broke a big rule by ending the book with a question. Now, us poor readers will have to wait for book two to come out just to get that answer. Oh, and believe me, I’m waiting for the next book to come.

If you’re a fan of suspense with hot romance, give this a try. It’s one of my favorite books that I’ve read this year and I couldn’t wait until book two in this series.

4 1/2 Tea Cups!

      

Review: Fairy Flavor by Anna Keraleigh

Fairy Flavor by Anna Keraleigh

Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Fantasy Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

The fairies are going extinct. The trolls are trying to take the land for their own nefarious purposes and King Carrick, ruler of the fairy kingdom, has found a human mate. Now he just has to convince her to stay amidst the chaos.

Brook finds herself in love with a fairy, as if that isn’t strange enough, she’s kidnapped by the trolls and asked to be queen of this fantasy kingdom. Her heart screams approval but a man named Valen and some deadly trolls stand between them.



Lia's Review

A sizzling hot read from start to finish! Fairy Flavor stars off with Brook, the heroine, having amazing sex with a mysterious man. She’s certain it’s all a dream that soon she’ll wake from but soon learns of the reality. Fairies exist and they need her help. King Carrick needs Brook to reproduce as the fairy race is dying.
I loved Brook. She was a very strong, modern, and independent woman. The little glimmer of her past made me enjoy her ever more. She had some factors that made her very relatable.

Carrick was sweet, always horny, and kind. I enjoyed him, although at times he came off as a little too soft. There were a lot of other fairy men like Whisper, who I really enjoyed. I would love to read a book with him as the lead.

The introduction of Valen brought a great twist to the story. Valen was likable and hatable at the same time. On the one hand, he was very heroic, brave, and loving. Yet, there were some things he did that made him seem almost abusive. I loved the scene with him and Grace or was it Bridget, near the end. It really made me want to learn more about him.

It did become confusing reading about all those fairies. Some of them had similar names so it was hard to remember who is who.

I really enjoyed the entire book and all of the characters. The fairy kingdom was very original. I haven’t read anything like this before. I would read future works by this author.

If you want a sexy erotic read with a plot, this is a winner!

4 Tea Cups!

   

Review: Seducing Celestine by Amarinda Jones

Seducing Celestine by Amarinda Jones

Publisher: eXcessica Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

When the hot, sexy guy intimately caressing Celestine in her dreams turns out to be a real life man in her bed is it moonlight madness or is she just one very lucky girl? Should she be offended this man just wants a moonlight ride with any available woman or let him take her as her heart desires?

The woman in Nick's arms is different to any he has ever tasted. Seducing Celestine into submission becomes one sexy challenge he cannot resist. But someone else wants Celestine and it has nothing to do with sex.

Can lust be love? Can she stay out of trouble long enough to find out?


Lia's Review

Celestine Holt is down on her luck. Betrayed by her best friend, broke, unemployed, and just one step short of being homeless. The last thing she needs is a man complicating her already stressful life. Yet, that is exactly what she gets when she wakes to find a naked man in her bedroom.

Nick Swan confused Celestine for someone else, but now that he’s met her and had sex with her, he learns that he can’t resist her. She’s unlike any woman he’s ever known and instantly he is drawn to her.

The sex is hot and things seem almost perfect until someone tries to kill Celestine. Someone is desperate and they are willing to kill anyone in their way, including Celestine and Nick. Can the two lovers stay alive?

A mix between sexy and sweet, Seducing Celestine, is a wonderful love story about a modern woman who is relatable and admirable. Paired with a sexy hero who loves her. The characters were very entertaining and I fell in love with them both. They were far from perfect, yet perfect for each other.

The plot had everything from sexiness, to sweetness, even a hint of thrill and adventure. This love story had it all except a good editor. The publisher of this book should have invested in a better editor.

3 ½ Tea Cups!

   

Review: Naked Treats by Pepper Anthony

Naked Treats by Pepper Anthony

Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

How does a newly graduated culinary student distinguish herself in a city full of experienced personal chefs? Rose Phelps cooks for her private clients in the nude. Her favorite client is sexy and successful Zack Cranston, a confirmed bachelor. The more he’s around Rose, the harder it is for Zack to resist her naked charms. Still, he figures all he needs is one night between the sheets with her and he’ll be over it.

Up till now, Rose has ignored his teasing advances; she’s dead set on keeping things all business between them. Then unexpected circumstances cause their emotional and personal boundaries to crumble. Will one night of smoking hot sex lead Zack and Rose to heartbreak and pain, or the possibility of a whole new future together?


Lia's Review

Rose Phelps cooks in the nude, and her biggest client, Zack Cranston, would rather eat her then the food she prepares. Full of sexual tension, great characters, and a good subplot, Naked Treats was definitely a treat to this reader. At times, I felt like I was reading a Harlequin novel, as it had a similar style.

Rose and Zack had great chemistry and I loved the way they lusted after each other before jumping into bed. By the end of the story, I didn’t need for the author to tell me the characters were in love, because you could sense that through the writing.

I did feel like the second half of the book was a bit rushed, but it was a great story nonetheless. I really enjoyed it.

4 Tea Cups!

   

Review: The Last Soul by Carolyn Rosewood

The Last Soul by Carolyn Rosewood


Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Heat Rating: 3

Blurb

Faina has been dead for one hundred and fifty years, but she’s about to become human again. All she has to do is seduce Jace Blackmon, the most honest financier ever to grace the city of angels, into signing away his soul.

Jace Blackmon has fallen in love with his fantasy woman. But when he realizes she was tricked by a demon to bring about his ruin, including the revelation of a long-buried secret to the media, he must choose between his heart or life without her.


Lia's Review

In order to become human again, Faina has to seduce and ruin Jace Blackmon, but when she begins to fall in love with him, she’s torn between doing what she needs to and what she wants to.

Beautifully written, “The Last Soul” is full of steamy hot sex, great characters, and a wonderful plot. In 84 short pages, Ms Rosewood gives us not only the present of what’s happening but also a taste of the characters' pasts that shaped them into who they are now. I absolutely loved this story and think everyone should give it a try.

5 Tea Cups!