Not Quite Mine (Not Quite 2) - Catherine Bybee

The Book
Release Date: 30 April 2013

Gorgeous hotel heiress Katelyn "Katie" Morrison seems to have it all. But when she crosses paths with Dean Prescott - the only man she's ever loved - at her brother's wedding, Katie realizes there's a gaping hole in her life. After the ceremony she gets an even bigger surprise when someone abandons a baby girl on her doorstep. Determined to keep the newborn until she learns who her mother is, Katie has her hands full and doesn't need Dean snooping around, especially when his presence stirs feelings she thought were long gone. 

Dean Prescott knows Katie is lying to him when he discovers a baby is living with her. He shouldn't care what the woman who broke his heart is up to...and he most certainly shouldn't still be aching for her. Yet Dean can't ignore the need to protect Katie - or the desire to be near her every chance he gets. But when he and Katie solve the mystery surrounding the baby, their second chance for happiness could be shattered forever.

My Opinion  5 STARS
This book had me giggling at times. This book is right up my street and right from the word go i was drawn into the story.

Katie is the sister of Jack from the previous book and she is always in the press being an heiress to billions from her fathers hotel chain.

After going back to her suite in Texas after her brothers wedding with Monica there is a knock on the door where she finds a two week old baby girl.

She immediately falls in love with an although there are papers stating that she has adopted her she immediately calls a PI to investigate who the mother is.

Knowing she needs to keep all of this secret until it is resolved the flies to California in economy with Monica and the baby (Savannah). 

Dean his Jacks best friend and has a past with Katie. They had previously dated in secret, but when she lost their baby and was told she would never have children she breaks up with him.

Dean has been asked by Jack to check on Katie as she is acting strange, when he goes to her suite the day after the wedding he finds the baby but thinks nothing of it.

When she flees he follows,but finds her at his construction site in her short skirt and heels. His attraction to her has never stopped and when h realises that he never loved his previous fiancé he tells Jack that he is making a serious play for his sister again!

Dean pursues Katie and eventually finds out about Savannah and is left speechless. Not long after he asks Katie to move in with him.

When they find out separately who the mother is and then the father there is a little wobble, but as in every good Catherine Bybee book things get sorted out and we get a brilliant ending.

I love this series.

Not Quiet Dating (Not Quite 1) - Catherine Bybee

The Book
Release Date: 13 November 2012

Waitress and single mom Jessica “Jessie” Mann is practical to a fault. Even if she had time to date, which she doesn’t, she’d be determined to provide her son with a more secure upbringing than the one she had—and that would mean a husband with big bucks. When Jack Morrison—a sexy-as-sin, seemingly broke customer with a cowboy hat and a seductive grin—tries to flirt with her, she shoots him down. She doubts a carefree dreamer like Jack can provide the financial stability she needs. Yet with Christmas just weeks away, and Jessie not wanting to spend it alone, the charming Texan is proving hard to resist.

As the heir to the Morrison luxury hotel empire, Jack is used to being fawned over. But Jack needs someone who will fall in love with him—not his wealth. He’s set his sights on Jessie, though her hardened heart just might get in the way…To be sure, he conceals his true identity and offers to help Jessie find the rich husband she seeks. But Jack’s daring charade may rob him of the holiday wish he wants most of all…

My Opinion  5 STARS

This book was really sweet.

So far it is safe to say that I have loved every book I have read by Catherine Bybee.  You know that her characters are going to have a good attractions with pits and falls before fully coming into the romance and a brilliant feel good ending.

Jessie is a young mum who works long hours late at night as a waitress in order that she can spend her daylight hours with her son in order that he doesn't miss out.  Her younger sister lives with them rent free in order that she also helps with her son.

Money is tight and she often has to juggle her funds to the penny and would love to fall in love and marry a rich man to provide more stability in her sons life.  She wants her son to have the best he can.

Jack Morrison is on his way back with his buddies from a stag do when they go for a meal at the dinner where Jessie works.  He is immediately drawn to the waitress and becomes entranced when she tells him no.  A feeling that he has never felt before has him deciding that for the first time he actually wants to chase a woman to see if she would fall for his as him, so he pretends to be a poor waiter.  He is actually the son of a billionaire hotel tycoon and is rich on his own merits.

Jessie and Jack provide a brilliant chase where Jack is constantly kept on his toes and Jessie shows her loyalty to her family and her love for her son.

It is heart warming to see how Jack instantly connects with Jessie's young son and just seems to slip effortlessly into their lives.

Of course both Jessie and Jack hit a few bumps and have a few misunderstandings, which only makes the romance seem more plausible and endearing.

I already love this series and can't wait to read the next one!

COVER REVEAL - Water (Elements of Power 2) by Heather James

The Book
Release Date: 8 October 2013

Water pooled around my feet, rising at an alarming rate. I stared - panicked - at the palms of my hands, willing the water gushing out of them to stop as miraculously as it had begun.

I only sneezed!

Jasmine is struggling to control her new powers, causing floods and fires with an accidental flick of her wrist. In a desperate attempt to master at least one aspect of them, she travels to the Brizan Realm, where she comes closer to discovering the truth about her parents than ever before. But not everyone wants their secrets revealed.
Alone, powerless and, for the first time in her life, afraid, Roxy has only one thought occupying her mind: escaping Cinaer's clutches before it's too late. Her flight will take her across the ocean, but not in the direction she is expecting. Before she can try and get back to Brae, she needs to rescue herself.
Despite being on opposite sides of the world, the girls soon find themselves closer than ever.

Water is the second novel in the Elements of Power series and is due to be released Autumn 2013. Keep an I eye on James' website for more details.

About The Author 

Heather James is a young-adult author who writes about heroines with amazing powers, heroes who will break your heart and fantasy realms that you will want to move to.
She works in the attendance office of a South-East London secondary school and spends her school holidays writing, reading, playing flag-American football and wasting time marketing on Pinterest.

Take Me (Take a Chance 4) - Diane Alberts

The Book
Release Date: 26 August 2013

Married in the morning…

Professional heartbreaker Mike Worth thrived on the chase—and dancer Morgan Collins represented the ultimate prize. But there was no way he was going to throw away his single-man status…not even for an elusive redhead with sparkling eyes and mile-long legs. So how did he let one drunken Vegas night end with I do instead of hell no?

Morgan’s life revolved around her career and she had no intention of letting a man interfere—even if Mike made her question all her rules about love. At his urging, she reluctantly agreed to give their spur-of–moment marriage a chance. But once their trial-honeymoon ended, would she choose to follow the dance and leave her unforgettable husband behind?

My Opinion  3 STARS
Finally Mike's story.

Mike, the big brother of Brianna and Kiersten is out on the bachelor party for his best friend Garrett. Unfortunately they take the table belonging to a feisty red-head called Morgan. 

After flirting with each other once his buddies have gone, they end up having a rather heated quickie where upon she promptly asks his to leave, even before their hearts have stopped racing.

Still thinking of the woman from the night before, Mike goes to the opening of Brianna's newly refurbished hotel, only to find Morgan in the line up of the dancers. Again he makes a move on her and they end up getting very drunk together.

The next morning, both heads throbbing they wake up to the clinking of metal. In their drunkenness the night before, they have gotten married. However, both of them had claimed off marriage for life due to their own personal reasons. Not surprisingly they both take it a little badly but end up consummating the marriage when they fall into the heat of each other.

They spend the rest of the week getting to know each other, where upon they both come to startling revelations about themselves.

The epilogue is cute and ends far too fast and I would have loved a little more in the ending, but other wise I found this be be a very enjoyable book.

Fiancé by Friday (The Weekday Brides 3) - Catherine Bybee

The Book
Release Date: 13 August 2013

Gwen Harrison:
The beautiful, high-born daughter of an English duke came to America to take over her sister-in-law’s matchmaking business. But just because she’s the boss doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about making her own perfect match with bodyguard Neil MacBain. Will the enigmatic man who haunts her dreams cost her more than she bargained for?

Neil MacBain:
The retired Marine can’t deny the effect blue-blooded Gwen has on his troubled soul or his battle-hardened body. But as a client, Gwen is off-limits—until a threat from Neil’s past returns…and Gwen is caught in the crossfire. Now to keep her safe he will risk it all: his career, his life…and his heart.

My Opinion  4 STARS

**Provided by Netgalley and Montlake Romance for an honest review**

This book was brilliant.  The whole mystery side of it had me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next and who the baddy/baddies were.

Lady Gwen is English and is the sister of Blake from the previous novel.  Neil is her bodyguard and works for Blake.

Neil though a firmer marine, totally has the soft side of him pulled out by Gwen in the end and I loved how Gwen didn't go nuts from being out of her comfort zone and made the best of her situation.

Will definitely be waiting for the next book in the series to see who's next in the relationship stakes.  I am hoping that it will be Rick! :)

Beyond Pain (Beyond 3) - Kit Rocha

The Book
Release Date:  26 August 2013

A woman with no future…

Live fast, die young–anything else is a fantasy for Six. She’s endured the worst the sectors had to throw at her, but falling in with Dallas O’Kane’s Sector Four gang lands her in a whole new world of danger. They’re completely open about everything, including their sexuality–but she hasn’t survived this long by making herself vulnerable. Especially not to men as dominant as Brendan Donnelly.

A man without a past…

Bren is a killer, trained in Eden and thrown to the sectors. His one outlet is pain, in the cage and in the bedroom, and emotion is a luxury he can’t afford–until he meets Six. Protecting her soothes him, but it isn’t enough. Her hunger for touch sparks a journey of erotic discovery where anything goes–voyeurism, flogging, rough sex. He has only one rule: he won’t share her.

In Bren’s arms, Six is finally free to let go. But his obsession with the man who made him a monster could destroy the fragile connection they’ve forged, and cost him the one thing that makes him feel human–her love.

My Opinion  5 STARS

This is the best book in the series so far, and I really loved the story of Dallas and Lex.  Each book in the series seems be get better than the last.

Six grew up on a farm and knew she had only been born for breeding.  She ran away only to grow up on the streets and learning the hard way.

Having been broken by Trent she gets thrust into the O'Kane gang and finds it hard to adjust to the welcomes and warmth they bestow her.

Bren grew up in the slums of Eden and then the military police.  After his boss frames him he finds himself in the sectors and joins the O'Kane's as a top fighter.

Six is thrust in Bren's direction to look after when they take her on and she finds herself finding that he is the only one she is comfortable around.

Thinks change between them when they are sent to help sort out sector three with her knowledge and his brawn.

Six learns how to trust Bren and slowly comes more out of herself and starts feeling more comfortable with the other ladies around her.  But she is still uncomfortable with all their openness in their feelings and sexual exploits.

With misunderstandings and forgiveness along with a boat load of other emotions, these two make a really gripping story hard to put down.

I am really looking forward to the next book in the series!

Beyond Denial (Beyond 2.5) - Kit Rocha

The Book
Release Date:

Free online read (or Kindle file download) of a deleted scene from Beyond Control, featuring Ace and Jared.  http://kitrocha.com/beyond-denial/
________________________

DABWAHA is a yearly event run by popular blogs Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books where readers fill out brackets pitting beloved books against one another and then engage in a couple weeks of all-out warfare as they try to encourage people to vote in the best interests of their bracket–or in the worst interests of the brackets of people in the lead.

In 2013, Beyond Shame was one of the 2012 finalists pitted against some of our personal favorites in the Paranormal and Speculative Romance subgenres. In the tradition of bribery and mayhem, we offered to provide a deleted scene featuring Ace and his friend Jared at the O’Kane party held for the Sector Three recruits, as seen in Beyond Control.

The chances of our plucky little self-pub novel surviving round one were always tiny, but we planned to share the story either way. So for all of you who voted, or didn’t, or just want to read about Ace being dirty and in denial…enjoy!

My Opinion  4 STARS
This is a tease, and far too short.

In essence we see the HOT friendship/relationship of Ace and Jared and Ace's desire for Rachel.

Can't wait for book three!

Beyond Control (Beyond 2) - Kit Rocha

The Book
Release Date: 19 March 2013

She refuses to be owned.

Alexa Parrino escaped a life of servitude and survived danger on the streets to become one of the most trusted, influential people in Sector Four, where the O’Kanes rule with a hedonistic but iron fist. Lex has been at the top for years, and there’s almost nothing she wouldn’t do for the gang…and for its leader. Lie, steal, kill—but she bows to no one, not even Dallas O’Kane.

He’ll settle for nothing less.

Dallas fought long and hard to carve a slice of order out of the chaos of the sectors. Dangers both large and small threaten his people, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. His liquor business is flourishing, and new opportunities fuel his ambition. Lex could help him expand his empire, something he wants almost as much as he wants her. And no one says no to the king of Sector Four.

Falling into bed is easy, but their sexual games are anything but casual. Attraction quickly turns to obsession, and their careful dance of heady dominance and sweet submission uncovers a need so deep, so strong, it could crush them both.

My Opinion  4 .5 STARS
If you can believe it, this book is even better than the first and a lot hotter. Seriously, you need to read this one where there are no other people around.

We met Dallas and Lex in the first book and they both gave us an idea of their personalities.

This time, we see more about how they tick, how they think and what they really think of each other.

Dallas has wanted Lex from the moment he met her, however he has bided his time knowing if he moved too soon he would lose her. After finding she has tattooed his name on her he finally collars her as his. 

Where before when they have had their trusts her has used everything to get her off apart from his cock, he finally can and they are explosive.

Lex finds it hard to give up control after coming from sector two and she has a good heart and helps others. People revolve round her as she helps them or gives them the tongue lashing they deserve.

The action in this book is gritty, raw and rough. The emotions run high, the heat ramped up and the sexy explosive. The groups scene? *fans herself* WOW!

A brilliant dystopian erotic novel.

Beyond Shame (Beyond 1) - Kit Rocha

The Book
Release Date: 2 October 2012

All Noelle Cunningham has ever wanted is a life beyond–beyond the walls of Eden, where only the righteous are allowed to remain, and beyond her stiflingly restrictive existence as a councilman’s daughter. But only ruins lie outside the City, remnants of a society destroyed by solar storms decades earlier.

The sectors surrounding Eden house the corrupt, the criminal–men like Jasper McCray, bootlegger and cage fighter. Jas clawed his way up from nothing to stand at the right hand of Sector Four’s ruthless leader, and he’ll defend the O’Kane gang with his life. But no fight ever prepared him for the exiled City girl who falls at his feet.

Her innocence is undeniable, but so is their intense sexual attraction, and soon they’re crossing every boundary Noelle barely knew she had. But if she wants to belong to Jas, first she’ll have to open herself to the gang, to a dangerous world of sex, lust and violence. A world where passion is power, and freedom is found in submission.

My Opinion  4 STARS

**Provided by Netgalley and Kit Rocha for an honest review**

A dystopian erotic novel?  Brilliant.  Although these two elements can be brilliant and have their own merits, bringing them together leads to something explosive.

The multiple POV could have been annoying, but each character brought something to the story weaving their way into the tapestry and making them integral and right.

I loved this book.  However the open sharing of partners and public fornication a little weird for me, and the constant struggle for our two budding lovers to admit what they truly wanted and felt was a little annoying.  I wanted to bang their heads together.

I loved all of the O'Kane gang introduced to us.  Each person did feel like a family member and were woven brilliantly next to and around each other.

I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Fixer - Gene Doucette

The Book
Release Date: 21 March 2013

NEW from the best-selling author of Immortal and Hellenic Immortal: it's Fixer!

What would you do if you could see into the future?

As a child, he dreamed of being a superhero. Most people never get to realize their childhood dreams, but Corrigan Bain has come close. He is a fixer. His job is to prevent accidents—to see the future and “fix” things before people get hurt. But the ability to see into the future, however limited, isn’t always so simple. Sometimes not everyone can be saved.

“Don’t let them know you can see them.”

Graduate students from a local university are dying, and former lover and FBI agent Maggie Trent is the only person who believes their deaths aren’t as accidental as they appear. But the truth can only be found in something from Corrigan Bain’s past, and he’s not interested in sharing that past, not even with Maggie.

To stop the deaths, Corrigan will have to face up to some old horrors, confront the possibility that he may be going mad, and find a way to stop a killer no one can see.

Corrigan Bain is going insane . . . or is he?

Because there’s something in the future that doesn’t want to be seen. It isn’t human. It’s got a taste for mayhem. And it is very, very angry.

My Opinion  1 STAR
**Provided by Netgalley and The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House for an honest review**

Unfortunately I found that I was unable to finish this book. It is safe to say that at 50% through, I knew this book was not for me and I had to stop reading. I struggled to read most of what I had and have only stopped reading one other book before. :(

First this book jumps time frames from now to 5 years ago, eight years ago, thirty eight years ago. It also has multiple POV. Any more than three to me is wasted and a lot of their POV's just seemed like space filler to me.

With the jumping around in time, I found myself confused as I couldn't grasp what had happened when, though I could understand the present day. It was just too all over the place.

Not a book I would recommend personally.

The End of All Things - Lissa Bryan

The Book
Release Date: 24 January 2013

After a terrible virus ravages the planet, Carly Daniels, one of the few survivors, hides in her apartment in Juneau trying to survive the best she can with only occasional forays to gather food. With her is Sam, a wolf puppy she found starving on the streets. He becomes her companion and a reason to continue when giving up sometimes seems like the more attractive option. Still dazed with shock and grief, she hopes for the world to go back to normal soon.

She is discovered by Justin, an ex-soldier who is intent on making his way to Florida before the winter sets in. Justin coaxes her out of her hiding place and convinces her to join him on his journey, because a warmer climate will be their best chance against the extremes of Mother Nature.

Together, they begin a perilous journey through a nation laid to waste by the disaster. Challenges abound along the way. The weather, injury, and shortage of supplies all help to slow them down. In time, they discover that they aren’t the only survivors. Some are friendly but some have had their minds destroyed by the high fever. Then there are those who simply take what they want, leaving Carly and Justin with no choice but to defend what is theirs.

But their journey is not without joy and love. Together, they face every struggle, including an unplanned pregnancy. Despite the perils of bringing a child into a world of chaos, their baby is a new beginning for themselves and a symbol of hope for the other survivors they find along the way.

This is the story of their journey to find a place to begin a new life, and a home in each other.

My Opinion  5 STARS
**Provided by Netgalley and The Writer's Coffee Shop Publishing House for an honest review**

If I could give this book more stars I would.

First and foremost, I want me a Justin.. uh huh.  Man he's a sexy read even with his brooding.  He is the true Alpha male able to survive the situation in front of him and able to adapt.

I don't tend to read a lot of Dystopian/apocalypse books, but this one was written brilliantly and the reader really pulled me into the story, as if I were there with them.

We have Carly, a girl surviving the epidemic that has practically wiped out the human and animal species from the planet.  She finds a pup in the streets long after people have died and brings him in and looks after him.  She names him Sam.

One morning she looks out of her window to find a breaded biker sitting outside her building camping.  He tries to talk to her, but frightened she always scampers away back away from him.

After another trip out to forage for food, the man saves her after she is confronted by an infected walking around confused.  His name is Justin.

Justin is a former soldier and had been camping when the epidemic spread.  After seeing Carly, he knows that he cannot leave her behind, knowing that without electricity she will likely freeze to death come winter or stave.  He panics slightly when he finds out that her dog is actually a wolf.

After finally leaving her home, Justin takes her south towards Florida where he reasons that the warmer weather will be better for the winters and for growing crops.

Along the way they pick up a pregnant horse, a moose for a little bit and a stray kitten.  They also fight the attraction that grows between them until it can no longer be stopped.

They meet other survivors, some no longer the sane due to the virus, others who will kill for the supplies they carry and others like them willing to trade.

An accident with a split condom ends up with Carly pregnant and they have to cut their trek short in order that they can prepare for the baby to come and where Justin does his manly thing and provides everything he can for his woman and his baby.

After the baby is born and is safe to travel they continue south and find a couple whole also survived and continue their journey with them, thought it takes Justin a while to warm to them.

They meet other survivors on their way, all of whom are startled to see the baby and would love to trade it it if they could.

They continue until they come across a community that had barricaded itself from the outsiders, but upon seeing the baby they let the travellers in.  Warmly welcomed Carly finds a place she feels she could live, but tragedy strikes the community and the inhabitants fall ill.

Justin and Carly are only two of the few survivors.

An epic read that I would recommend you read.

Love and Candy - Elizabeth Famous

The Book
Release Date: 18 June 2013

LOVE and CANDY is a BEST SELLER on AMAZON!

Check out www.ElizabethFamous.com for the FREE epilogue.

LOVE and CANDY is a contemporary New Adult or Young Adult romance. It’s about a young woman’s coming of age and takes place in the sexually-charged environment of a posh high school. It doesn't shy away from the gritty details of the main character's first serious relationship and deals with very adult topics. The love interest is a seriously tortured guy, far from a prince charming.

Here's the back cover blurb:

Samantha Montclare is not who she thought she was. Straitlaced and academically minded, she's knocked to her knees by an unexpected infatuation with the star of her local soccer team just as she discovers that her biological father is not the loving dad who raised her but a forbidding Italian aristocrat. 

Within the social hierarchy of a wealthy suburban high school, Delaney Troy is so superior to naive Samantha that she can't speak to him without provoking obscene taunts from his friends. 

Delaney is gorgeous, but much of Samantha's fascination stems from his brazen honesty and bristling wit. His air of confidence inspires so powerful an interest he draws her in without even looking at her.

But how could she possibly date a guy like Delaney who insists he only wants to hook up -- and doesn't believe in love?

Will the scandalous truth about the circumstances of her conception threaten her happy home life? 

Must she find a place in her life for an alarming new "father" just as she’s becoming an independent young woman?

My Opinion  3 STARS
My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review.

Okay. The book is told from Samantha's POV and to be honest, all throughout the book she seemed naive and immature. She has a crush on Delaney and is always looking at him fixating on what he would be like. This goes on for a year.

She has gone through her mothers possessions and read her diary which alluded to the fact that her mother and father had played around for awhile and that her dad was not her biological father. She then had very open and frank discussions with her parents, which to me felt very strange. Even as open as i am with my own mother for a girl her age some of the stuff they talked about just didn't sit well with me.

When Anton (the biological father) is introduced it felt awkward in the fact that, while the three adults were discussing private things, Sam was sat there listening in.

When they all go on a family holiday to Italy and visit Anton, I would have thought that when Anton found the kids in his own room nosing about he would have more upset about the matter than almost act as if nothing had happened.

Going back to school in her new clothes and suddenly being asked on a date by Delaney, and after no aforementioned talks of former boyfriends or having been kissed before, it showed just how immature she was that she 'did it' in the back of his car in a parking lot.

Then she goes back for more?? WTF. Delaney only acts like a brat, treats her badly and she still goes back for more? And does any child the next time she sees her parents after the night after their first time blurt to their parents about it?

Time also moved very swiftly in this novel, from fifteen to her at the prom and then finishing her degree. Most of the time as stated previously both act very immature and she is constantly making excuses for his behaviour and feeling very self-conscious. and to be honest. jealous about all of Delaney close female friends, constantly whining about ex-girlfriends.

I wanted to slap hSam for being so bloody blind and needy and for Delany for being a self absorbed jerk using Sam for what seemed like se only as he hardly ever acknowledged her in front of his friends.

The book was redeemed at the end however with the prom scene and the epilogue, otherwise I might have had to slit their throats.

However having said all this i did get engrossed into the book and, surprisingly enough i did enjoy it. I would say however that the book would be harder to read the older you would be. 

I guess to totally understand Sam's POV you would need to be that age. Maybe being in my early thirties I look back a sceptic having been away from the school scene and children of that age for so long.

Love on the Back Burner - Barbara Oliverio

The Book

Release Date: 4 April 2013

Youngest in an Italian-American family that includes one brother who is a rock 
singer-turned-priest and another who successfully manages the family business, 
Alexandria D’Agostino wanted to stand out, so she moved from her small hometown and is enjoying a successful marketing career in Denver. 

On the advice of her best friend Keira, as well as office pals Natalie and Elliott, she uses the cooking skills learned from her immigrant grandmother and studies the cuisine of each prospective boyfriend’s background to improve her chances at love. 

Alexandria encounters comical mishaps along the way including one unexpected dinner for three and a meat-focused dinner for a vegetarian. After a corporate restructure somehow driven by new office heartthrob Cameron Grayson, she flies back home for counsel. 

Will she come back to Denver? Or should she re-evaluate the boy next door from high school? Should she finally admit that being a chef is her true dream? And how does Cameron fit on the menu? BONUS: INCLUDES RECIPES FEATURED IN THE BOOK!

My Opinion  3 STARS

My thanks to the author for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

This was a good first book from the author, and to top it off we got some authentic recipes provided in the back. Not an american or an italian i will certainly be trying out some of the recipes.

In this book we get to see our main character Ali, who also had many other full and nicknames go through a host of bad dates in which she had cooked for them knowing that she could cook well and was just doing her italian thing. 

She would then take the leftovers to work and tell of her disastrous dates to her two colleagues Elliot and Natalie who as also close friends with hers.

Her BFF friend however is away on business for the main part and they Skype and talk most days on the phone with her friend being her main voice of reason calling the drama queen down.

Cameron joins the company on a temp basis to cover in the IT department and immediately Ali seems to have a bee in her bonnet about him. She is constantly rude to him or trying to ignore him. Her friends do not understand why, when she can be so nice tooters that she is acting this way with him.

After a shock happens within her job, she goes back home early to help prepare for her nieces baptism and talks with her family, primarily her father. It is there that she finally realises that she actually wants to be a chef.

Without giving away the ending, lets just say there is a slight twist and its really sweet. I certainly was not expecting quite such an ending, but I did get part of it right

An excellent first novel.

Eat Play Lust - Tawna Fenske

The Book
Release Date: 26 August 2013

Cami Pressman is a yoga instructor with a lifelong secret love of junk food. Not even an irresistible man can replace the mouthwatering wickedness of her favorite foods. 

Until, that is, Paul Hammond signs up for her class. He’s a gourmet chef looking to score some fitness tips, and a date with Cami. Suddenly Cami’s lust for junk food isn’t the only thing making her tingle. 

When this sinful chef and hot yoga teacher eat, play, and lust together, they just might bring their obsession to a new level.

My Opinion  4 STARS
**Provided by Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for an honest review**

This was a very short but cute read the had me giggling with the double meanings that were said.

The flirting felt natural even if things moved very fast and it flowed really well.

A nice light hearted short read.

Unscrupulous (The Manhattanies 2) - Avery Aster

The Book
Release Date: 14 August 2013

Book 2 in The Manhattanites series

At thirty-three Warner Truman is one of the richest men on the planet, a spa mogul who buys and sells resorts at will. He holds powerful executive’s careers in his well-groomed hands. Nothing is beyond Warner’s reach…until he meets her.

Stunning, tantalizing, and perverse, Taddy Brill captivates Warner’s carnal desire like no woman he’s ever met. A self-made millionaire, Taddy is tougher than steel, more brilliant than diamonds and, at twenty-seven, she’s never depended on a man for anything…until she meets him.

The more Taddy plays with Warner’s affections, driving him to erotic heights, the more she is confronted by a dark past. But before she can love him, Taddy must meet her worst fears head-on or risk losing it all, including herself.

My Opinion  3.5 STARS

**Provided by Netgalley and Ellora's Cave for an honest review**

The first thing that I have to mention is that although I loved this book, I think it should have come out before Undressed for a better continuity in the series.

Taddy is a brilliant Publicist and, she has built her company up from scratch and has the best group of friends around her from her boarding school days. She probably counts Lex as her best friend. Lex is the main character from the first book in the series.

Warner is a self made billionaire who lost his first love and wife to cancer many years ago after being married for ten years, yet he is only in his early thirties. Warner meets Taddy in St Barths when she stays at his hotel and is immediately captured by her hair and her personality.

The banter between the two kicks off and he takes her to his house, however his former fiancé is there and causes trouble. Taddy, walks off leaving him behind and without her real name.

Both think about the other during a long period without thinking that they would see each other, even though Warner has not given up hope of finding her however, after a disastrous trip to Cannes for her assistant, both Taddy and Warner meet up again when she has to bail her assistant out from jail.

There is no BDSM but there is definitely a hot alpha male intent on getting his own way, and he wants more of Taddy. He is determined to break down the barriers she hold up and to have a more permanent relationship with her. He just has to prove it to her.

A heart warming tale with a lot of sizzle.