Mischief, Mongrels and Mayhem (ROAR #1) by Heather Long

Blurb:

She has a future to decide on.…

Mischief Jones—Missy to her friends—has never taken the easy route in life. She turned down a full ride to a four-year school to attend her local college because it kept her close to Nene, the woman who raised her. A fosterling, she knows better than to share her secrets, and she has choices to make for her uncertain future, but the TA in her history class challenges and fills her with wary interest every time they meet.…

Nature made him a leader.…

Cade Hayes has a mission, and the last thing he expected to find on the tiny college campus was a mongrel—shifters of dubious parentage and mixed blood. But the mountain lion can’t deny the provocative nature of her scent or the allure to stalk her and make her his. He should drive her away; her presence threatens his claim for territory and his pride needs land, but he rapidly discovers he hungers to take this mongrel for a mate.…

In a fight to survive…will a mountain lion tame a liger?

My review:

This is the first in a new series by Decadent Publishing.  Like its 1 Night Stand series it will be written by different authors and each will be stand alone with some common elements.  I was lucky enough to get an early copy of the first book Mischief, Mongrels and Mayhem (ROAR #1) by one of my favorite authors Heather Long. 

First off I have to say I loved the name of our heroine liger shifter Mischief Jones.  Missy is strong, smart and has earned the right to be comfortable in her own skin even if she is only 19.  She is attending college a place for learning and new experiences and boy howdy when the new TA in her history class shows up she is in for a whole new type of education.

I enjoyed this story a lot.  I think it probably suffered a little by size limitations imposed by the Decadent format a problem I had with the 1NS series as well.  But with my love of shifters and the quality of the authors participating in this series - Sorority Wolf by Rebecca Royce (ROAR #2), Phoenix Rising by Cara Carnes (ROAR #3), Imperfect Mate by Lia Davis (ROAR #4), Shifted Plans by Brandy Walker (ROAR #5), A Woman’s Roar by Virginia Cavanaugh (ROAR #6) I think I will be checking out these and future titles.

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Decadent Publishing

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The Nothingness of Ben by Brad Boney

Blurb:

Ben Walsh is well on his way to becoming one of Manhattan’s top litigators, with a gorgeous boyfriend and friends on the A-list. His life is perfect until he gets a phone call that brings it all crashing down: a car accident takes his parents, and now he must return to Austin to raise three teenage brothers he barely knows.

During the funeral, Ben meets Travis Atwood, the redneck neighbor with a huge heart. Their relationship initially runs hot and cold, from contentious to flirtatious, but when the weight of responsibility starts wearing on Ben, he turns to Travis, and the pressure shapes their friendship into something that feels a lot like love. Ben thinks he’s found a way to have his old life, his new life, and Travis too, but love isn’t always easy. Will he learn to recognize that sometimes the worst thing imaginable can lead him to the place he was meant to be?

My review:

Because sometimes, and this is really important, the worst possible thing imaginable leads you to the place you were meant to be all along. Even in the most dire of times, life gives you a reason to give thanks.” 
― Brad Boney, The Nothingness of Ben

A friend gave me this m/m and said you have to read this.  So I did.  Thanks Betty.  The Nothingness of Ben by Brad Boney is sweet, heart wrenching, often humorous and has some kinky hot sex.  And while it took me a bit to warm up to the main character Ben Walsh his brothers and Travis kept me reading so that by the end I could honestly say that I fell for Ben and finally saw in him what Travis and the boys did.

Buy links:

Amazon

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ARe

  

Wanted: Wild Thing (Midnight Liaisons #4) by Jessica Sims

Blurb:

The final book in a romance series set in a “fun, sexy world” (USA TODAY), where paranormals seek love through a dating service called Midnight Liaisons.

Ryder is hiding a dark secret from her coworkers at Midnight Liaisons. Every time she’s sexually attracted to a man, her dragon side breaks through. Not exactly man-bait! But she needs to lose her virginity before her twenty-fifth birthday, or she’ll become a dragon forever.

Her solution? Big, hunky Hugh, the appointed guardian of her chastity. He’s clearly hot for her, but he has powerful reasons to resist Ryder. Can temptation—and love—possibly find a way?

My review:

Though this is the 4^th and final novel (there a a couple of novella’s too) in this series they can each be read stand alone. 

In Wanted: Wild Thing we finally get the answer to what kind of shifter Ryder is.  Ryder is the flirty, sweet, quirky supposed human who works for Midnight Liaisons a dating service for the local paranormal population.  She helps others find their mates but she has yet to find hers.  She has a problem in that whenever she touches a guy she is sexually attracted to her shifter side comes to the fore.  She has no love for her shifter side.  She thinks it is ugly and will frighten off anyone who might come to love her.  When she meets Hugh she has reason not to like him but he may be fierce enough to handle her shifter side but at what cost.

I really got a kick out of this series and am saddened that it is ending.  This is a check your brain at the door and enjoy the escape type series.  This book was a bit more serious than the others but in the end just as enjoyable.

Buy links:

Amazon

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Bite Me, I'm Yours (Bitten by Love, #2) by Stacy McKitrick

Blurb:

Sarah's known monsters...and John isn't one. Sarah's life isn't going well. She's divorced from an abusive jerk, been drugged, stuffed in her trunk and nearly kidnapped. Between that and a harsh winter, it's almost more than a girl can take. She's rightly distrusting of any man's affection, so an ice-skating date with John - who doesn't seem to feel the cold - isn't exactly on her bucket list. Yet something about him captures her attention.

John is determined to live as an ordinary mortal. He's moved into the city, bought a sports bar and works there as the bartender. As a new vampire, he's never considered dating, until he meets Sarah. Prudence dictates he stay away from her, but everything about her calls to him...right down to her cute animal socks.

Sure, finding out John is a vampire is scary, but Sarah's learned not all monsters have fangs. Besides, someone else isn't too happy about their budding relationship. Sarah will have to survive before getting her chance at love.

My review:

This sexy, fun vampire romance takes place in the same world as My Sunny Vampire (Bitten by Love, #1) but can be read standalone. In Bite Me, I'm Yours we meet John, a vampire who was changed against his will in the 1950’s and Sarah an accountant who has recently escaped an abusive marriage.  When they meet the attraction is instantaneous and fierce.  This book has its good moments and then there are the moments when I felt like the author was spoofing Twilight. Making fun of the age difference, watching her sleep, the push me pull you at the start of the relationship but all in all the supporting cast and the hea made it worth the read. 

 

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Buy links:

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Getting Dirty (Sapphire Falls #3) by Erin Nicholas

Blurb:

Sapphire Falls, Book 3

Travis Bennett is exactly the kind of guy Lauren Davis has been avoiding for the past nine years. Religiously. Stubbornly. Successfully. She knows too well how easy it is to let lust ruin perfectly laid plans. And a small town farmer with no ambitions beyond the borders of his own cornfield is not going to change her mind. She’s got important stuff to do. Her company is literally working to stop world hunger. Her plans are much bigger than Sapphire Falls. No matter how hot those farmers might be.

The problem is—Lauren is falling in love. With Sapphire Falls. To kick her sudden desire to buy a welcome mat and start baking pies, she asks Travis to help her get over her crush. She wants him to show her what life in the small town is really like behind all the sweetness and sunshine and remind her that there’s no place for French manicures and Gucci heels on the farm.

Travis has everything he wants or needs—a quiet, simple life in his hometown, a successful farm and his friends and family all around. A hoity-toity city chick who looks down on everything from the local coffee to his favorite music is the last girl he wants sticking around. So he agrees to her crazy plan. He can definitely show her the less-than-glitzy, rough-around-the-edges side of Sapphire Falls. In fact, things just might get downright dirty.

My review:

Erin Nicholas has earned a spot as one of my favorite authors of small town romance.  In Getting Dirty (Sapphire Falls #3) she tackles the issue of small town v big city.  We met Lauren Davis in the previous two books (which you don’t have to have read to get this book but you will enjoy  it much more if you do) Getting Out of Hand (Sapphire Falls #1)  and Getting Worked Up (Sapphire Falls #2).  Lauren is a character.  She is super smart, urbane, witty and sexy as heck.  I love that Erin Nicholas has made smart so sexy in these books.  But there is another kind of smart and Travis Bennett is heart smart.  He gets people and is kind, giving and kind of a stud to top it off.  I’d like to say I read this in one sitting and would have if real life hadn’t dragged me away but you can always go home to Sapphire Falls.

Buy Links:

Amazon

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My Sunny Vampire (Bitten by Love, #1) by Stacy McKitrick

Blurb:

After centuries alone in darkness, how far will a vampire go for Sunshine? Jack VanAllen has spent his long life following the rules and, as a member of the Vampire Committee, he also enforces them. So, when he awakens in an alley next to an illegally-turned vampire who resembles his late wife, he must prove his innocence or suffer the punishment: death. The problem? He doesn't remember a thing. Sunshine Petersen's life as a vampire isn't getting off to a great start. She's got no control over her powers, can't find a job, and sexy Jack is being stand-offish. The only thing she'd like more than catching the creep who turned her is getting Jack into the closest bed. But, could Jack be the one who turned her? When he and Sunny team up to find the culprit, Jack discovers feelings he hasn't had in years. But once Sunny finds out he's keeping a major secret, she disappears. Unfortunately, the man who turned her still has plans... CONTENT WARNING: Some graphic violence, sensual sex scenes, and a vampire who's finally found his 'sun'.

My review:

A vampire named Sunny is kind of like a werewolf named Kitty.  My Sunny Vampire by “new to me author” Stacy McKitrick is a fun romantic mystery with bite.  Someone has turned Sunshine Petersen into a vampire.  Was it vampire Councilman Jack?  Sunny is a dead ringer for his dead wife and he can’t remember what happened that night.  Was it Jacks friend Frank?  He appears to have a drinking problem.  Or could it be someone else?  Join Jack, Frank, Sunny and her friend Carrie as they try to find out who turned Sunny and maybe fall in love along the way.

Buy links:

Amazon

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ARe

Finding Home by Tilly Greene

Blurb:

What happens when communication breaks down between the home front and the battlefield?

Warrant Officer Dale Smythe has been a Marine since he was eighteen and loves it. His job is a challenge, physically and mentally, and requires him to be at the top of his game at all times. He decides to make changes in his personal life and finally find a woman he doesn't want to leave. Once he finds her, the question becomes: will he be able to handle it when he must leave for war?

War is tough, for everyone involved, but there are also many very rewarding aspects—like the reunion.

My review:

Marine Warrant Officer Dale Smythe has been the love ‘em and leave ‘em type since joining the Corps.  He has seen the failure of the relationships around him as being with a military guy who is married to the Corps is really hard.  But Dale is recently back from his latest tour in Afghanistan and is ready for a change.  Tasha  Ruskya is a smart, independent, sexually liberated woman who can handle anything and may just be the change Dale needs.  But can she handle being with an active Marine?

I always expect an erotic romp when I pick up a Tilly Greene book and this is no exception but for some reason I am always surprised by the sweetness she packs into every story.  This is erotic romance at its best.   Maybe it is just that I have a thing for military guys but I adored this book.

Buy links:

Amazon

B&N

ARe