Dark Storm (Dark #23) by Christine Feehan

You either love or hate this series.  I find I am enthralled by most everything this extraordinary author pumps out.  Dark Storm is no different.  It is despite its title not as dark as some of Ms. Feehan's more recent works.

Dax has been hunting Mitro for centuries.  As a hunter it was Dax’s job to kill Mitro the moment he turned.  When Mitro found his lifemate , Arabejila, Dax thought the danger of Mitro turning was mitigated.  But Mitro turned even on Arabejila who then sealed both Mitro and unfortunately Dax into a volcano in the Amazon to keep his violence and evil from the world.  Now these many years later both Mitro and Dax have evolved and Arabejila's seal is weakening unless her descendant Riley Parker can get there in time to restore it.

You know it is a good book if you wish to follow the couple into the next book.  I’d love to know what happens to Dax & Riley.  I hope we get to see more of Jubal & Gary too. 

Jane's Gift by Karen Erickson

Jane and her three young children survive a fire that takes the life of her husband.  Jane is burnt badly and it takes time for her to recover.  Two years later Jane and her children have returned to the small town she grew up in.  With her family close she is starting over. 

Christian Nelson is the new fire captain and local playboy in town.  He meets Jane and her children when she brings them to the station in hopes that it will help them get over their fear of fire.  He is instantly taken with the young widow but he doesn't believe in love and happily ever-afters.

Jane and Christian start dating and the chemistry grows.  Can she get over her fear of losing him to his job and can Christian get over his fear of love and commitment?  Maybe Santa can bring a Christmas miracle.

This was a sweet, sentimental, wonderful holiday story about two scarred people who need to give up fear in order to love.  I truly liked these characters and kept hoping for their HEA.

 I would like to thank Karen Erickson and Entangled Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this for an honest review.  The pleasure was all mine.

Cowgirl Up! by Carolyn Anderson Jones

This was an Amazon freebie I picked up because I was in the mood for a cowboy quickie.  Turns out this is a sweet romantic suspense story by new author Carolyn Anderson Jones.  I enjoyed everything about this story except the title.  I was expecting something completely different.   Blame it on Lorelei James.  What I did get was an interesting group of characters, a mystery and some sweet romance.  I encourage you to give this a try.  I will be looking for more by this author.

Samantha Kendrick is a large animal vet in a small town in Colorado.  Cheyenne Wells is a horse trainer for the biggest spread in the area.   Sam & Cheyenne have been fussin’ and feudin’ at each other since he pulled her ponytail in the first grade and she punched him back.  Now years later Sam has to help him find out who has been poisoning the horses in his care and try to figure out what to do with the attraction that has grown between them.  After all this time, whoda thunk. 

The Billionaire Bad Boys Club by Emma Holly

 OMG! Nobody does ménage like Emma Holly.  WARNING this book has sizzling hot m/m, m/f/m, m/m/f, and m/f sex and all of it will make you swoon. 

Trey is a brilliant young individual whose father beats him if he even looks like he is thinking about sex.  Being the smart young man he is he sure isn't going to share that he is bi-sexual.  Next door football hero Zane gets beat by his dad for because his mom ran away with the “mattress king” and Zane is there for him to take his frustrations out on.  Zane is also bi-sexual.  Trey and Zane discover each other sexually and help each other get through high school, college, and enter into business together.   Now successful billionaires the only constants in their live have been each other but there is one thing they can't give each other as they aren't female.  Enter Rebecca.  Sexy chef Rebecca has raised her twin brothers from the time they were seven and she a mere sixteen.  Now they are off in college and Rebecca is to start as chef at the BBC’s newest lounge/restaurant.  She has instant chemistry with Trey but he is her boss.  Then she meets Zane and oh boy is there chemistry there too.  But men leave and her job is too important to mess around so she puts him on the back burner too. 

Can the guys convince Rebecca there is more to life than work?  Will she come between Trey and Zane?  *** little spoiler here (yes, hard and often).

If you like a good story and fantastic sex scenes get this book!  

Suddenly Sexy, Sinfully Sexy, & Simply Sexy by Linda Francis Lee

The women of KTEX Julia Boudreaux station owner and her two best friends Kate Bloom, Anchorwoman and Chloe Sinclair, station manager.  El Paso Texas will never be the same.

Suddenly Sexy (Sexy #1) – Kate Bloom has had a crush on Jesse Chapman bad-boy golfer since she was 3.  Now he is back in town and living in her guest cottage.  Jesse has issues and just came back to town to get his golf game straight.  He doesn't need the distraction of sweet Katie Bloom.  But could she be the answer to his issues?

Sinfully Sexy (Sexy #2) – Chloe Sinclair has been told repeatedly that she is lucky to be plain and smart and she believes it to be true but she would love just once to be seen as sexy when she has to attend a benefit dinner in Julia’s stead she gets dressed to the nines and doesn't look or act like herself when she literally runs into a hunky stranger.  Sterling Prescott is everything Chloe despises or is he?

Simply Sexy (Sexy #3) – Can bad-girl Julia Boudreaux turn her life around and start over?  Why oh why is she drawn to those bad boys and how is she to be good when the baddest bad boy of them all Ben Prescott is staying in her guestroom?

Going in I thought this was just going to be a light fluffy romantic escape.  Which isn't a bad thing.  But while these are fun, sexy, romantic reads there is an underlying theme that deals with our self-image and how it is molded by our parents and out past.  This phenomenon is not just restricted to women.  I enjoyed these books. 

Not Just the Greek's Wife by Lucy Monroe

A sweet tale of second chances.  Greek Tycoon Ariston Spiridakou married Chloe 5 years ago in an arranged marriage to provide an heir.  Chloe falls in love with Ariston but comes to realize he doesn’t believe in love.  Through a series of misunderstandings she walks out after 3 years and he still has no heir.  Now its 2 years later and Chloe’s family once again needs Ariston’s help to save the company and Chloe is asked to intercede on their behalf.  Seeing Ariston again is harder and easier than she thought it would be.  Ariston agrees to help on the condition that Chloe fulfill her part of the original deal and provide him with a child.

I really didn’t want to like Ariston.  But as he wins over Chloe so too did he win me over.  

Twelve Kisses Later by Sandra Sookoo

Lucy Duckworth has been co-opted into working the Kissing Booth at the Winter Carnival as her roomie who was scheduled to do it has the flu.  Matthew Kincaid survivor of a bad marriage wants nothing more than to just work his farm.  His brother cons him into going to the kissing booth where he meets Lucy.  Kismet.  She isn’t looking for a man and he sure isn’t looking for a woman but the magic is there.  Matthew Kincaid’s Grandma told him that a guy could find the right girl in 12 kisses.  Maybe Grandma does know best.

This is a really sweet romance.  I’m more familiar with Sandra Sookoo’s spicier works but this was a fun read.