Bonds of Desire (Wicked Play #3) by Lynda Aicher

Ménage m/m/f

Seth is a Dom and one of the owners of The Den a fetish club.  He has lusted for Lawyer Allison English ever since he saw her at The Den’s Mardi Gras party but she wasn't ready to give in to her fantasies then.  She comes back into his life when male escort Tyler is abused and hurt in the club.  Seth is bi and he lusts after Tyler also.  When taking care of Tyler they discover that there is a spark between the three of them that might just catch fire.

This is a terrific ménage tale.  The characters are real.  The issues they deal with are real.  Their fears and hopes are believable and you root for them right up till the end.  There is of course smoking hot sex mixed in with a riveting story if that is what you look for then this is the book for you.  This is the third in a series but can be read stand-alone.

I’d like to thank Carina Press and NetGalley for giving me an ARC to read and review.

This book goes on sale July 15th

Some Like It Spicy (A Perfect Recipe Novel) by Robbie Terman

Ashton Grey’s restaurant Sweet Home doesn’t have much time before it goes under unless Ashton can make a name for herself.  What better way than as a contestant on a reality cooking show.  What she doesn’t count on is Celebrity Chef and show judge Ty Cates heating things up in the kitchen and the Wreck room and the bedroom and the woods.  Can Ashton keep her head, win the contest, save her restaurant, and maybe fall in love?

Fans of reality shows will get a kick out of this sweet and funny story.  Ashton and Ty steam up the pages and the supporting cast is icing on the cake.  Fans of the Rising Star Chef Series by Louisa Edwards are sure to get a kick out of Some Like It Spicy.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be released on July 15th 

The Winning Season by Alison Packard

Baseball player Matt Scanlon has been on a tear.  The former MVP and good guy has been acting out all season and has just been traded to the SF Blaze the team he has always hated.  He just wants to put his problems behind him and start over.  Unfortunately one of the problems he has yet to put behind is the abysmal way he treated Blaze publicist Kelly Maxwell when they first met.  Kelly Has a job to do and butting heads with Matt isn't getting the job done.  If they can stop hating each other long enough they might actually fall in love.
We met Matt and Kelly in Love in the Afternoon.  Matt was hurting and taking it out on everyone.  Kelly has had problems with men in the past and is not as tough as she appears.  But when these two finally get together the healing begins.  Ms. Packard has a way of making you care about the characters and you want so very much to see them succeed.
I was thrilled to receive an ARC from the Carina Press and NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.

This book goes on sale July 15^th

Marine With Benefits (Always A Marine #16) by Heather Long

IR Military Romance

Derek and Keith were best friends their whole lives.  They did everything together including joining the Marines.  Keith made Derek promise to take care of his little sister Kara if anything should happen to him.  The worst has happened and Keith won’t ever be coming home.  Kara is all grown up and working at Mike’s Place.  She has always had a crush on Derek but he has consistently shot her down.  It is time to move on with her life so she signs up with Madame Eve’s 1NS service to get over Derek so she can do just that.  Little does she know that Derek has done the same thing for pretty much the same reasons and is in fact her date.  It is time to put up or shut up. Will Derek’s promise to Keith keep him from the one woman he has always wanted but couldn't have?

Another short sexy 1NS addition to the Always A Marine series.  Friends to lovers with a twist.  Ms. Long just keeps them coming.   This is well worth the read.  

I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for fair and honest review.

Dishing Up Desire by Barbara DeLeo

Sweet contemporary romance

Celebrity chef Kirin Hart needs an image makeover.  Her life has been in turmoil since her husband and ½ of the cooking team died and recently she was sued for sexual harassment by a younger male employee.  Image consultant Blake Matthews takes one look at her and knows that this may be his toughest challenge to date.  Change is hard but not changing could cost them everything.

Kirin Hart started out poor, married young and is a little naïve when it comes to the image machine of celebrity.  Blake Matthews is a former model who has been a part of the machine since his teens and has hardened his heart to protect it or the machine will suck it out of you.  I don’t think he was anymore prepared for Kirin than she was for him.  This book starts out a little slow but picks up speed and you are exhilarated by the end. 

Copy provided by the publisher for a fair and honest review.

Caught in the Moment (Freefall #1) by Brandy Walker

One moment in high school can change the course of your life.  Laurel hides behind the lens of her camera taking pictures for the yearbook.  It is the only way she can get close to football hottie and major crush Quinton Ferris.  When he embarrasses her in front of the cheerleaders and they put her through hell for the rest of her senior year Laurel uses that event to force herself to step out from behind the camera every once in a while and start living.  Now ten years later Laurel is a freelance photographer taking pictures for a book.  The location is at a local sky diving school run by none other than Quinton Ferris and his twin brothers.  Quinton hasn't forgotten the incident either and when he figures out that the cute photographer is the “Camera Girl” from high school he hopes that she will forgive him for being the jerk then and give him the opportunity to get to know the guy he is now.

This is a sweet second chance romance with just a touch of spice.  Everybody has that moment in high school that they’d love to forget.  I like that Laurel took a negative and turned it into a positive.  Laurel is sweet, a little naive, smart, talented and strong.  You have to love a character like her.  Quinton is strong, sexy and confident and not above admitting he was wrong.  In other words the perfect guy.  I look forward to reading more from this author. 

I received an advanced readers copy in return for a fair and honest review.

This book is scheduled to go on sale July 9^th

Stark Pleasure; the Space Magnate's Mistress (LodeStar, #1) by Cathryn Cade

Blurb: (Copied from Goodreads)

Can she survive the perils of the galaxy on her wits … or will she have to use her body?

Kiri te Nawa will do anything to escape the perilous streets of New Seattle, Earth II and find the treasure for which she searches the galaxy, even become the mistress of space magnate Logan Stark. But is he her savior, or simply the man who wants to own her sexually?

Just when she is ready to submit more than her body to this powerful, magnetic man, she's kidnapped and thrown into her worst nightmare. Will he search for her, or believe she's betrayed him with an old lover?

Set in the futuristic galaxy of The Orion Series.

My Review:

I became familiar with author Cathryn Cade through her Hawaiian Heroes series which I adore.  Where the Hawaiian Heroes series is sensual this series judging from this book looks to be much more erotic.  I haven’t (yet) read the Orion series but if it is anything like this book I need to check it out.  Ms. Cade writes great characters.  I LOVED Kiri.  She is a strong young woman who could have been beaten down by life’s misfortunes but instead has made it her goal to succeed.  Logan Stark has been where Kiri is and come out the other side and on top.  He has some redeeming qualities but every time I started to warm up to him he did something that made me want to punch him out.  I can’t wait to see what Ms. Cade has in store for us in the next installment.