Review: CRISS CROSS & BODY AND SOUL by @jordancprice #PsychicsRock #AmReading

The PsyCop series by Jordan Castillo Price is quickly becoming some of my favorite books. I just finished books 2 & 3, so thought I’d review them together. Here goes!

  

Criss Cross

Criss Cross finds the ghosts surrounding Victor getting awfully pushy. The medications that Victor usually takes to control his abilities are threatening to destroy his liver, and his new meds aren't any more effective than sugar pills.

Vic is also adjusting to a new PsyCop partner, a mild-mannered guy named Roger with all the personality of white bread. At least he's willing to spring for the Starbucks.

Jacob's ex-boyfriend, Crash, is an empathic healer who might be able to help Victor pull his powers into balance, but he seems more interested in getting into Victor’s pants than in providing any actual assistance.

The thing I like about this series is how unique it is. The writing is witty and inventive. I just love the world that the author has built. Victor is an unlikely hero. He is a mess, literally and figuratively, and he has a bit of a drug problem. Sometimes I have a hard time picturing him doing any actual police work. But somehow it works!

Jacob, on the other hand, is the very definition of Hero with a capital “H”. I don’t know why, but I was suspicious of him in the first book. He is just too perfect, too much of a police department Golden Boy. My opinion of Jacob has changed a lot through this book. I don’t know what I read in the first book that raised a red flag with me, but it’s gone now. Jacob can’t help it if he is a good guy. Victor desperately needs someone to love him like Jacob does. And he obviously has good taste in men, because I loved Crash as much as I love Victor. (Please tell me Crash gets his own story.)

The plot of this story is fast-paced. The ghosts around Victor are creepy and obnoxious. The humor is smart. What’s not to love?

Body and Soul

Thanksgiving can't end too soon for Victor Bayne, who's finding Jacob's family hard to swallow. Luckily, he's called back to work to track down a high-profile missing person.

Meanwhile, Jacob tries to find a home they can move into that's not infested--with either cockroaches, or ghosts. As if the house-hunting isn't stressful enough, Vic's new partner Bob Zigler doesn't seem to think he can do anything right. A deceased junkie with a bone to pick leads Vic and Zig on a wild chase that ends in a basement full of horrors.

The opening scene with Victor in small-town Wisconsin having Thanksgiving dinner was hilarious! And creepy. And hilariously creepy. 

So now Victor is trying to function without his spirit-suppressing drugs, but the constant chatter from noisy ghosts might just make him go insane. I feel for Victor, because like a lot of people, he can’t seem to find a balance between using and abusing prescription medication. For years he has over medicated as a way to cope. Now he is trying to cut the meds out cold-turkey. Poor Victor.

The cool thing about this book is we get to see Victor act a little more like a police officer. He carries a gun and everything. Not that he didn’t in prior books, but it felt more like a prop before. He also can’t use Lisa’s si-no as a crutch anymore either. This leaves good old-fashioned police work to solve a missing persons case with a gruesome ending.

Speaking of endings, Body and Soul ends with the most romantic scene yet. Beautiful!

  

Plot - 5 bookmarks

Character development - 5 bookmarks (Packs a lot into novella length books.)

Love/Sex - 5 bookmarks (Getting more romantic as the books go on.)

Humor - 5 bookmarks (These books actually make me laugh. Not an easy feat.)

Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Matthew Gray Gubler (Victor), Channing Tatum (Jacob), Michelle Rodriguez (Lisa), Cherry Jones (Carolyn), Boyd Holbrook (Crash)

Review: STRAIGHT SHOOTER by @HeidiBelleau #AmReading

This macho jock has a crooked little secret.

College hockey player Austin Puett is in trouble. Unless he starts treating his flamboyantly gay roommate with respect, he’ll lose his room and his job at Rear Entrance Video. But Austin’s got a not-so-straight secret of his own: nothing turns him on more than insults implying he’s gay—even though he’s definitely not!—and all his old coping methods have stopped working.

Pure desperation drives him to rent a Mischievous Pictures porn flick about straight men tricked into servicing Puck, a male dominant. Instead of letting off steam, though, it just leaves him craving more, more, more, and suddenly, Austin finds himself at Mischievous Pictures Studios for an audition. After all, you can be Gay For Pay and still be straight . . . right?

But meeting Liam Williams, the real person behind Puck, confuses Austin even more. Liam really seems to like him as a person, and Austin likes him back. And while Gay For Pay’s okay, what does it make Austin if he still wants Liam when the cameras aren’t rolling?

I generally don’t like to read a series out of order, but something about this one interested me, so I broke my rule. Sounds like each book can stand on its own, so I think I caught on okay. of course now I have to go back and read the first two. :)

I have to be honest; I didn’t like the character of Austin at first. He comes across as a homophobe, and I can’t stomach too much of that. But I’m glad I stuck with him, because seeing him overcome his inner struggles was worth it. On top of roommate problems, work problems and problems on his college hockey team, Austin has a fetish that he lives in fear of anyone discovering. No wonder he comes across as an ass at first. Over the course of the novel, Austin comes to terms with all of these things, but I love how the author chose to do it.

A lot of books spend 90% of the book with the character whining, and then there is a quick, tidy wrap up in the last two chapters. Not so here. Belleau let Austin work his issues out in a way that felt natural. Things between him and Liam aren’t perfect, but somehow it works for them.

Speaking of Liam...I found his character fascinating. His porn personality, Puck, is a bit of a dominant asshole, and while Liam brings the dominance home with him, he is also this regular guy. I’m so happy that Austin was able to separate those two sides of him out. No one can have a relationship with a porn star unless they are 100% accepting of their work life. I kept waiting for Austin to pull some whiny crap about making Liam quit his business, but that never happened. If it had, the book could have easily gone cliché. Nice choice, Belleau!

I also loved the theme of this story. Humans are complex creatures, and we don’t always fit into cozy categories and definitions. Much of Austin’s problem revolves around him tormenting himself over whether he is gay or straight. The answer is neither. Once he accepts that, he golden. Loved it!

Overall, I give Straight Shooter...

Plot - 4 bookmarks

Character Development - 5 bookmarks

Moral Lesson - 5 bookmarks

Love Story - 5 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - A younger Don Diamont (Liam), Michael Graziadei (Austin)

Review: AMONG THE LIVING by Jordan Castillo Price ‏@jordancprice #AmReading

Victor Bayne, the psychic half a PsyCop team, is a gay medium who’s more concerned with flying under the radar than in making waves.

He hooks up with handsome Jacob Marks, a non-psychic (or “Stiff”) from an adjacent precinct at his ex-partner’s retirement party and it seems like his dubious luck has taken a turn for the better. But then a serial killer surfaces who can change his appearance to match any witness’ idea of the world’s hottest guy.

Solving murders is a snap when you can ask the victims whodunit, but this killer’s not leaving any spirits behind.

Because my series revolves around psychics, I tend to avoid books about them. I just don’t want to be influenced by other authors. But when I read the premise of the Psy Cop series, I figured it was different enough to avoid those kinds of pitfalls.

AMONG THE LIVING is only novella length, but it packs a lot of punch. We get creepy horror, humor, well-developed characters, some fun sexy-times...everything I like in a book. I love the world this story is set in. The pairing of psychic and stiff investigators is a really cool concept. It’s interesting how the two types of people bring different talents to the table while solving crimes. The psychic investigators also vary in their talents, leading to some interesting plot possibilities. I found it interesting that even thought psychics are utilized in such an important way in this society, they are still feared and discriminated against. I see so many exciting possibilities for where the author can take these characters.

Short review for a short book, but I already purchased the second book, and I can’t wait to continue!

Overall, I give AMONG THE LIVING...

Plot - 5 bookmarks

Character development - 5 bookmarks (considering this is only 90 pages, there is a lot of depth to Victor)

Love/Sex - 4 1/2 bookmarks (the only reason I downgraded it from five is because I’m not fully connected to Jacob yet)

Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Matthew Gray Gubler (Victor), Channing Tatum (Jacob), Michelle Rodriguez (Lisa), Cherry Jones (Carolyn)

Book recommendations for the reader on your list! #AmReading #Christmas

As many of you know, I read a lot. A LOT! Last time I counted, I finish about 250 books per year. That makes me somewhat of an expert when it comes to recommending books to people, especially this time of year when people are looking for gift ideas. So, I thought I would write some gift book ideas for you to help you on your shopping. 

For readers who liked The Hunger Games, I recommend Veronica Roth's Divergent Series. Within an action-packed dystopian world, it explores what it means to be human. It would also give the reader a chance to check out the book before the movie is released in 2014. 

For readers who like Twilight, AND for those who didn't like Twilight, I recommend Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy Series. This is how a young adult vampire series should be done. No dippy heroines, over-protective boyfriends and lots of kick-ass action. Not to mention, it has one of my favorite romances of all time. The first movie also comes out on Valentines Day, so your reader can get a head start.

For readers who liked the Anita Blake Series, I recommend Shannon Mayer's Rylee Adamson Series. Filled with action, supernatural creatures and humor, without going all "porny" like Anita Blake did. The first book is Priceless, but there are a total of five books out so far if you wanted to make your own boxed set.

                   

For readers who liked Fifty Shades of Gray, I recommend Sylvia Day’s Crossfire Series: Bared To You, Reflected In You and Entwined With You. The first three books are now available in a boxed set. 

Or check out Christina Lauren's Beautiful Series. The first book is Beautiful Bastard. 

For readers who like erotic fiction, but found Fifty Shades of Gray to be ridiculous, I recommend Tiffany Reisz’s Original Sinners Series: The Siren, The Angel, The Prince and The Mistress. This is one of my favorite series ever!!! It is erotic literary fiction, and the characters are amazing.

For those who liked Beautiful Disaster, I recommend Easy by Tammara Webber.

Or try M. Leighton's Bad Boys Series: Down To You, Up to Me and Everything For Us.

For readers who liked On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves, I recommend Surviving Raine by Shay Savage. This is how a tortured, brooding man should be written. I officially have a new book-boyfriend in Bastian Stark. 

For readers who like alpha males, lots of action and are open to M/M romance, you have to look at the Cut and Run Series by Madeline Urban and Abilgail Roux. This is another of my all-time favorite series. The characters are beautifully flawed, hilariously written and sexy as hell. There are more books than this, but here are the first four:

 

For readers who think vampires should be sociopaths, not romantic heroes, I recommend a little known book called Scent and Shadow by Mercy Loomis. Horror readers will absolutely love this book! And the writing is brilliant. 

I hope these recommendations help. If you need more, I read many genres, and I'm happy to help you come up with something for the reader on your list. Leave a comment, or hit me up on Twitter - @Jesilea.  

And of course, my books are also available to the young adult, paranormal loved on your list.  #ShamelessSelfPromotion.  

Happy Holidays!!!!

Review: BAD IDEA by @DamonSuede. 5 Stars #AmReading #LGBTRomance

Some mistakes are worth making.

Reclusive comic book artist Trip Spector spends his life doodling super-square, straitlaced superheroes, hiding from his fans, and crushing on his unattainable boss until he meets the dork of his dreams. Silas Goolsby is a rowdy FX makeup creator with a loveless love life and a secret streak of geek who yearns for unlikely rescues and a truly creative partnership.

Against their better judgment, they fall victim to chemistry, and what starts as infatuation quickly grows tender and terrifying. With Silas’s help, Trip gambles his heart and his art on a rotten plan: sketching out Scratch, a “very graphic novel” that will either make his name or wreck his career. But even a smash can't save their world if Trip retreats into his mild-mannered rut, leaving Silas to grapple with betrayal and emotions he can't escape.

What will it take for this dynamic duo to discover that heroes never play it safe?

Damon Suade has done it for me again! Proving that romance transcends stereotypes, Bad Idea has completely charmed me.  This book isn’t just a gay romance - it is a book about the human needs of love and acceptance.  As a straight, married woman from the mid-west, I might not be who Suade and his publishers would envision as their target market, but I’m telling you, Suade’s books are now on my “automatic buy” list.

Like Suade’s previous novel, Hot Head, the dialog in Bad Idea is witty, and the prose quietly genius. I never use the highlight function on my Kindle, but I had to break it out for this novel. Little pearls of wisdom abound:

“Sometimes an artistic career felt like climbing a glass mountain wearing nothing but bacon fat.”

“S’important to have old friends...They remember who you were before you made yourself up.”

“Never make a permanent mistake to solve a temporary problem.”

These are characters I’ve never met, but somehow, always wanted to know.  Trip and Silas are both men trying to find their place in the world in their own ways.  On the surface, they couldn’t be more different - Trip is quiet and anxiety-ridden; Silas has a charm that is larger than life.  The two bond over the geekdom of comics.  What is better than a sexy nerd?  TWO!!!  But the relationship is not perfect.  Both men stumble and fumble their way toward each other, making plenty of mistakes along the way.  But the issues between them are not trite and contrived as I find in so many other books; rather Trip and Silas come across as real people, as if they didn’t have an author orchestrating their actions and peering over their shoulders. As an author myself, I know how incredibly hard that is to do.  

I can’t review this book without commenting on the erotic scenes.  The sex in this book is just the right combination of realism and romance - hot, steamy and tender with just a touch of comic relief mixed in for fun.  While I have no problem with M/M sex, there are readers out there who do. If you happen to be one of these people, do everyone a favor and don’t read the book.  But for readers who are more open to that sort of thing, you will find the eroticism heart-racing.

At 136,000 words, Bad Idea is a fairly long novel, but the depth of the story keeps the plot moving.  Aside from the main romantic plot, there are many other conflicts at work.  Trip battles endlessly between creating art for commercial purposes and creating art that he loves.  Complicating matters is his boss and “Unboyfriend”, Cliff, who treats Trip like his personal branded, cash-cow, and who cuts Trip off at the knees every time he strays from his planned route. Artists of all types can relate to the battle of “selling out” to make a living and doing what you love. I love reading about other authors’ creative processes , so Trip creating his new graphic novel character Scratch was really fun.  (And I’m thrilled to see on Damon Suade’s website that Scratch will be coming to life in his own novella in 2014.)

I could go on and on about how much I loved this book, but this review is getting long. Check it out for yourself. Bad Idea is actually a truly brilliant idea.

Overall, I give Bad Idea...

Character development - 5 bookmarks (Even the supporting characters are fabulous!)

Love story - 5 bookmarks

Geek references - 5 bookmarks

Sex scenes - 5 bookmarks (HAWT!!!!)

Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Kellan Lutz (Silas), Max Irons (Trip), Ryan Reynolds (Cliff), David Tennant (Kurt)

**** Bad Idea releases for sale 

on October 22, 2013. ****

Review: ‘Taking a Shot’ by Jaci Burton

The last thing Jenna Riley needs is more sports in her life. While her brothers are off being athletic superstars, she's stuck running the family's sports bar, whether she likes it or not. Then in walks pro hockey stud Tyler Anderson. As much as Jenna would like to go to the boards with him, she's vowed to never fall for a jock-even one as hot as Ty.

Ty, intrigued by the beautiful bar owner, becomes a regular. He senses that Jenna wants to do something more with her life. And as he gains her trust, the passion between them grows, as does Ty's insistence that Jenna should start living for herself. With his encouragement, Jenna starts to believe it, too...

But first, Jenna has to figure out what she wants, what she needs, who she loves, and if she has the passion and pride to take a shot at having it all-including Ty...

(Amazon product description)

I buy Jaci Burton’s books on the lickable covers alone.  It’s a bonus when her stories are good.  :) 

Taking a Shot is the third book in her Play-by-Play series, which revolves around the Riley family and their uber-jock family and friends. 

I totally related to Jenna in her desire to not date a jock.  I never was much of a sports fan (that has changed a bit with age), and it was one of my criteria when looking for potential boyfriends also.  And like her, I ended up breaking this rule when I found the Mr. Right.  However, I was disappointed in Jenna as a character.  I thought she would be this tough chick who could challenge Ty.  Instead, I found her to be a bit of a weenie.  These two sides of her character did not balance well.  She gets one small rejection in her youth and it completely holds her back from pursuing her dreams?  Oh, come on.  Maybe I’m callous because I’m a writer and we have to wade in rejection daily, but this did not seem like an adequate stumbling block for the character to have to overcome.  I know the author could have come up with something deeper and more troubling. 

I had the same issue with the character of Tyler, even though I did like him better.  We are led to think there is some sort of really deep issue in his family history, but it just turned out that his mother is slightly bitter over her divorce and his dad has a really bad sense of humor.  I mean who isn’t embarrassed by their parents a little?  Aside from the boring back story, Tyler was more likable. 

I found the plot entertaining enough, and the character chemistry was strong.  While I think this is the weakest book in the series so far, I still think Jaci Burton is a great writer.  I will definitely be first in line for the next book Playing to Win which comes out in September. 

Overall, I give Taking a Shot...

Plot - 3 1/2 bookmarks

Character development - 2 1/2 bookmarks

Love story - 4 bookmarks (The chemistry was good.)

Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Chris Hemsworth (Tyler),  Ashley Greene (Jenna)

4 Star Review: ‘Fifty Shades Trilogy’ by E.L. James @e_l_james

When unworldly student Ana Steele first encountered the driven, damaged young entrepreneur Christian Grey, it sparked a sensual affair that changed both their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and ultimately repelled by Christian's singular sexual tastes, Ana demanded a deeper commitment; determined to keep her, Christian agreed. Now, together, they have more-love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of infinite possibilities. But Ana always knew that loving her Fifty Shades would not be easy and being together poses challenges neither of them ever anticipated. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian's opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own integrity, identity, or independence; Christian must somehow overcome his compulsion to control and lay to rest the horrors that blighted his past and haunt his present. Just when it seems that together their love can conquer any obstacle, tragedy, malice and fate combine to make Ana's worst nightmares come true.

(Amazon Product Description)

Okay, so if you are living under a rock and unfamiliar with this trilogy, I’ll give you a little background.  Fifty Shades of Grey started out as Twilight fan fiction--very naughty Twilight fan fiction.  As the author developed and revised, the characters became much more than Edward & Bella and the story became something completely different.  The result is that even though there are no vampires and a heck of a lot more “adult” behavior, the adult fans of Twilight are getting their knickers in a twist over these books.  :)

Okay, history lesson over. The truth is, when I heard that an indie published, BDSM erotic romance series scored a $5 million movie deal--I had to see what the fuss was about. 

You can see the echo of Edward & Bella in Christian & Ana, but C&A were much more developed and (for the most part) realistic.  Christian was the more interesting of the two by far.  His psychological issues were fascinating.  He could be ruthless and controlling one minute and completely vulnerable the next, but it was done is such a realistic and believable way.  Watching him grow and evolve throughout the three books was a joy. 

Ana was stronger and more likable than Bella, but I had a few issues with her character.  First, she starts off as a 21 year old virgin who is completely innocent and within a very short time, she is begging to be trussed up and spanked.  It was too radical of a shift, too quickly.  Secondly, Ana kept talking about her “inner goddess” and her “subconscious self” like separate personalities inside her.  Not only was in incredibly annoying, but each time the author mentioned these, it pulled out of the story. 

Another thing that was a little off was the dialog.  The author is British, so there was a tendency for some of the characters to use words or terms that didn’t fit people born and raised in the U.S.  The result was I kept reading them with British accents in my head.

But even these couple of issues didn’t ruin the story for me.  I really did enjoy reading these books.  There is action, danger, suspense, lots and lots of sex and a total escape into a fantasy world that we will never live in.  And in the end, isn’t that what reading is all about? 

Overall, I give the Fifty Shades Trilogy...

Plot - 3 1/2 bookmarks

Character development - 4 1/2 bookmarks (Absolutely loved Christian.  There is a scene in book two where he just slayed me!)

Love story - 4 bookmarks

Sex scenes - 4 bookmarks (For the most part, they added to the story)

Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - I don’t think it’s possible to read these books without picturing Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart as Christian and Ana.  I just saw the Cosmopolis movie trailer with Rob and his character is totally Christian.  I’d die a happy woman if they could cast him in the Fifty Shades movies.  Actually, all the characters were sort of echoes of who they were in Twilight, just older and more mature.  Anna Kendrick (Kate), Kellan Lutz (Elliot), Ashley Green (Mia), etc.

Review: 'Tangled Past' by Leah Braemel

Set in the old west, Tangled Past is a sensual love story with forbidden themes.  Jackson Kellar is a ranch hand and best friend of Texas landowner Nate Campbell.  What people don’t know is that the men are lovers as well…at least until Jackson is forced into marrying Sarah MacLeod.  Sarah is aware of her husband’s secret love for Nate, and rather than being disgusted by it, she is sad for having come between the two men.  As a half-breed, Sarah is also viewed as an outcast in their narrow-minded society.  As both men grow to love and admire Sarah, Nate presents a solution for all of them to have their happily-ever-after. 

I almost never read westerns, so I wasn’t sure I would like this one, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.  What intrigued me was the unconventional love story in this uber-conventional setting.  Homosexuality and multiple-partner relationships are ‘forbidden’ barely accepted in modern society, so I wanted to see how the author handled them in a staunchly conservative time period.  In general, I thought the love story worked well.  I really felt badly for Jackson and Nate.  They knew from the start that one day, they would be expected to marry and their time together would end.  The fact that Sarah was forced on them so quickly, leaving them no time to prepare, was heart breaking.  I also found Sarah’s acceptance of their relationship believable.  I think most women would be horrified to learn that their husband was in love with another man, but because of her unique upbringing, she was more tolerant than most.  When the story eventually evolved into a threesome, it made sense for the characters and worked. 

This is an erotic novel, there were plenty of steamy sex scenes.  Overall, I found that they added to the story and didn’t feel gratuitous.  Lately, the “virgin woman with an experienced man” thing in romance novels has been getting on my nerves, but in this story it made sense for the characters and time period, so I can’t complain. 

Overall, I give Tangled Past…

Plot –3 bookmarks (A bit predictable, but that’s okay.)

Character development–  4 bookmarks

Love story – 4 ½ bookmarks

Sex scenes – 4 bookmarks

Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Tinsel Korey (Sarah), Chaske Spencer (Jackson), Henry Cavil (Nate)

Review: 'Inside Out' by Lauren Dane

The third book in Lauren Dane’s Brown Siblings erotic romance series follows Ella Tipton, manager of Erin Brown’s café. In the years since leaving an abusive relationship, Ella has focused on standing on her own two feet without the help of others. She is finally in a place where she feels strong and independent, but is she ready for love?


Andrew “Cope” Copland is Erin’s brother-in-law and notorious ladies man. But his casual love life has given him a reputation that he is uncomfortable with. He knows that he is capable of love, especially if it is with a girl like Ella, but will she take a chance on him?



I love this series because the characters are fully developed and have distinct personalities. These are people that I want to be friends with. I feel invested in their stories. However, the similarities in the heroines—all have some horrible history of victimization that they have had to overcome—are starting to feel formulaic. I am all for overcoming adversity, but I would like to see some more variety here.


Inside Out is more character driven than the other books in this series, which I love, but some might feel there is a lack of action. If you are looking for a romantic and steamy read where you can fall in love alongside the characters, this book is for you!



Overall, I give Inside Out…


Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks
Character Development – 4 bookmarks
Love Story – 4 bookmarks
Sex Scenes – 4 bookmarks
Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Ellie Kemper (Ella), Ian Somerhalder (Cope)

Review: 'Inside Out' by Lauren Dane

The third book in Lauren Dane’s Brown Siblings erotic romance series follows Ella Tipton, manager of Erin Brown’s café.  In the years since leaving an abusive relationship, Ella has focused on standing on her own two feet without the help of others.  She is finally in a place where she feels strong and independent, but is she ready for love? 

Andrew “Cope” Copland is Erin’s brother-in-law and notorious ladies man.  But his casual love life has given him a reputation that he is uncomfortable with.   He knows that he is capable of love, especially if it is with a girl like Ella, but will she take a chance on him?

I love this series because the characters are fully developed and have distinct personalities.  These are people that I want to be friends with.  I feel invested in their stories.  However, the similarities in the heroines—all have some horrible history of victimization that they have had to overcome—are starting to feel formulaic.  I am all for overcoming adversity, but I would like to see some more variety here. 

Inside Out is more character driven than the other books in this series, which I love, but some might feel there is a lack of action.  If you are looking for a romantic and steamy read where you can fall in love alongside the characters, this book is for you!

Overall, I give Inside Out…

Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks

Character Development – 4 bookmarks

Love Story – 4 bookmarks

Sex Scenes – 4 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Ellie Kemper (Ella), Ian Somerhalder (Cope)

Author Spotlight: Lisa Fox

Joining me today in the spotlight is romance author, Lisa Fox!    

Thank you for joining us, Lisa! Personal blogs and websites almost seem like a requirement for authors these days; yet, they are time consuming to keep updated and don’t bring in any direct revenue.  How important do you feel a personal blog or website is, and how much time do you spend on these projects?  What are the benefits that you have seen?

I think personal blogs and websites are tremendously important. It lets your readers get to know you and hang out with you. It can be a bit time consuming and at this point, I dedicate one or two days a week to just writing up blog posts. I don’t mind the time though because I find it so very rewarding when people enjoy my posts and comment and have fun with some of the silly stuff I think and dig up on the Web. And the benefits are immeasurable. Exposure, connections, friendships, a loyal following… What more could an author ask for?

As readers of my book reviews know, I have a habit of casting real people, usually actors, in my mind as the characters when I read.  As you are writing, do you base your characters on real people? 

My heroes are always Hugh Jackman. Even when they are not Hugh Jackman, they are Hugh Jackman.

What types of books do you read?  Are there any genres or subject matters that you avoid?

I read mostly horror and ‘literally fiction’ actually.  Some of my very most absolute favorite authors are Stephen King, Joe Hill, Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami and John Irving.  I also have a tremendous love for the Beats, Hunter S. Thompson and Charles Bukowski. I don’t know that there is any subject matter I really avoid, though I’m not much of a biography/autobiography fan.

I’m always a sucker for a good love story.  Who is your favorite fictional couple of all time?

Wow, that’s a really difficult question. Hmmm, if I had to choose just one out of all the really great couples I’ve come across, I’d have to say Wesley and Buttercup.

What is the scariest book you’ve ever read?  Were you able to finish it?

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook.  I still get nightmares just thinking about.

Are you involved in any other projects aside from your novel writing? 

No, not at the moment, but I would like to be. Actually, one of my dreams is to write a video game. I think that would be AWESOME. But I have no idea how one goes about doing that. Maybe one day I’ll find out though.

Where can readers go to learn more about your work?

I can be conveniently found all over the internet. The easiest place for one-stop Lisa Fox shopping is my website: www.LisaFoxRomance.com. I’m also on Twitter and Facebook.

Tell us about your blog.  What kinds of things do you blog about?  Where can readers find it?

My blog is a wicked, naughty, happy place that usually feature all kinds of beautiful half-naked men. I also offer a free, weekly, paranormal soap opera for everyone’s reading pleasure called Moonlight and Merlot. The address is: http://lisafoxromance.wordpress.com/

Thanks so much for having me over Jesi! This interview was a total blast!!!

Review: HUNGER AROUSED by Dee Carney

Jasmine things she has the flu, but actually, somewhere along the way—probably at her nursing job in the hospital ER—she managed to become infected with vampirism.  Corin, is a vampire assassin.  He is charged by the Council to enforce the rules against unapproved turnings.  Typically this would mean monitoring the three day transition and then destroying the new vamp as well as the maker.  Unfortunately, Jasmine doesn’t have a maker to guide her through the painful transition.  Since Corin is not allowed to kill a human and must wait for her transition to be complete, he must assume the role of maker and help her.  (Of course one of the ways to ease the pain of transition just so happens to be sex, so you can tell how big of a hardship this is for him.)  Along the way, he finds his feelings for Jasmine grow.  Will he be able to kill her in the end?

I am a total vampire lover, but this book left me lukewarm.  I thought the concept was good, but the love story was unbelievable.  I get the whole “You complete me thing” since he’s a killer and she’s a healer, but that doesn’t seem like enough to build a relationship on.  I did enjoy Corin’s back story, about how he was tortured in the early years of his immortality.  In fact, I liked Corin as a character.  It was really Jasmine that I found lacking depth.  For an erotic novel, there was plenty of sex—I just like sex scenes to be backed up with a compelling love story. 

Overall I give HUNGER AROUSED…

Plot – 3 bookmarks

Character Development – 3 ½ bookmarks for Corin & 2 bookmarks for Jasmine

Love Story – 2 bookmarks

Sex Scenes – 3 ½ bookmarks

World Building – 3 bookmarks

Dream cast (Otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Rachael Weist (Jasmine), Manu Bennett (Corin)

Review: DANGEROUS LOVER by Lisa Marie Rice

When Jack was a homeless teen living in a shelter, he met Caroline, a rich girl who volunteered with the homeless and was not only beautiful, but kind to him.  She represented all of the good in the world and he because infatuated with her.  When his alcoholic father dies, he sets off on his own, eventually taken in by an Army colonel and adopted. 

Fast forward twelve years.  Jack has lived a dangerous life in some of the roughest corners of the world as a private security guard and executive in his adopted father’s company.  When his father passes away, Jack settles his unfinished business, sells the company and returns to the town where Caroline lives.  When he finds her, she is no longer wealthy.  Her life has been one tragedy after another.  Now, she is alone and in dire straights financially.  Over a Christmas where they are trapped in her home by a blizzard, they fall in love. 

Aside from the love story, there is another plot involving blood diamonds.  Part of Jack’s loose-ends that he needed to tie up involved him going to Africa, busting up a diamond smuggling ring and making off with $20 million in stones.  The nasty, jealous man that he lifted the stones from is out to hunt him down.

I guess this was an okay story.  It has lots of potential, I just think it never quite lived up to it.  This is an erotic romance, but the sex scenes were repetitive and uninspiring.  There was little dialogue which made the love story implausible.  The blood diamonds were interesting, but took a backseat to the romance storyline.  Caroline was boring as a character.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more personality.  Same with Jack.  He didn’t talk much and was too serious.  The ending of the story was very abrupt and left way too much open-ended.  This was an entertaining book, but don’t expect to get too much out of it.

Overall, I give Dangerous Lover…

Plot – 2 ½ bookmarks (Could have been more if the ending had been better.)

Character Development – 1 ½ bookmarks

Love Story – 2 bookmarks

Sex Scenes - 1 1/2 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Rachael McAdams (Caroline), Chaske Spencer (Jack/Ben), Aaron Eckhart (Sanders)

Review: COULTERS’ WIFE by Maya Banks

Coulters’ Wife is a novella length romance.  (Please note where the apostrophe is in that title.)  Holly is “married” to three brothers, Ethan, Adam and Ryan.  The four of them live in an isolated location in the mountains and when the story opens, Holly is very pregnant with their first child.  She is upset because she wants to have sex, but the brothers agreed no more sex until after the baby comes.  The plot basically revolves around Holly getting the brothers alone and seducing them one by one.  When Holly goes into labor early, the brothers must work together to deliver the baby on their own. 

This book was creepy on so many levels.  I don’t really have a problem with ménage relationships, but brothers???  That’s just icky.  Then, they live up on this mountain semi-isolated from people…this is how bad religious cults are formed, not sexy love stories.  Add into the mix that they are bringing a child into the world whose family tree will go in circles and the hair on my arms prickled.  Okay, I know I got this story free off of Amazon, but even that was too much to pay. 

Overall, I give Coulters’ Wife…

Plot – 1 bookmark

Characters – ½ bookmark

Love Story – Zero bookmarks (Major creep factor)

Sex Scenes – 1 bookmark (Uninspired)

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – I didn’t bother getting engaged enough to cast the roles. Just insert any random, toothless hillbillies and you will have it spot on.