REVIEW: The Memory of Your Kiss by Wilma Counts

Young, innocent and eager to please the father whose health is failing, Sydney Isabella Waverly must marry the man her father has chosen for her in order to save her from the difficulties life will have waiting for her and her siblings once her father has passed on. Before the wedding, her father sends her away for a short time to enjoy her last days as a single young lady, and the inevitable happens. Sydney meets injured war hero, Captain Zachary Quentin and the attraction they feel for one another is detrimental to seeing Sydney fulfill her father's wishes.

Sydney loses her heart to Zachary, but her honor has her marrying the man she was set to. Hopeful that her marriage would settle into peaceful accord, Sydney is faced however with the despair of finding out her husband is not the faithful man she married, but one who was in love with another and who settled for life with Sydney where he couldn't have his love.

Zachary leaves the country and also tries to move on, even when his thoughts are constantly on Sydney and what they could have had.  When tragedy happens and Zachary returns to England with a child in tow, he finds Sydney in a precarious situation. Now he must deal with Sydney and her son on a daily basis while trying to protect his ward's inheritance from a family member who would do away with them all.  

Both Zachary and Sydney still have those deep feelings for one another, no matter how much time attempted to hide them. Coming to a peaceful accord and the building of a lost relationship is the struggle of The Memory of Your Kiss by Wilma Counts. While this historical romance had an intruiging story and a sweet read, I never really felt the connection between the characters I would like to have. That being said, it still was an enjoyable read and I will read more from author Wilma Counts.

~KIMBERLY~

REVIEW: The Scoundrel's Lover (The Notorious Flynns #2) by Jess Michaels

Annabelle Flynn's family has never has the best of reputations and she yearns for respectability outwardly, but inwardly she craves to explore her sensuality. Annabelle has decided in order to gain that respectability, she needs a husband with a title, but a title will not necessarily mix with those budding desires that come to light when she meets the gaze of her older brother's friend, Marcus Rivers.

The handsome rogue, Marcus Rivers could give a fig about what society says about him. As part owner of the reputed gaming hell and realm of other pleasures, the Donneville Masquerage, Marcus earns a very good living from the vices of others. Insisting he does not want a permanent relationship with anyone, Marcus has had his eyes on Annabelle Flynn for years, but the very fact that she is an innocent and the sister of his boyhood friends makes him resist the temptation to act.

When Annabelle appears at the Masquerade in order to help her wayward brother, she see what she has been missing and her urges outweigh her want for that respectability. Against their better judgement, both Marcus and Annabelle enter into a arrangement of sorts that has Marcus schooling Annabelle is the art of passion. Once they both have had a taste of one another, keeping it impersonal beomes impossible and feelings erupt that will make or break each of them.

Annabelle's need for a proper existence may lead to a rather cold and lonely one once she has experienced the steamy side of desire and her inner struggle to come to terms with her decisions, make The Scoundrel's Lover by Jess Michaels one sizzling read. 

Author Jess Michaels has a way with words that embroil the reader into her world. Her characters are so perfectly contrived that one feels as if they know them intimately. Marcus Rivers is my ultimate in alpha heroes. His reputation preceeds him, but his inner feelings show the true man. Annabelle's need for the respect her family so easily wasted in the past clouds her true self and leads her down the wrong road to happiness. Respectability does not equal happiness and her her awakening to that realization is paramount in this tale.

This erotic historical romance is a must read. Jess Michaels doesn't push the envelope, she embraces it with the Notorious Flynns series and I thirst for the next story.

~KIMBERLY~ 

#REVIEW: Expressly Yours, Samantha (Cotillion Ball #7) by Becky Lower

When the last real family she has passes away, seventeen year old Samantha Hughes, must get away from an uncle who wants to do her harm. Samantha sees a wanted ad for Pony Express riders and decides to pose as a boy and seek employment with the Pony Express in order to survive. Samantha quickly becomes Sam by cutting her hair and dress as a boy to assist her in hiding herself until her eighteenth birthday, when she will be free from her uncle's clutches.

Sam arrives at the Pony Express offices, but misses her chance when all the positions are filled. There she meets Valerian Fitzpatrick, who instead of returning to the confines of his family in New York, joins the Pony Express as a rider. Val sees that Sam needs help and helps him get a job working with the Pony Express horses in the stables. Val also knows that Sam is hiding something, but won't push until Sam is ready to come clean about what or who he's running from,

An emergency arises and Sam gets his chance to be a Pony Express rider.  Caught in the line of fire,  Valerian comes to the rescue. Val discovers that Sam is actually Samantha and then a whole new set of complications arise when Val now has to protect Samantha's  identity as well as her person when Samantha's evil uncle comes to hunt her down. By this time both Samantha and Val are goners for their emotions. Samantha fell hard for Val and he isn't far behind her with those feelings. Keeping Samantha safe from her perverted uncle is paramount until she is of age, and Samantha will not have Val placed in danger until that time comes.

Samantha's uncle tracks her, but Val helps her escape, only to be separated from one another, when they yearn to be together. The journey to their reunion is one filled with excitement and danger, making Expressly Yours, Samantha by Becky Lower a highly recommended read. 

Although this is the seventh book in the Cotillion Ball series by author, Becky Lower, Expressly Yours, Samantha is easily read as a stand alone. Watching Valerian mature from impatient boy to caring man and Samantha from a desperate girl into a self-sufficient woman makes this tale all the more interesting along with the rich history and wild western struggles. This well written tale is a wonderful read and now that I've had a taste, I will be reading more from this talented author.

~KIMBERLY~

GUEST REVIEW: One Night with a Santini (The Santinis #8) by Melissa Schroeder

Brando Santini was nerdy in college. He wanted to be a teacher but joined the Marines instead. This trip to New Orleans was going to be time spent with his friends before heading east to take a job teaching ROTC at the University of Maryland. Not looking where he was going, he bangs into someone. Looking up to apologize, he realizes that he knows the person, Kaitlin Fitzpatrick.

Brando has had a crush on Kaitlin Fitzpatrick since college. Unfortunately, Kaitlin was engaged, so it was hands off. During a trip To New Orleans, Brando runs into Kaitlin who is attending a speech therapist conference. They get together for drinks. During the conversation over drinks, Brando finds out that Kaitlin never married. One thing leads to another after a few drinks and they end up in bed. Kaitlin thinks it is a one night stand, but Brando has other ideas. Kaitlin is the one for him. Once a Santini finds "the one", nothing will stop them from going after what they want.

Kaitlin realizes that she also has feelings for Brando. During their conversations, she asks Brando where he is going to be living in Maryland. He tells her that he doesn't have a place yet. Kaitlin offers him a place to stay, her place. nerves set in as Kaitlin awaits Brando's arrival. She is feeling sick, thinking she has probably caught what is going around. After a while, she realizes that she is not sick, but pregnant with Brando's baby. When Brando finds out, he tells Kaitlin that they are getting married, he doesn't ask her. Needless to say, this leads to many arguments.

Once again, Melissa Schroeder has out done herself with the Santini saga. I love this series. Both Kaitlin and Brando come from large, nosey and interfering families. The secondary characters along with the dialog between these characters provide the reader with some comedic relief as Kaitlin and Brando deal with the dynamics of living in large protective families. This is a story about love, loyalty, family and a sense of duty while finding your happily ever after. I highly recommend this story and look forward to the next Santini finding "the one"

~JANET RODMAN~ 

SLICK'S GUEST REVIEW OF ~UNRAVELED (MASTERED #3) BY LORELEI JAMES

The minute Shiori "She-Cat" Hirano appeared in Bound I was drawn to her character and so I was thrilled to find out that Unraveled would be her and Knox Lofgren's story.  I knew it would be different, I knew it would be unlike anything she's ever written, and I knew I was in for a treat and author Lorelei James did not disappoint.  I loved this story about two people who needed each other in ways neither one had ever admitted or put words to but somehow through trial and error found the strength to follow their passion and listen to their hearts and in turn accept each other faults, baggage, and craziness to find the love and happiness they both so richly deserved. 

The fact that never once during this book despite what the characters were telling each other, despite their issues, despite some serious missteps by both character did I never doubt they would wind up together is a testament to how much I believed these two were destined to be together.  I love when couples share verbal sparring, maybe because it hits home with me, and Shiori and Knox are masters at it which thrilled me to no end.  For them it turned out to be a weird sort of foreplay that brought them to a different place and made them confront the feelings they shared.  I admire Shiori's toughness, her attitude, and the way she was honest with Knox about her wants, needs, and what he could expect if they were together intimately.  She didn't back down, she didn't offer to change, and she was very clear that she was not in it for the long haul, that she planned to return to Japan at some point.  There is nothing sexier than a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to please the woman he's with and Knox is that man andmore.  He is tough, he is protective of those he cares about, and he is dedicated.  I enjoyed they way Shiori introduced Knox to his submissive side, I love that she showed him that being submissive did not mean being weak or less of a man and that in submitting to her he was taking care of her every need something he not only wanted to do but NEEDED to do.  Yes, Knox struggled as I think a lot of men do with submission, but the fact that he began to realize that he really wasn't doing anything all that differently; that it was his pleasure to make sure his woman got everything she wanted and needed really made him understand what submission was all about.  What was interesting was watching Shiori's realization that she needed more than just Knox's submission; that she craved the times they were together outside of the D/s relationship and that she in fact needed those intimate, non D/s, not sexual times with him.

As always in a book by Lorelei James, the intimate moments between these two were off the charts sexy with some very well written instances of delayed gratification, bondage, and some light punishment/torture scenes all thrown in for good measure.  While this is a couple that enjoys their "kink" I didn't feel it overshadowed the book; yes they took some time to explore what it would mean to have this type of relationship together, yes there were times they questioned it, yes there were times they messed it all up but in the end this was the story of two people realizing that despite their need for their kink they needed each other's love more. 

I must give a shout out to the secondary cast of characters in this book which all added so much to an already excellent story.  Deacon really stepped up to the plate multiple times during this book and I am even more fascinated by him than I was before and ring girl/Black & Blue promoter Katie really impressed me during this story and honestly I wasn't sure where was much hope for her in the previous book so that was a huge eye opener to me.  I'd like to say I made peace with Ronin in this book but honestly, I'm still on the fence about him; he's just one of those heroes that I don't trust fully although Amery moved up a couple of notches in my eyes.

I love when an author spreads her wings and tackles a new subject and then works hard to turn it into an amazing story and author Lorelei James had done just that in Unraveled.  As a woman who has a very dominate streak, I love how she portrayed the heroine as someone who while dominate is also vulnerable and also needs someone she can show her softer side to.  For me Unraveled is her best book in the Mastered series to date and one that I know I will enjoy re-reading again and again.

~SLICK~ 

ATTENTION PLEASE!!! OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE FOR ~GYPSY (SONS OF SANGUE #3) BY PATRICIA A. RASEY~

I am so happy to report that Patricia A. Rasey has given us the release date for her upcoming Sons of Sangue Book #3, GYPSY.... Will you all be able to hang on tight until April 28? 

#REVIEW- Married to a Perfect Stranger by Jane Ashford

Mary Fleming and John Bexley were not the shining stars in either of their families. So it was suggested that the two marry and settle into a comfortable existence. Soon after their marriage, John was called away on a two year long diplomatic mission, leaving his new wife to her own devices. 

In their time away from one another, each matured in their own way and once reunited, these changes in each of them confuses the other. John remembers an amiable and quiet wife and is perplexed when he biddable wife is replaced with a vibrant and outspoken Mary. Mary is a bit taken aback by this new and formidable John, but annoyed when he expects her to be the same woman he left behind. 

Beginning again is a bit difficult for the pair, whose expectations of one another are rather skewed, but the journey Mary and John take is an exciting one with revelations as well as romance.

Married To A Perfect Stranger by Jane Ashford is the first book I have read by this author. I truly enjoyed the story. John and Mary has become essentially strangers to one another. Quite honestly, they never really knew one another when they began their relationship. I enjoyed the reactions each one had when they found out something new about one another and how they come to terms with the new level of maturity as well as understanding. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Ashford and I do recommend Married To A Perfect Stranger.