Foreplay by Tammy Valentine

Book 1, The Zodiac Club
Publisher: Breathless Press
ISBN: 9781926930213 (e-book)
Word Count: 5259
Date: January 31, 2011
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
Reviewed by Lynn Reynolds
Categories: Anthology, Book Review

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from Breathless Press and from the author. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Excerpt
As she lay in the tub that evening, relishing the golden candlelight and warm vanilla scent from the bubbles, Izzy turned over the newfound information in her mind. She was fascinated by the notion that she could enjoy a man so much more by knowing which buttons to push—predetermined buttons based on his star sign. She had never had much luck with men, but equipped with Jessica’s astrological handbook for seduction, might she not learn to discover the real pleasures of romance?

Closing her eyes, she let her hand drift lazily through the water to her mound and teased the wet, dark hair gently with her fingers. She felt the familiar tingle in her skin as she woke the sleeping creature deep inside, and she arched her back involuntarily as the first wave of pleasure lurched through her. Opening her legs a little wider, she then slipped a finger into the crevice, moist with bubble bath and anticipation, and began to play.

Behind her closed eyes she watched a parade of male models, each one naked but for a fig leaf covering his modesty, engraved with his star sign. Starting with Aries, she made the men line up in front of her in her head, then gazed appreciatively as one by one they shed their leaves to reveal the astrological promise beneath. She got as far as Cancer, the fourth sign, before she came, her clitoris convulsing deliciously under the pressure of her finger.

Could it be genuine? she wondered as she allowed the warmth of the water to bring her round from her daydream. Was there anything more than sheer hokum to the concept of compatibility based on astrology? And if there was, what did it mean for her in her continuing search for the perfect partner, who had so far proved dramatically elusive?

My Thoughts:
This is a short story that will start off what I think will be a great series. I found that this was a great teaser for the books that follow. It seemed that the title was very apropos. The best way to read the series would be to follow the series for the whole year.

Tammy has written a unique concept of a way to find your sexual partner. We have four friends that get together over coffee and Izzy Morgan is listening to her friend Jessica reveal that she has an interesting way of identifying men. Each subsequent story is short enough that if you only have a limited amount of time, you should be able to get it read in just a couple of hours. In the meantime, make sure to start the adventure with this great first book.

If you want to know how to follow this series, without checking the zodiac, stop over to Tammy’s website. http://www.tammyvalentine.com/the-full-collection.html

Kissing the Maid of Honor by Robin Bielman

Book 1, A Secret Wishes Novel
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Bliss)
ISBN: 9781622660889
Publication Date: May 13, 2013
Pages: 280 KB/173 pages (e-book)
Rating: 4 ½ stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from the publisher and the author. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”.

A bit about Kissing the Maid of Honor:
Kissing her best friend’s brother never felt so right…

Sela Sullivan is resolved to be the best maid of honor ever, even if it means tolerating the best man. Insufferable, too-handsome Luke Watters is not only the guy who humiliated her at a kissing booth in high school, but he also happens to be her best friend’s older brother. Positive he’s the same arrogant jock, Sela vows to focus on her duties and steer clear of the frustrating—and frustratingly tempting—Luke.
As a world-renowned extreme-sports photographer, Luke is used to undertaking life-risking adventures. But risking his heart for the beautiful Sela Sullivan, who clearly still hates him for his rejection all those years ago? He didn’t see that coming. Sela inspires a passion he’s never known, and the more time they spend together, the more he craves her. But can he prove to the maid of honor he’s become a man of honor?

EXCERPT 1

Luke didn’t see the point of learning choreographed dance steps, but it made his sister happy, her smile and laugh contagious, and he found himself enjoying even his missteps.
His partner didn’t hurt matters, either. Paired with the beautiful maid of honor, he gave silent thanks for his new role as best man. If he’d had to watch Sela dance with someone else, he might have gone insane.
A disconcerting thought he decided not to examine too closely.
“Remember, the basic step is one of the most beautiful of the rumba. So if nothing else, stick to it, and the dance floor will be yours,” the instructor said.
Luke peeked at Sela out of the corner of his eye. The slight imperfections in her profile made it the most fascinating he’d seen. With his photographer’s eye he imagined shooting her face from different angles and in different lighting and had a feeling every single one would spark beauty to a thousand different beholders. She might be a girl from his hometown, but there was something about her that was worldly.
She turned her head, catching him in the act of staring. He darted his attention away.
“Now let’s step into the closed position once again and begin,” the teacher said.
At first they moved rigidly, fighting the natural rhythm of their bodies like they still needed to battle to keep things normal. But as the music continued, their moves melted into a fluid sway of hips and torsos and Luke couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be.
“Close your eyes and feel the movement. Let the music guide you,” the teacher said softly as she wove around the dance floor.
Luke waited for Sela to shut her eyes. Christ, she was pretty. The woman made scrubs look sexy. But it was what she had on the inside that suddenly made his mouth drier than the Sahara Desert.
Her eyes fluttered open. “You can wipe that smug look off your face. You’re not that good of a dancer.”
“No?” Without missing a beat, he spun them around, their steps in perfect tandem. An invisible string kept them in harmony. The flush of Sela’s cheeks kept energy humming through his veins.
Her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed, and Luke imagined she’d much rather have a sword in her hand so they could fence instead of move with each other.
“You know what they say about show-offs, don’t you?” she said.
“Tell me.” He twirled them away from the others, his fingertips increasing the pressure on her shoulder blade.
“They’re compensating for something else. Usually something small.” Her gaze dipped below his waist as they both stepped back.
He laughed, a little more carefully than he had in the kitchen. For the second time in the last hour she’d done what few women could—raise his hackles in the most engaging way.
“Sweetheart, there’s nothing small about me,” he whispered when they came together. “And if you need proof, I’d be happy to show you.”

A bit about Robin:
Robin Bielman lives in Southern California with her high school sweetheart husband, two sons, and crazy-cute mini Labradoodle, Harry Dresden. When not attached to her laptop, she can almost always be found with her nose in a book. She also loves to run, hike, and dip her toes in the ocean. Writing is a dream come true, and she still pinches herself to be sure it’s real.
She is also the author of Worth the Risk and Yours At Midnight from Entangled’s Ever After line. She loves to connect with readers.
 
Visit her online:
Website: http://www.robinbielman.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RobinBielmanWriter
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/#!/RobinBielman
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/robinbielman

Buy Links:
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Kissing-Honor-Secret-Wishes-ebook/dp/B00CK52XB2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367954715&sr=1-1&keywords=kissing+the+maid+of+honor
Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kissing-the-maid-of-honor-robin-bielman/1115213931?ean=9781622660889
ITunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kissing-the-maid-of-honor/id642292859?mt=11

My Thoughts:
With summer and wedding season just around the corner, what better way to celebrate than by reading Robin’s book. It’s one that you can get read in either one or two days – depending on how much time you have. It’s one that will have you reminiscing about a wedding you have participated in or gone to.

The setting is Cascade, Oregon. I couldn’t find a town of Cascade per se but I did find a town called Cascade Locks, Oregon. It sounds like a lovely place to visit – one I will have to add to my bucket list.

This story takes you through the weeks leading up to Sela’s friend, Vanessa’s, wedding. One interesting point in the story is the bachelor/bachelorette party which included a cake – this was a point in which I would have loved a picture. This is where your imagination will have to come into play.

It’s a sexy story without having the actual sex act. I can imagine this being turned into a Hallmark channel movie. They do a lot of the romance movies without having sex but you don’t always need to see it to know how much the couple enjoys each others company. Sometimes movies give the viewers too much – when they don’t, your own creativity comes into play where you can fill in the blanks yourself.

This is one book that I would read again – especially once the series is over. You can go back and read all the books one right after the other. One hope I have is that Robin will go back and tell us Vanessa’s story. I want to know how she came to make her wish at the famous Cascade wishing well.

This book would also make a great gift. Maybe you are getting ready for your own wedding. Not sure what to give your bride’s maids? Your own maid of honor? If they love reading romances, why not give them the gift of this book. Maybe get some cake ideas. How can you go wrong?

I was happy to see that this is a part of a series. I tried to find out what book two will be about but I’m sorry to say that I couldn’t find out anything. For now we’ll just have to be patient.
 

Dream Nights with the CEO by Kathy Lyons

Book 1, A Secret Desires Novel
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC (Brazen)
ISBN: 9781622667802
Publication Date: May 27, 2013
Pages: 262 KB/275 pages (e-book)
Rating: 4 ½ stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from the publisher and the author. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”.

A bit about Dream Nights with the CEO:
 
Hotel chain CEO and millionaire Wyatt Monroe is a stick in the mud. Sure, he’s hot as sin, even with the tie, but free-spirited assistant Megan Bradford refuses to jeopardize their perfect working relationship. Why mess that up with sex? She knows he’s the love ‘em and leave ‘em type, and she’s determined to find a family man.
Wyatt would never cross the line between boss and employee with Megan, no matter how hard it might be to resist the temptation. But when they visit a mysterious B&B in a bid to acquire the property, he starts having erotic dreams about the sexy brunette that make it hard to resist her in daylight.
The line between reality and dreams further blurs when they learn they’re sharing the same erotic dreams…
 
Kathy’s Links:
You can visit Kathy on her website, Facebook, Goodreads and/or twitter.

My Thoughts:

Megan Bradford is having an interesting dream – what an interesting way to start the book. It certainly caught my attention. My dreams aren’t as interesting as Megan’s. Wyatt Monroe is her boss and he is having the same problem as Megan.

As I’m reading the book we find out that Megan and Wyatt are staying at the Miranda’s Place B & B. It’s run by a young woman named Bethany. I found that Bethany has an interesting story of her own. I would love to know if Kathy will be writing her story.

Megan and Wyatt have an intriguing connection that comes at an interesting time of day. Makes me wish that I had that type of connection with my partner. How about you? Kathy has given her readers dreaming with a twist. It also makes you wonder if we can control our dreams so that we get the outcome we want.

This is a book that you will find that you just can’t put it down until you reach the end. Kathy grabs your attention starting with the first dream. If you’re a paranormal romance junkie you could pick up a copy of this book because there is some unexplained reason for the connection between Megan and Wyatt. I’m looking forward to seeing what Kathy has in store for her readers in the next Dream Nights series. With all the dream sequences that she wrote in this book, I’m all set with my dreams until her next book comes out.

My Reluctant Warden by Kallysten

Book 2, Ward of the Vampire Series
Pages: 70 pages/251KB (e-book)
Date: May 12, 2013
Rating: 4 ½ stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for review from the author. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”.

This continues book one of the Ward of the Vampire series. This is a book that you could read by itself but I don’t recommend it. If you want to know how Angelina ends up where she is in this book, you have to read Ward of the Vampire.

This book picks up at the party Angelina goes to with her boss Miss Delilah. The birthday boy, Morgan (Miss Delilah is his sister) is not happy at this moment. Angelina and Morgan are a reluctant couple. He’s a sexy vampire that doesn’t like to have his life decided for him.

This is another one of her books that just went by too quickly. I just got started and it was over. To my delight, Kallysten has book three coming out in July. If you want to read more of Kallysten’s work, just stop by her web site, http://kallysten.net/, to see what else you may want to read.

My Reluctant Warden has it all. Kallysten treats her readers well. She gives them sex, paranormal for those that like a little something different about the male character, and for those that only have a short amount of time she gives them to romance. So, make sure to mark your calendar for the month of July so you can find out what happens next for Angelina and Morgan. And I recommend that once the series is complete, go back and read each book one right after the other.