Monday 29 September 2014

He's So Fine by Jill Shalvis Launch Day Blitz






Disclaimers: I received an Advanced Reader Copy of He’s So Fine by NetGalley under the condition that I give a completely honest review of the book on my blog and Amazon. I agreed to participate in the He’s So Fine Launch Day Blitz and received no compensation for my review or participation.  All opinions and recommendations here are my own.


I’ve never been one to play favourites with books, it feels like picking a favourite child…or cookie, and that’s just plain wrong! But I have to admit, this last trio of books from the Lucky Harbour series are quite possibly some of my favourite books of all time. This is in part due to the incredibly sexy, loveable, complex alpha males that grace the pages of these books. But in this case, I think it has to do with the women. This last trio of heroines are incredible. They’re real, they’re relatable, they’re passionate, they’re scared and a little bit damaged but in ways that make you want them to win in all the best ways possible. They’re strong, endearing, and hilarious and they’ve fought for their little piece of Lucky Harbour heaven. They’re the kind of women I want to know, and they’re the most captivating part of each of these stories. Though, the delicious sex scenes are pretty damn captivating too.

He’s So Fine is the second in the last trio of Lucky Harbour books by Jill Shalvis and features the feisty, snarky but warm-hearted Olivia Bentley and the adorable, teasing but surprisingly badass, Cole Donovan. Olivia has secrets, she’s hiding from her past (it’s not too dark, but it definitely left its mark) and she’s trying to be a better person and to live a simple life filled with contentment. I was immediately drawn to Olivia, she’s so feisty and snarky that you can’t help but want to high five her. I liked her from the start, but I fell in love with her during the scene with Pink and Kendra at her boutique. I won’t spoil it, but it’s a beautiful, melting moment that really shows the deep-feeling, warm-hearted nature of Olivia. Cole Donovan is a loving son, brother and friend. He’s laidback, nothing fazes him and there’s nothing he can’t fix. Or at least that’s what he wants you to think. In reality, he has a past that left a nasty mark, and he’s been hiding from women ever since. His sinfully delicious pursuit of Olivia, which is both adorable and a ridiculously erotic, came as the best kind of surprise.

I loved the way Jill Shalvis pitted Olivia’s snarky sassiness up against Cole’s calm, but surprisingly badass, certainty. I loved them together and I was rooting for them the whole way. They’re both rich, complex characters with interesting, realistic back-stories, and their chemistry is so white-hot it can probably be seen from the space station.

As always with a Jill Shalvis book, He’s So Fine has a plethora of amazing supporting characters, hilarious, witty and engaging dialogue, and a fantastic plot that has you hooked from the very first word. The sex scenes are spicy, erotic and delicious, but without crossing the line into crass. It’s an incredible tale that you definitely don’t want to miss.


Book Summary:
For Olivia Bentley, Lucky Harbor is more than the town where she runs her new vintage shop. It's the place where folks are friendly to strangers-and nobody knows her real name. Olivia does a good job of keeping her past buried, not getting too cozy with anyone . . . until she sees a man drowning. Suddenly she's rushing into the surf, getting up close and personal with the hottest guy she's ever laid hands on.

Charter boat captain Cole Donovan has no problem with a gorgeous woman throwing her arms around his neck in an effort to "save" him. In fact, he'd like to spend a lot more time skin-to-skin with Olivia. He's just not expecting that real trouble is about to come her way. Will it bring her deeper into Cole's heart, or will it be the end of Olivia's days in little Lucky Harbor? 

Jill's Bio:
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

You can learn more about Jill at:
JillShalvis.com
Twitter @jillshalvis
Facebook.com/jillshalvis 


HE'S SO FINE is available in mass market paperback, ebook and audio book formats from:
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1B0Lc5P
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1lkIft2

Thursday 11 September 2014

Chasing Trouble by Joya Ryan






I was given an Advanced Reader Copy of Chasing Trouble by Entangled Publishing under the condition that I give a completely honest review of the book on my blog and Amazon.
 
Book Blurb 
Kindergarten teacher Jenna Justice has lived her life by the book—right school, right career, right image. Too bad the townsfolk of Diamond, Kansas, have a hard time forgetting that she wasn’t born on the right side of the tracks. The only way J.J. can land her dream job is to keep her wild side buried and her reputation clean. But when she finds herself in another town, one without prying eyes, she allows herself one fantasy-filled night with her best friend’s bad boy brother. 

Professional bull rider Colt McCade is grounded for the summer with an injury. After their sizzling night together, he finds himself wanting to pick up where he and the prim and not-so-proper Ms. Justice left off. Problem is, she isn’t interested in his idea of “healing,” which involves ice cubes and a whole lot of heavy breathing. But the closer he gets, the more he sees that his fast-and-loose reputation could cost her the job of her dreams. He wants to do the right thing, but walking away from her could cost him everything…

Review
Chasing Trouble is a super sexy. It’s cute, it’s funny, it’s sassy and it’s a fast, fun read! 

Cowboys have rarely been my go-to genre, but Colt McCade made Southern charm look good, in the most sinfully naughty ways possible! He’s a tease, he’s got all the right moves and a whole lot of Good ‘Ol Boy charm. I loved his interactions with his sister, there was a palpable love between the two. But the scenes between Colt and his five year old nephew, Alex,  were some of my favourite in the book. Alex’s clear admiration and devotion to Colt was all kinds of adorable and Joya really captured his enthusiastic spirit. Now, for Jenna. She clearly has wild passion buried deep inside but it’s so repressed and she’s so prim and uptight in so many ways, that it drove me a little nuts. However, watching her blossom and embrace her inner sassyiness was a delight and she really grew on me. The rest of the background characters are vivid, interesting and they all have a unique slant that makes you want to know a little, or a lot, more about them. 

The dialogue is snappy, sassy and fun. It’s realistic and each character has a very clear voice and point of view. I liked the Southerny charm sprinkled throughout the book, that managed to be just on the border of being fun and cute instead of silly and hokey.

The sex scenes were delicious and the chemistry between Colt and Jenna is undeniable. There’s a whole lot of teasing going on this book and it’s fantastic!

Now, the one complaint I have is this…It’s a great book and I loved it. But I had trouble with the idea of a young woman, who is clearly devoted and talented in her career, and clearly a very passionate woman, feeling like she needs to repress her sexuality, and hide who she is, because of her family’s past and some stodgey grant board.  It came good in the end but I feel like that’s a really negative statement to be putting out there. Having said that, it’s a fabulous book filled with strong female characters, incredible sex scenes, a whole lot of teasing and one very sexy alpha cowboy. I can't recommend it enough.