BOOK REVIEW ~ TURN UP THE HEAT: LOVE WON'T WAIT / BEACH HOUSE BEGINNINGS / STRONG ENOUGH TO LOVE

Title: Turn Up The Heat: Love Won't Wait ~ Lori Foster
         Beach House Beginnings ~ Christie Ridgeway
         Strong Enough To Love ~ Victoria Dahl

Expected Release Date: December 31, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Anthology
Paperback, 336 pages



ARC provided by NetGalley



Book Blurb

Three sizzling tales from three bestselling authors 

Love Won't Wait by Lori Foster 

Brendan "Brick" Carlisle is used to women falling at his feet, so shy waitress Merrily Loveland is a breath of fresh air—and an irresistible challenge. But before he can make his move, Merrily comes to him with an offer he can't refuse. If only their "no-strings" pact didn't leave him wanting so much more…. 


Beach House Beginnings by Christie Ridgway 

She might have avoided Crescent Cove, California, for years, but no-nonsense Meg Alexander is confident she can handle a brief trip home. What she doesn't count on is the spark of desire she feels for Caleb McCall. Can a weekend in paradise convince her to give love a second chance? 


Strong Enough to Love by Victoria Dahl 

Photographer Eve Hill had always told herself that sexy Brian Stewart was off-limits. But now he's back in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Eve can't resist their long-denied attraction. When the reality turns out to be hotter than the fantasy, Eve might end up getting more than she bargained for….

Book Review

Love Won't Wait ~ Lori Foster

Lori Foster is a master at creating sizzling romance with engaging characters. A perfect blend of sweet and spicy to steam up the pages and just the right amount of depth for a story featured in an anthology. 

Brick was amazingly sexy, funny, and he knows how to make a girl's first time unbelievably HAWT. 

Merrily is a sweet and funny virgin who plans to give up her "V" card to the very charming Brick. Although not an original plot line, this story had me chuckling aloud and swooning in all the right places. Foster is amazing at writing sizzling chemistry between her characters. 

And the secondary character of Jesse should get his own story. Just sayin'. 

Love Won't Wait is a great example of Lori Foster's writing style. 

Beach House Beginnings ~ Christie Ridgeway

Meg Alexander has returned to Crescent Cove where she runs into Caleb McCall. Both are recovering from their own heartache. 

Although Caleb is from Meg's past, she only had eyes for Peter as a young girl. Now, with Peter gone, can Caleb convince Meg to give love another chance? 

I would have loved to had more of the past in this short story. It was difficult to get a true feel for Meg and Caleb's character. I am a sucker for the nerdy, skinny kid who's crushing on the girl who is out of his league. That story would have grabbed my attention more, I think. 

All in all, Beach House Beginnings is a sweet/sad story about second chances at love with a little bit of magic tossed in for good measure. 

Strong Enough To Love ~ Victoria Dahl

Eve Hill has spent the past two years putting her life back together after having her heart shattered by Brian Stewart. He had started out as her boss, her mentor, and her best friend. And she had fallen in love with him.


Brian was separated from his wife, Julia, for the third time. But when he leaves Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to return to his wife, he leaves behind a devastated Eve. The only goodbye Eve got was a letter he had sent telling him that he was falling in love with her, but he had to leave. 

Now, two years later, Brian shows up at Eve's door. Divorced and wanting a second chance with Eve. 

To say that Eve is angry is an understatement. Angry at him for thinking he can return after so long and think that she would just be waiting with open arms. 

Despite his begging, Eve struggles to turns him away. But unresolved sexual feelings and unbelievable sexual chemistry has Eve telling Brian that she will give him one night. No commitments, no promises. 

Strong Enough To Love deals with a lot of complicated feelings--should Brian get another chance after leaving the way he did? Was he right to stay with his wife and try to work on their problems when he obviously had feelings for Eve. Was it fair for him to ask Eve to give him another chance? 

I was frustrated while reading this short story and felt a boat love of anger for Eve and what had been done to her. But in the end, this story (for me, at least) was about choices and the power they have in our lives. And while I wasn't Brian's biggest fan, Dahl did an great job in explaining both points of views. Brian hated the choice he made, but he stuck with it. Moved away and gave his twenty year marriage another try.  And Eve was rightfully hurt and angry and didn't let Brian back into her heart. 

But after one mind boggling night of passion will Eve be be strong enough to love him again? 

BOOK REVIEW AND BLOG TOUR ~ ARRESTED BY LOVE BY VIRNA DEPAUL -- GIVEAWAY

Blurb

In the steamy world of bestselling romance author Virna DePaul, there are bad boys and good girls on both sides of the law. And when they mix, it’s always an explosive combination. Now the three novellas of her contemporary Red-Hot Cops series are available together in this eBook anthology:



COPPING TO IT

Though Claire Fullerton, a respected journalist, isn’t afraid to walk on the wild side, she’s terrified that unleashing her inner vixen will expose her to getting hurt. But when Claire is captured by a notorious gang of bikers, she recognizes a friendly face from her darkest fantasies: undercover cop Ty Williamson, who has managed to infiltrate the gang to bring them down from the inside. Now Ty’s determined to bind Claire to him and prove that he wants all of her: the good with the bad. In fact, the badder she is, the better they’ll be—together.

COP APPEAL

People used to call her Sure-Thing-Sarah, but the only thing Sarah Larson’s sure about these days is the torch she’s carried for undercover cop Luke Anderson. Four years ago, Sarah made the biggest mistake of her life: leaving Luke to marry another cop. Now, a year after her divorce, Luke’s back in her life—ready to convince Sarah that he’s the one when it comes to love. But Sarah has a big fear—that her dangerously possessive ex-husband is out to make sure that her second chance at happiness is destroyed forever.

COPPING ATTITUDE

As a former centerfold, Jenna Mills is a pro at deflecting male attention, and with good reason. A painful past has made her mistrustful of all men—and hell-bent on getting revenge on one in particular. But first she needs help overcoming her fear of physical intimacy. And honorable cop Noah James might just be the perfect place to start. Noah’s used to making a woman feel safe, in bed and out. But when Jenna makes him an indecent proposal, Noah’s willing to give her everything she’s asking for . . . and more.

Arrested by Love is erotic romance intended for mature audiences.

Author Info

Virna DePaul is a former criminal prosecutor and national bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and romantic suspense. She writes for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, HQN, and Random House. In her off hours, she loves Broadway musicals, spending time with her family and friends, and connecting with other romance readers.

Author Links

Website/ Twitter/ Facebook/ Amazon page / Books That Rock Facebook page

Click here to follow tour

Buy Links

Amazon / B&N /iTunes

Book Review

I fell in love with Virna DePaul's writing when I first read Chosen By Blood--from her Para-Ops Series. 

Her writing is fresh, addictive and page turning. 

So it was a no brainer for me to sign up to host and review her erotic romance anthology. 

The three stories you get in Arrested by Love are all somewhat connected. Each of the heroes (Ty, Luke, and Noah) are seen in the previous stories...Luke appears in Copping To It, and Noah appears in Cop Appeal. 

And all three are smoking hot.

Virna creates a passionate and emotional tale where the characters have all been involved in someway in the past with their love interest. So there is no instant falling in love thing going on. And there is some pretty intense emotions as well. 

For example, in Copping Attitude, the heroine, Jenna, has been raped. There are no details given--its provided as a back story only. But what she has experienced affects how she interacts with Noah. I think that Noah is the fave of this trilogy of sexy men. He has a very dark and kinky side but is very controlled---which is something that Jenna needs to overcome her past. 

Ty, in Copping To It, has had a past relationship with Claire. But Claire thinks her dirty fantasies will scare Ty away. Little does she know that Ty wants Claire to be a very, very, naughty girl. 

Luke, in Cop Appeal, has also had a past with Sarah. But fear drove her out of Luke's arms and into another. Now four years after her divorce, Sarah runs into her former lover, only to realize that she has never gotten over him.

After a brutal rape, Jenna is scared to ever become intimate with a man. So she seeks Noah's sexpertise. This Lothario has mad skills and uber control. Something Jenna desperately craves but scares her at the same time (Copping Attitude).

All three stories, with the exception of Copping Attitude, involve some menage sex--so if this ain't  your thing? You might want to seek your kink elsewhere.

Arrested By Love final thoughts:  Erotic as hell,  sensuous, and emotional. A great addition for those who love their romance with a lot of kink will find this a very satisfying read. 

~ GIVEAWAY ~

Three $5.00 Gift Cards E-Book Retailer of Choice

a Rafflecopter giveaway

SEXY SNIPPETS ~ GOOD WITH HIS HANDS BY LORI FOSTER

Tuesdays have never been so sexy!

Sexy Snippets is a weekly feature hosted by Reading Between the Wines for the 18+ crowd. To join in just grab the button, post a sexy paragraph or two from your current read and share the author & title so other participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like. Then add your post to the linky over at RBtW's blog post so everyone can follow along. Have a sexy good time!

This week I picked a story from an anthology: Bad Boys in Black Tie...

Title: Good With His Hands

Author: Lori Foster

"You naked under that shirt, Cass?"

She backed up. The big-bad-wolf look on his face had her giggling nervously. "Maybe."

"I think you are." He released her underwear to stalk her. "Much as I'd like to see your sweet ass in those little bits of nothing, I think I'd just as soon see it bare."

She clutched the material of her nightshirt tight around her thighs. "Is that right?"
"Come here, Cass."
"No," She shook her head and giggled some more.
"You want me to chase you?" His gaze brightened. "I'm up for a few games if you are."
"No! I didn't mean--"
"Better run," he suggested. "Now."

This was a very sexy,short read and you can NEVER go wrong with Lori Foster. I also enjoyed Erin McCarthy's Miss Extreme Congeniality...

Now it's your turn to show me your sexy!

SEXY SNIPPET TUESDAYS

Tuesdays have never been so sexy!

Sexy Snippets is a weekly feature hosted by Reading Between the Wines for the 18+ crowd. To join in just grab the button, post a sexy paragraph or two from your current read and share the author & title so other participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like. Then add your post to the linky over at RBtW's blog post so everyone can follow along. Have a sexy good time!
 
 
Today's snippet comes from an Anthology with authors--Lori Foster, Erin McCarthy, and Amy Garvey. And the sexy snippet is from Lori's story: Luscious.
 

In a rough whisper, he warned. " If you don't kiss me back, I'm stopping."

And then his mouth pressed to hers, warm and firm, and her head spun and she had no choice but to clutch at his broad, hard shoulders. His bare skin was sleek and taut, and so hot.

And holy cow, she'd had no idea a kiss could be so awesome.

If anyone asked her now, she'd happily say that this was her favorite part. Kissing. Tongues and lips, and humid breath...

Enthused by her response, Lucious stroked his right hand over her shoulder, spread his fingers wide on her collarbone, and slid down onto her breast with a bold, possessive, but gentle hold.
His thumb circled her nipple once, twice, and her insides did a thrilling flip. Oh, yeah. That was her favorite part by far. Her fingers dug into his back while she went on tiptoe, trying to get closer to him.
"Damn," Lucious muttered, "that's definitely a yes," and he turned his head for a better fit, taking the kiss from seducing to devouring.  


This book is a great, quick, and hot read. I so love anything that Lori Foster pens. She is the queen for sexual chemistry and nails it (hah) every time.

Now it's your turn to show me your sexy!

BOOK AND AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT ~ MORBID SERAPHIC BY S.K. WHITESIDE

Title: Morbid Seraphic
Publisher: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing

This is a collection of stories by different featured authors and include the following:

• Fallen From Grace ~ SK Whiteside  
• S(a)TAN ~ Nathan Squiers
• Assassin's Rose ~ KaSonndra Leigh
• The Demon's Playground ~Amanda R. Browning
• Better the Devil You Know ~ Stephen B.
• Pearl From Hell ~ Dominique Goodall
• I Could Not Stop For Death ~ Jana Boskey
• Illusions ~ Lisa Goldman
• Haunted ~ S.K. Whiteside

 

Even the divine have a dark side…


Take a journey into a world where the forgotten reign as King and Queen. Explore a “reality” where the divine give meaning and substance to the concept of IMMORTALITY.
These menacing tales feature beings of divinity from angels, demons, gods, goddesses, to personifications of divine principals. No other worldly being is safe. The sparkly undead and wild shaggy dogs have no place in this anthology of dark proportions.


Can you handle it?

About S.K. Whiteside



S.K. Whiteside is a writer of Paranormal/Fantasy, Horror, and Suspense. As a full time Mental Health Counselor, she started writing in Academia but decided writing about things on the “other side of the veil” was a lot more interesting. Living in the Paranormal capital of the world makes it fairly easy for her to come up with characters, many of which are based off of real personas in her life that are so vibrant they can’t help but carry over into her writing.



S.K. Whiteside is a Fiction Weaver and World Creator. It just so happens that the worlds she creates are often filled with things that go bump in the night. A New Orleanian at heart, the Deep South often serves as the setting for her Paranormal Tales of the unknown. Her Charismatic characters and snarky banter often derive from the various personas of those she loves and the voices in her head. When not writing she spends her time telling everyone else in the world that they are completely bonkers but yet she often channels Napoleon Bonaparte.


During her down time she pokes at the massive giant whom holds her captive and runs from two monsters that she swears are out to kill her. Some people call them her husband and children but she knows the truth... For more information on S.K. Whiteside, please visit her website or visit her on Facebook.