ARC BOOK REVIEW ~ RAW BY JO DAVIS

Title: Raw (Torn Between Two Lovers, Book One)
Author: Jo Davis

Release Date: October 15, 2013

ARC provided by NetGalley

TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS is a gripping and sexy romance trilogy with a unique twist: Our heroine needs your help to decide who wins her heart… RAW introduces this sizzling new series, in which two enticing men will vie for Anna’s heart—culminating in a choice that will be determined by reader vote!

Anna Claire is a prominent restaurateur, the toast of New York. She’s not one to let down her guard, but her new prep chef is gorgeous enough to cause her to break her own rules, and soon she’s tearing up the sheets with Grayson James. More than that, she’s falling in love.

Until she discovers that Grayson is no chef. He’s an FBI agent investigating a drug ring he suspects is using her restaurant. Anna is shattered to learn she was just part of his cover.

The case means everything to Gray, right until the moment he loses what matters the most—not his intended target, but Anna. Gray is devastated when the woman he loves learns of his betrayal. Especially with his greatest enemy all too eager to take advantage of her… 

Book Review

Raw is a novella (eighty pages) that tells only the beginning of the story. The story of Anna Claire and Grayson James. 

Anna Claire has spent years working hard to achieve her dream--owning a restaurant in the fabulous New York City. And she has finally achieved that goal. Only now, she finds herself alone, with no real ties to anyone. She feels disconnected and hasn't had time to enjoy the good things in life, especially men.

Grayson James, her prep chef at Floor Fifty Five, has every intention of showing his lovely boss how to have fun. 

Late after work, Anna is attacked by a stranger and then rescued by Gray. He was certainly in the right place at the right time. And as Gray escorts her home, they realize they live in the same building--same floor. 

Coincidence? 

Raw is filled with sex, secrets, and and a deceitful web of entanglement. Trust is compromised between two lovers as danger hides in the darkness. And the appearance of a stranger may entice Anna away from the man who wants to win her heart.

Jo Davis  provides the reader with a quick romance, but produces a story with suspense, steamy sexy, and a twisty plot. She also leaves us hanging with a doozy of a cliffhanger. I'm not sure if I like the direction Raw seems to be taking at the end, but Davis has intrigued me enough to want to find out. 

BOOK REVIEW ~ SWORN TO PROTECT BY JO DAVIS

Title: Sworn To Protect (Sugarland Blue, Book One)

Author: Jo Davis

Release Date: May 7, 2013

Reviewer purchased own book for review

Sugarland loves their men in blue, especially Detective Shane Ford. But Shane’s mission to protect and to serve has just gotten personal…

Detective Shane Ford, Sugarland’s favorite cop, has been blindsided by the sudden death of his best friend, NFL star Brad Cooper, and becoming the legal guardian of Brad’s son, Drew—a bitter, angry sixteen-year-old with a dangerous secret. Shane is determined to pry the truth from Drew, but only manages to alienate him—and winds up going head to head with Juvenile Detective Daisy Callahan, whose job is to protect the teen’s best interests.

Shane has always been drawn to Daisy’s beauty and strength, but he’s determined not to allow their intense attraction to interfere with his duty ever again. It’s a vow that will prove difficult to keep, as the realities of Shane and Daisy’s blossoming love and their growing bond with the grieving teen propel Shane headlong into danger for the new family he’s sworn to protect.

Book Review

I was very happy when I saw that Jo Davis was writing a spin-off from her Firefighters of Station Five Series. I mean, **fanning self** I still can't get over how amazingly good these books were. I saved them in my library for re-reading in the future. 

So, the Sugarland Blue Series takes place in the same small town, but involve those on the police force. And book one is about Detective Shane Ford, who we've seen briefly from the Firefighters of Station Five Series.

Shane is a bit of a player, never really getting involved in any kind of relationship. But he can't help thinking back to the night he shared with Detective Daisy Callahan. He ended things badly and realizes that he may never get the chance to make amends with her, much less get a fresh start.

Daisy Callahan thought that what she and Shane shared that one night was different. But he turned out to be a jerk with a capitol J. She was better off counting her blessings and moving on. No matter how amazing that night. 

Now Shane and Daisy are thrown together when Shane is unexpectedly thrust into the role as legal guardian to his godson, Drew. 

Barely sixteen and overwhelmed in grief, Drew struggles to make some tough decisions in his life. Not to mention, he has been uprooted from his home and everything he has known when his father dies of a drug overdose. Rumors about his father using performance enhancing drugs intensify the already delicate situation and a murderer is running free with the intent to kill again to protect his guilt. 

Shane is feeling bowled over in the role as parent to Drew. They once shared a great relationship, but now things are strained as Shane goes from friend to 'Dad'. Daisy, who works with juveniles withing the police department, tries to soothe the strain and starts to see Shane in a different light. He is compassionate, loving, and devoted in his new role as a father. And the feelings she has had for him start to grow stronger the more time they spend together. 

But a killer grows impatient and waits in the shadows to rip this new family apart...permanently. 

As far as suspense goes, Sworn to Protect delivers a fast paced story. But the relationship between Daisy and Shane fell to the wayside, in my opinion. All the time working on what was going on with Drew took away from the growth and development between Daisy and Shane. Their romance felt like a third wheel. And it was not what I was expecting after such great reads from Davis in the past. I can understand how Shane and Daisy would grow closer as they continued to work together, but Shane's past mistake seemed to be forgiven rather quickly. I would have loved to seen more groveling, lol. As it was, their chemistry never felt real and the sexy times fell flat. 

SEXY SNIPPETS TUESDAY

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.
 
An oldie but definitely a goodie!
 
 

My Sexy Snippet

 

Capable fingers delved into her panties , swept through the curls at the apex of her thighs. Parted the slick, bare folds of her sex, already wet for him.

"Jesus," he gasped, pupils dilating. "You shave there."

Pleased by his lusty reaction, she gave a low, throaty laugh. "Personal preference. Less is more and all that. You like?"

"Pretty Katherine, you tie me in knots. Let me make you feel good."

She took that as an enthusiastic yes.

 

 

This was taken from Trial by Fire, book one of Jo Davis's sexy Firefighters of Station Five series. It remains one of my favorite series, and Howard is one of my favorite firemen.

 

Now it's your turn to show me your Sexy Snippet.

 

 

SECRETLY CRUSHING ON...

Secretly Crushing On is a weekly feature that is held on Thursdays, hosted by Wickedly Delicious Book Blog. This is a blog hop geared towards book lovers preferably ages 18+ with the objective to find and visit other blogs that share the same interest as you... a love for Sexy Reads with a Hot Hero your are Secretly Crushing On. It can be an old book or new read.
How to join:


Make a separate post for the Secretly Crushing On hop on your blog.


Copy the button above or place your own (as long as you link back to Wickedly Delicious Book Blog) on top of your post.


Pick your Secretly Crushing On candidate with an old book or current read. Give a reason for your pick or give a little teaser or both.


Place your name and blog title in the linky on Wickedly Delicious blog post--include the URL for a direct link to the post.


Visit other blogs on the list and make some new friends!

Today, I started reading Jennifer Bernard's book that released this month: The Fireman Who Loved Me. I can already tell that this will be a really great series.

And someone needs to call 911 to have a hunky fireman come put out the fire in my panties after reading this little scene:





Her breath came in quick pants, and her hands roamed his back, loving the feel of those hard muscles she'd dreamed about since the other night. She ran her hands down his backside to his strong thighs, feeling his muscles clench at her touch. Her head swam. "I want you," she whispered. "Right now, against the door."

Her words seemed to set him off. He spun her around so her back was to the door, firmly placed her legs around him, and crushed his bulging erection against her groin. A stream of rough, hot whispers came next. "I want to open you up...touch you all over...make you scream...spread you wide..." All the while he kept her pinned to the door, so only her hips could move.

UNGH---5 ALARM FIRE HERE LADIES

And here's a few pics to help you understand why I have a thing for firemen...

And if you enjoy reading this genre, you also need to check out Jo Davis and her sexy Firefighter Series. Seriously~ After reading these books, everytime I drove by my local fire dept, I practically broke my neck craning to see if Howard Six Packs worked there...(His story is book One of Davis's books.***WARNING--will cause spontaneous combustion of girly bits.***



Book Four



Book Five





Book Three



Book Two



Book One