Book Review: Full Heat by Carla Swafford

The first book in the Brothers of Mayhem series had a good ending but there was also something of a cliffhanger. This story is about the hot headed brother of the heroine and it brings the same grit and dark themes. Trigger warning for strong references to rape and abuse.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Synopsis
A woman hires the Brothers of Mayhem to be her bodyguard while she and her business is threatened by a rival gang. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.

Biker Bodyguards
Mary Jane and her business partner are being threatened and extorted by a local gang. Her business partner suggests she enlist the services of the Brothers of Mayhem. Though the brothers are known for their own violent ways, under their current leadership, they’re offering bodyguard services as a way to go legit. Their leader, Storm Ryder, is reluctant to help Mary Jane for his own personal reasons, but when it becomes apparent her life truly is in danger, he takes her to clubhouse so he can keep watch on her, day and night.

No Touching
Storm doesn’t like to be touched. Ever. After several years in jail being abused and raped by other inmates, he can’t handle physical contact unless he’s initiating it. But he finds himself opening up to Mary Jane and letting her get under his skin. She’s a free spirit, having grown up in a commune, and every time he does something he thinks is going to push her away, she surprises him by welcoming and accepting him for who he is.

Daddy Issues
Personal and club matters are made more complicated by the fact that Storm’s dad is back in town, a man who physically abused him and his sister and killed their mother. Unfortunately, the man who actually raised Storm seems to be siding with his old man, and besides an impending war with the other gang, there’s also a lot of unrest within the Brothers. It’s not until Mary Jane takes him to the commune where she grew up that he realizes there is a place and a person that could actually make him happy.

Emotionally Dark
The motorcycle club is violent and criminal, and yet even with this as a backdrop to the story, there’s still a strong romantic and emotional element. It’s hard sometimes to see Storm as an actual hero because of the alpha male harshness, but once we get into his emotions and how painful his time in jail was for him, it’s easier to understand where some of that violence comes from. The other characters, not so much. Storm’s father is loathesome. I actually liked the rival gang better than I did him, and I hope he ends up with some sort of really painful comeuppance.

The Romance Factor
Mary Jane knows what Storm is like, knows that he pushes her away, and yet she keeps trying to get through and show how much she cares for him. It’s not an easy journey for either of them, but I loved the amount of conflict and emotion they exude in their relationship. 4/5

The Steam Factor
Storm and Mary Jane have a lot of sex. Pretty much every time they’re alone in his room, which is frequent since that’s where she’s hiding out. It’s super spicy! 5/5

Final Thoughts
Motorcycle club books can’t necessarily be marketed as “sweet,” but there were a lot of sweet parts in this one. There’s also an appearance by Cassidy and Thorne from the first book that plays into Storm’s story. Gritty and disturbing, this book still got me in the feels and ended up being a strong read.

Book Review: Last Hit by Jessica Clare and Jen Frederick

At my job, we have a type of project that is easy enough that I can listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I work on it. This time around, I chose to listen to this audiobook. It kept me riveted and engaged, but when things got hot in the book, I felt a little nervous listening to it in the office. Talk about some heat.

One-Sentence Synopsis
A sheltered young woman leaves her home to live on her own and becomes involved with a mysterious Ukrainian who has ties with a dangerous Russian mafia group. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.

Immersive Entertainment
Though my first audiobook was fun but not magical, and I have to say…I loved this one. I loved that the readers used a Russian accent when reading from Nikolai’s point of view. I also enjoyed the fact that there were two people reading, one for each character’s point of view.

Living Under a Rock
Daisy is really naive. Really, really naive. But it works in this book because she’s been extremely sheltered and so is weirdly awkward. Her father has kept her under his thumb for years, having turned paranoid and agoraphobic after the murder of his wife. But Daisy wants more, and so after some sneaky planning, she manages to run away to live in an apartment with a roommate. Because I could understand why she had no social skills, her awkwardness and the fact that she was clueless about many things weren’t as annoying as they might have been otherwise.

Keeping Tabs
Nikolai starts out a little creepy, but he’s so endearing that I didn’t actually care that he was peeping on Daisy. He’s an assassin and part of a Russian bratva, but he’s also damaged from his youth. So when he actually has feelings for Daisy, it’s classically trope-ish and really romantic. He wants to protect her, she wants her independence, and this brings some great conflict.

Of course Nikolai doesn’t tell her he’s a killer for hire, and his secrets start to get a little out of hand. But he tries to maintain normalcy by taking her out on dates and buying her nice things…things she doesn’t want him to buy because they cost so much, of course. But he does it anyway. He’s also there to rescue her in a few situations, so props for some damsel in distress situations that make sense considering Daisy’s lack of world experience.

Sex & Violence
This is a darker romance, dealing with mafia and murder and heroines in danger. I loved this blend and thought it was well balanced. There was suspense in the fact that I knew at some point Nikolai’s profession would get Daisy into trouble. It was just a matter of it actually happening. Then when it did, I got all worked up waiting for Nikolai to figure it out and go save her. There are some dark themes. While Daisy isn’t raped, another character is, and there is quite a bit of violence.

The Romance Factor
I got the same heart feels from this one that I get from a really great book I’ve read visually. Nikolai’s desire to protect Daisy is amazingly sweet, and Daisy’s worry that everything she says or does is wrong is kind of adorable. I know, it sounds like  it could get really annoying, but it’s not. 5/5

The Steam Factor
While the sex doesn’t overpower the plot, the sexy times are definitely tantalizing. Daisy’s a virgin at the beginning, but it doesn’t seem to take long for her to jump on the dirty talk/dirty times train. 5/5

Final Thoughts
This was a great story with narrators that I really enjoyed. When it comes to audiobooks, the voices reading the story play a huge part in the experience. I’m going to listen to this whole series, including the book I’d already read (which I loved, so it won’t be a chore to enjoy it again). This one is written by 2 authors I like, and I feel that when they collaborate, romantic magic is made.

Book Review: Risking It All by Christi Barth

Based on the number of emails I received from NetGalley telling me I’d like this because I read -insert title of book here-, I figured I should probably request it. Plus I liked the idea of a man blog. I don’t read any, and I’m sure they’re out there, but in the context of this book’s synopsis, it sounded fun.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

One-Sentence Synopsis
A man who spends most of his time taking risks meets and falls for a woman who takes as few risks as possible. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.

Dealing With Trauma
Griffin and Chloe both have traumatic events in their past, but they’ve handled it on opposite ends of the spectrum. Griffin and his fellow soccer players were in a bad bus accident in the middle of nowhere when they were young, and his take charge actions led him to a job with the coast guard, sometimes taking risks to save people. Chloe was the victim of a mass shooting, and though she dreams of traveling, she chooses to stay safe at home in a career as a professional letter writer.

Differences of Opinion
When Griffin is grounded after breaking the rules on a rescue mission, he’s not the happiest of campers. When they first meet, Griffin isn’t much of a Casanova, basically telling Chloe he was bored and she looked interesting (a cure for boredom is something every woman hopes to be, I’m sure). But as they get to know each other, they both seem to develop as characters, something that’s only emphasized by the fact that they continue to experience conflict in their difference in opinions at how their trauma should be handled. Griffin wants Chloe to get out and live her life (something she’s heard way too much from her best friend) and Chloe thinks Griffin should stop taking unnecessary risks.

Let’s Get Real
The interactions between Griffin and Chloe were relatable, and while there was angst, it was believable, normal angst. Not only did I like most of their interactions, I liked being able to see their separate lives, especially Griffin’s friendship with the other guys who were part of the bus accident and their different personalities.

Weird Hang-Ups
I enjoyed the opposites attract aspect of these two characters, and I liked that most of their interactions felt real. However, there was one aspect that drove me nuts, and that was the way Griffin reacted to Chloe being a virgin.  Maybe I just haven’t been around people who thought it was a big deal, but Griffin was kind of a douche about the whole thing, basically insulting Chloe for having not had sex already because it made him uncomfortable.

The Romance Factor
Once we got past Griffin’s weird virgin freak out, the romance fell into place. It wasn’t as heart rending as some romances, but is nice and sweet, and as I mentioned before, it felt real. 3/5

The Steam Factor
There’s a lot of buildup and very little sex, but when Griffin and Chloe do finally rock out, it’s on the high side of hot. 3/5

Final Thoughts
Once I got past Griffin being a jerk about the virginity issue, I was able to enjoy this for the cute romance it was. I feel that based on the glimpses of the other characters in this one, I’m probably going to like the other guys more, so I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Book Review: Partner Games by Jessica Clare

It took me way too long to get to this book, especially because this is one of the series I auto-buy. I was hooked on the Games series from the beginning. There’s something awesome about steamy romance happening during a reality game show.

One-Sentence Synopsis
Sisters compete in reality TV game show and ally themselves with biker guys who they find different types of chemistry with. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.

Sisterly Love
I’ve been reading  a lot of books with less than likeable family members lately, so it was nice to read one about sisters who actually get along and love each other. They’ve decided to go on the World Race together, but from the beginning, nerdy Clementine knows something isn’t quite right with her normally confident model sister Georgie. Clem’s stress is only compounded by the strange chemistry she has with one of the guys from another team.

Teaming Up
Swift and Plate (biker names…no joke) are drawn to the sisters from the start. Swift has a thing for nerdy girls and finds Clementine adorable. Plate recognizes Georgie from her modeling work and has a huge crush on her, even though he’s not her type (he’s a big teddy bear of a guy and she’s used to dating male models).

Nerdy Girl Gets the Guy
The dynamics between the two couples were different but still sweet. The romance and heat comes from Swift and Clementine. Clementine still has her v-card and it takes her awhile to believe that Swift genuinely likes her. It doesn’t help that they’re trying to win a million dollars, so  besides her lack of confidence, Clemmy is also dealing with being unsure of how much she can trust her allies.

Georgie and Plate are the friends of the story, but they’re super close and their relationship is adorable. Georgie is struggling with a traumatic thing that happened to her when she was modeling, and Plate has the knack for keeping her calm when she has a meltdown. They’re flirty, but Plate is the perfect gentleman, never taking advantage of Georgie and doing what he can to be supportive and kind to her.

Just Friends?
Major props to the author for being able to the tell the story of two different couples using a first person point of view from one character (Clementine) the whole time. She does add little blurbs at the beginning of each chapter which are segments of interviews the contestants gave for the show. Considering these are just short blurbs among a longer story, it was impressive that I still felt a whole range of emotion from all the characters.

The Romance Factor
I’m a sucker for a nerdy heroine, and Clementine is perfect. She and Swift have good chemistry, and there is a ton of foreplay between them. On the other side of the story, Plate is the kind of guy who’s rough around the edges but he’s the perfect match for Georgie. And while a later romance between Plate and Georgie is only hinted at, the development of their relationship and their strong friendship is genuine. Luckily, the author released a holiday short story about those two on her blog, so I was able to get a little more bliss after I finished this book. 5/5

The Steam Factor
There’s a lot of stolen kisses between Clem and Swift throughout the book, and though there seemed to be a much lower level of sex in this one than in the previous Games books, when the hotel room started rocking, it was worth the wait. Probably for the characters too. 5/5

Final Thoughts
I really can’t get enough of this series, and I’m always a little bummed when I have to wait for another one to come out. The premise is simple, so you’d think eventually they’d start to get boring, but not yet and maybe not for me. I find the whole romance/reality TV combo thing to be quite pleasing.

Book Review: The Billionaire and the Virgin by Jessica Clare

I recently celebrated my wedding anniversary in a way fitting for a couple of nerdy book lovers: spending the day chilling and reading. It was perfect for us, and rather than worry about reading from my list or trying to get blog posts and writing done, I just went with it, no guilt involved. In doing so, I managed to finish all three of the currently released Billionaires and Bridesmaids series, a spinoff of my fave Billionaire Boys Club series. If you had told me a few years back that billionaire romances would be one of my favorite subgenres, I’d have rolled my eyes. But this is one of my guilty pleasures that I have absolutely no guilt about.

One-Sentence Synopsis
A self-conscious woman doesn’t believe it when a good looking business man showers her with attention while she’s on vacation, not recognizing him as the brains behind a popular but misogynistic TV channel. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.

Cashing in the V-Card
Marjorie is the epitome of naive. She’s a virgin (not a spoiler, it’s in the title of the book), she’s never had a boyfriend, and she tends to think and do like the older generation. She loves bingo, knitting, quilting circles, and generally spending time with the elderly, who she relates to better than she does her peers. She also has a huge hang up about her height and has been made fun of in the past for being an “Amazon.”

Misogyny at Its Finest
Rob Cannon is Marjorie’s complete opposite. He’s jaded by the television industry and the fact that women want him for his money and the fame they think he can bring them. He’s not a good guy. Rob makes his money off a TV show that has women show their breasts for money. And while he’s at the point where he actually wants respect in the industry, he’s having a hard time getting it, especially because his timing in talking with Logan Hawkings (Stranded With a Billionaire) sucks. Logan is on the island for his wedding and wants nothing to do with smut peddling Rob. So Rob decides to leave…until he falls hard for Marjorie.

Beautiful to Me
There were times that Marjorie’s naivete was a little annoying. How sheltered can one woman be? But other times, she was charming and sweet and overall, I really liked her. Rob is a major douchecanoe in general, but I loved that he had no problem with Marjorie’s height and did everything he could to make her feel beautiful. This is one of my favorite themes of all of Jessica Clare’s books: the heroine with a “flaw” and the hero who could care less about it and spends his time making her feel sexy and pretty.

Don’t Mess With Bingo Players
Their first couple dates are hilarious and disastrous. Marjorie doesn’t handle her alcohol well, but Rob isn’t one to be put off by a little end-of-the-evening vomit. Marjorie also has a habit of taking bad advice from well-meaning friends, so their second date involves some weirdness, tears, and a posse of elderly Bingo players who seem likely to take Rob out and beat him like a senior mob hit. Which would have been a pretty funny scene, actually.

I See Where This is Going…
It’s pretty clear from the beginning where the conflict is going to happen, but that doesn’t make the journey to get there any less fun. While Marjorie develops a little bit, mostly because she discovers “the sex,” Rob is the one who really changes, changing his whole outlook on things because of Marjorie and making a big, awesome gesture to show her how much he loves her.

Timey Whimey
I will say that the timeline threw me off a bit. I expected these books to happen after the final book in the Billionaire Boys Club series, and because I don’t retain details after a time, I couldn’t remember what time markers were in One Night with a Billionaire. Cade makes an appearance in this one, single because his date stood him up. My first thought was that something happened with Kylie, but then I remembered that this is romance, and things like that don’t happen. I realized that this one took place before that, when Cade was still hung up on Daphne.

The Romance Factor
Marjorie and Rob are sweet, and it’s fun to watch Rob go from being a general dick to being a kinder person because of Marjorie’s influence. He treats her well for the most part, and his own emotions and hurt during their conflict made me want to give him a hug. 4/5

The Steam Factor
I’m not sure if there’s much I can really say about how hot these books are. Anyone who’s read Clare knows that she writes them spicy and that dirty talk makes up about a good chunk of the naughtiness. Even though Marjorie is a virgin and Rob takes his time with her, it’s still all kinds of dirty fun. 5/5

Final Thoughts
Besides being a fun read, this was a chance to revisit characters from the first set of books, as it takes place at Logan and Bronte’s wedding. While the verdict is still out on if I’m going to like these ones as much as I liked the original books, there’s no doubt that I’m still going to like them, and I’m thrilled to be able to stay in this world for a bit longer.