Zakia and the Cowboy by Lorraine Nelson

ZAKIA AND THE COWBOY BY LORRAINE NELSON

Word Count: 60,770

Heat Level: Flirty

Genre: Western Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

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Thunder Creek Ranch Series Book 1

With a stalker following her every move Zakia has no choice but to flee the city. With her options limited she runs to the only place she's ever felt safe...the Thunder Creek Ranch and her ex-husband, Lucas.

Will he protect Zakia from the stalker? And if he does will either of them be able to ignore the feelings that have simmered for so long, ready to explode... before danger either draws them together or pulls them apart.
***

Ah from the first line I was hooked. Ms Nelson writes in a brilliant style, and I just sat and read this in one sitting, oblivious to what I should have been doing.

I find writing a review hard, because I don't want to give any of the story away!

But, I love Zakia, and her attitude and how she copes.

She's being stalked, and goes to her ex-husband for help. That's all of the plot I'm sharing, but, I will say, the sex is hot!

What is great is yes, hot sex, yes tingly hot sex, but it's not all the book is about. This book has a story. It kept me on tenterhooks, even when you know who the stalker is, well you don't know who he is, and it's great.

So you might say, why no A?

Because I would have liked more of the stalkers reasons. Yeah we find out why, and they are oh so plausible, but the little insights into his mind weren't enough for me.

I will definitely be reading more of Ms. Nelson's work.

B+

The Price to Pay by Raven McAllan

THE PRICE TO PAY BY RAVEN MCALLAN

Word Count: 55300

Heat Level: Flirty

Genre: Romance, contemporary, cougar

Publisher: Breathless Press

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Do a friend a favor? Easy. Persuade the woman she's your soul mate? Not so easy. Does this cougar romance stand a chance?

Raig was only doing a favor for a friend. Who'd have thought the mum he was "babysitting" would turn out to be the woman of his dreams?

Raig could see their future; Vairi could only see the age difference. He may say "you are only as old as the man you feel," but she couldn't do the forever he wanted. Too many obstacles stood in their way, especially when she finds out Raig has not been telling her the truth, even though she too has secrets she's not willing to share. Can they open up and put their doubts behind them to discover how satisfying a cougar romance can be?

***

Oooh, a cougar story. How fun, I thought, and it has a good looking couple on the cover. Those two things were the main reasons why I chose to read this book.

First let me start with the mechanics. If I had to grade only this part of the work, it'd end up in the low C range. It took me a little while to get into the story as I grew used to the style of writing and learning to overlook all the telling words/phrases (i.e.: he felt, he could hear, he let, etc). For my taste, I would have liked the story to have been in the heroine's POV at times and not just spoon fed through how the hero thinks she's feeling/thinking, but the story did work just in the hero's POV. There were other small errors, too, that should have been caught during the proofing (spelling, missed words, etc) and which drew me out of the story.

As for the story, whew, talk about sexy! Who wouldn't want a man treating her like a queen and lavishing gobs of affection on her, even though he's a randy one and struck with the love bug right from the start? The hero explained his quick descent into loving her from his angle, and I did appreciate the fact that the heroine addressed the "falling in love fast." I'd been wondering the same since they didn't know each other yet. I liked how humor/wit is laced throughout the story along with the fun bantering between the couple. The first radio show was quite enjoyable as was the texting back and forth later on. I also found myself trying really hard to guess what the issue was Raig was keeping from Vairi. It was built up to be this huge issue/obstacle that they needed to overcome. Yet, when it came down to it, it seemed to be quickly resolved...probably because of how Vairi felt by the end. And, no, I wasn't able to guess his issue so it came as a nice surprise. If I had to grade the story separate from the mechanics, it would have received a high B.

All in all, The Price to Pay was a good read and decent story, and with the two grades combined, it came out with a weak B-.

B-

Forbidden Desires by Kelly Yeakle

FORBIDDEN DESIRES BY KELLY YEAKLE

Word Count: 43,730

Heat Level: Flirty

Genre: Contemporary f/f Romance

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

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When Dani meets the delicate beauty that is Carmen she knows instantly that she wants her—in her life and in her bed. But can Miss. Commitment-phobic look beyond the sex to see the woman beneath?

To Carmen, the wildly beautiful Dani is a new and exciting friend. What she hadn't counted on is the simmering desire she feels when in Dani's presence. As her relationship with her boyfriend sours, Carmen begins to wonder if there is more to Dani than she realizes.

Should she give in to this, the most forbidden of desires?

***

There is a LOT I LOVE about this book.

1. The writing style is superb, engaging, and shows great talent. 

2. In the end, it has a moral: that a woman CAN leave a long-term relationship, CAN stand on her own two feet, and does not need a man in her life to be happy. 

3. Through the heroine, readers feel the emotional turmoil as Carmen is torn between her long time love and boyfriend and what could be and her new sexy friend, Dani and the forbidden desires and (for her) unchartered territory of loving another woman. 

4. It raises the question and the conflicts around: "Is it cheating?" 

5. The sex was amazing.

Do I recommend this read? Absolutely. My only quibble with this book is at times, I did not like Dani. She came across as really pushy. When Carmen said "no" or "I'm not ready for this" or "I need to think," Dani SAID she'd give her space or whatever, but would continue kissing her and driving Carmen mad. I feel Dani pushed Carmen and didn't respect her need for space.

But I loved Carmen and enjoyed her story very much. I was engrossed and understood the turmoil she was feeling. Loved the issues raised. This was a very good read.

B+

Unscripted by J.S. Marlo

UNSCRIPTED BY J.S. MARLO

Word Count: 86,784

Heat Level: Flirty

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Breathless Press

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"Shaped by fire. Bound by duty. Driven by love." Riley's tumultuous life rivals the television scripts she writes for Wild Rescue.

After a bullet shatters his world, actor Blythe Huxley befriends Riley Kendrick, a new writer on the television show Wild Rescue, never expecting to discover a kindred spirit.

No stranger to tragedy, Riley lends a compassionate ear to Blythe's difficulties and soon becomes entangled in a web of illicit affairs and deadly intrigue.

When an arsonist and a killer both strike, Riley's fate intertwines with Blythe's, and her life and her heart hang in the balance. Will they be able to protect their past? And save their future? 

***

I was dreading the end of this book because I knew that it would leave a huge hole in my heart. I didn't want to say goodbye to Blythe or Riley. I wanted to stay wrapped in their story for much longer than I thought was possible, such is the amazing talent of this writer.

J.S. Marlo has an incredible knack of drawing you into the world that she has created - and created very cleverly I might add. I read a lot of books and most of them are very good but I would honestly have to say that this is an excellent read. Well worth your time and money.

I cried (more than once), I got annoyed (okay really pissed off) at a couple of the characters and frustrated as well. All indicators that I was totally immersed in the plot and the people involved.

A well deserved B plus from me.

B+

A Facebook Affair by Tara Chevrestt

A FACEBOOK AFFAIR BY TARA CHEVRESTT

Word Count: 38,221 

Heat Level: Flirty

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Breathless Press

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When Kelly and Brandon rediscover each other on Facebook after twenty years apart, it sparks an attraction that even distance can't extinguish. Do they truly have a future, or is this just a Facebook affair?

Kelly Littleton takes the plunge and finally joins Facebook to socialize without the limits that her hearing impairment gives her. On a whim, she looks up a childhood friend. In sending him that first message, she ignites the memories of a crush from twenty years ago. But will they turn into the flames of romance, or end up the ashes of a Facebook affair?

Brandon Hopkins has a lot on his plate. A recent divorce, a pregnant sister, and now, he realizes he's in love with a woman who lives states away. Can he overcome the boundaries of internet romance to make this desire turn into something real, or will adversity and distance be their undoing?

***

A Facebook Affair centers on the rekindling of a friendship between a young hearing impaired woman and a sweet man who knew each other in elementary school. The tale seamlessly transitions from the past the the present. The element of having a deaf heroine brought a sense of realism to the world of erotica, which can sometimes be a bit far-fetched. There were many funny one-liners, and I found myself smiling while reading several times. The heroine is a strong woman, something I love to see in romance, and the hero is quite the gentleman. There was hot build-up and delivery of sex scenes, and non-awkward discussions about using condoms. The one thing I didn't like about the book was that there was head hopping, most notably during one of the sex scenes. I found myself distracted and wondering "Wasn't this just in her point of view?". Regardless, I enjoyed this story and look forward to more from the author.

B