Tag Archives: Erotic

Review: Lady in Red by Maire Claremont

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Lady in Red (Mad Passions, #2)Lady in Red by Maire Claremont

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the author for an honest review at Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance.

Maire Claremont is a new author for me, but when I saw the blurb of LADY IN RED, I couldn’t wait to get started reading it. I was immediately sucked in to the plight of Lady Mary Darrel, a woman starved and bedraggled, pleading for help at the doorstep of a London brothel as her last best hope for rescue. She was abused and misused at the hands of those doing the bidding of her monstrous father, the one who had locked her away in a madhouse after she’d witnessed his murder of her beloved mother. Her escape came at a great cost to herself and others, and now her incipient freedom might do likewise to those who will help her seek her vengeance.

When Edward Barrons sees Mary bathing upstairs in a whorehouse bedroom, he initially mistakes her for one of the working girls. After she sets him straight in a most direct fashion, it’s her spirit that calls to him as much as her only slightly diminished beauty. As Duke of Fairleigh, he has the power and social standing to protect her from her father, but only inasmuch as she will allow. As Mary begins to recover and prepares herself to take revenge on those who have harmed her, she and Edward start to bond in a way which could end in their mutual happiness if only they can confront their individual demons in time to see the light.

LADY IN RED was an intense read for me, one where I was so captivated by Mary and Edward and the terrible danger they were in that I was actually afraid to finish the book, deliberately putting it aside after reading a rare happy moment so I could finish it the next day. I especially enjoyed the presence of Edward’s cynical friend, Viscount Powers, who was just as damaged as Mary and Edward, yet was in a unique position to commiserate more fully with them individually than they were able to with each other. Once Mary is set on the path of revenge by Edward, the story hurtles along toward that dread goal, picking up speed along the way and sending me down a foreboding path of not knowing how it all could possibly end well for anyone. Reading THE RED LADY was a fantastic rollercoaster ride of emotions and I’m still experiencing a well-earned book hangover days later. I’ve already bought the first book in the Mad Passions series, THE DARK LADY, to read next, and I’m very pleased to see that Viscount Powers will be the hero of THE DARK AFFAIR. Maire Claremont is now one of my very favorite historical romance writers, and I have LADY IN RED to thank for that.

Favorite Quote:

“Why are you so afraid?” she whispered.
“I am afraid of nothing,” he snapped, bracing his palms on the mantel.
“Fear and I are intimate acquaintances, Edward. You are in its bed.”

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Review: The Training by Tara Sue Me

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The Training (The Submissive Trilogy, #3)The Training by Tara Sue Me

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at SeductiveMusings.blogspot.com.

This review may contain spoilers for The Submissive and The Dominant, the first two books in the Submissive trilogy. You could read The Training as a stand-alone book, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

After the riveting start in The Submissive and a somewhat tepid retelling of the same story from the hero’s POV in The Dominant, we now get the touching conclusion to Abby and Nathaniel’s love story in The Training. Our hero and heroine have finally realized that they should give their chance at love one more try, and they both work hard to overcome their doubts about themselves and each other. During this time of reconciliation, Nathaniel and Abby learn to harmonize their need for a part-time Dominant/submissive relationship with their fragile new status as boyfriend and girlfriend, but the road to the perfect balance is not easy, and it takes some help from Nathaniel’s mentor in the BDSM lifestyle to show them the way forward.

Although I loved The Submissive, I found The Dominant somewhat less enjoyable since it was basically the same story, although I did appreciate being able to understand what had gone before from Nathaniel’s point of view. What helped make The Training a success for me was having both Abby’s and Nathaniel’s POV available, each moving the story forward rather than simply recapping what had already been described from the other’s perspective. I got a much better handle on their individual concerns and motivations, and was relieved that the author was able to avoid the spectre of “head-hopping” which derails so many books with multiple first person narratives. Best of all, the ups and downs that occur between Nathaniel and Abby throughout The Training only help to make their Happy Ever After even more enjoyable when they finally get that happy balance that they’ve worked so hard to achieve together. (And yes, I did cheer when I saw there was an epilogue. I love epilogues and this one was sweet.)

The Training is a satisfying conclusion to the Submissive trilogy and I recommend it to readers who love a tender romance along with their kinky sexy-time reads.

Ratings:

Overall: 4
Sensuality level: 4 (heavy BDSM including anal sex and caning)

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Review: I Only Have Eyes for You by Bella Andre

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I Only Have Eyes for You (The Sullivans, #4)I Only Have Eyes for You by Bella Andre

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Romancing Rakes For The Love Of Romance.

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU is the fourth book in Bella Andre’s best-selling Sullivans series and the first with a Sullivan sister as the heroine of the story. The two youngest Sullivan siblings are twin sisters named Lori and Sophie, but their brothers usually refer to them as ‘Naughty’ and ‘Nice’. It’s difficult enough for Sophie Sullivan to establish an identity independent of her wild and unpredictable twin. But when Jake McCann, the man she’s been in love with all her life, continues to behave like another one of her six older and overprotective brothers, Sophie decides to finally make him see her as someone who is capable of being an adult woman worthy of his attention.

Jake McCann is the best friend of Sophie’s brother Zach and practically a member of the Sullivan family after hanging out at their home throughout his troubled childhood. He owed them all so much for looking after him when his own family had let him down, and so would never allow himself to consider making any moves on either Sullivan sister. Yet he can’t help but notice how beautiful Sophie has grown and how much he would like to be with her if she’d only been anyone else. She deserved better than a guy from the wrong side of the tracks who’d had plenty of sex but would never make a real commitment to any woman.

It’s during the wedding of Sophie’s brother Chase that Sophie makes her move, playing up her appearance so that she looks just as seductive and glamorous as her twin. What Sophie doesn’t know is that over the past several months, Jake has already become aware of her as a romantic interest, despite every instinct telling him it could never work out between them. So when Jake sees the new grown-up Sophie in the way she wanted, not even Sophie’s brothers can douse what ignites between them after the wedding is over. The repercussions of what happens on that night will ensure none of their lives will ever be the same.

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU was so heartfelt and dramatic that it actually had me worried Sophie and Jake might not find their way back to each other in time to enjoy their happy ending. Bella Andre helped me appreciate why they each behaved as they did, even though their actions were often frustrating, and it was gratifying to see them slowly work through all their issues to build a true relationship out of what had begun as a single night of passion.

I’m a big fan of all the Bella Andre Sullivan books, but this was the first one that really affected me more than any of the others. I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU is a poignant love story that tore at my heart and made me cry, and I loved every minute of it.

Favorite Quote:

“I love you, Jake McCann. Always.” She felt the wonder, the magic, the beauty of knowing true love had been waiting for them all along. “Forever.”

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Review: If You Were Mine by Bella Andre

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If You Were Mine (The Sullivans, #5)If You Were Mine by Bella Andre

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Romancing Rakes For The Love Of Romance.

Bella Andre continues her Sullivans series with book number five, IF YOU WERE MINE, bringing us the story of Zach Sullivan and Heather Linsey. Zach is the last person who should have been saddled with a rambunctious little puppy, however temporarily, but he couldn’t turn down his brother Gabe, or Gabe’s fianceé’s little girl. But when his good friend Agnes recommends Heather as the perfect dog trainer, Zach’s interest in Heather ensures that he’ll make all the time she needs to help him make Cuddles behave.

Growing up with a father who cheated and a mother who allowed it has made Heather bitter about men and their lack of fidelity, and just because Zach Sullivan is ridiculously handsome doesn’t mean she’ll let down her guard so he can break her heart. But Zach is used to women falling all over him, and sees Heather’s initial rejection as a challenge he is more than willing to accept, even though he already knows he can never offer her more than sex. Amazing, mind-blowing sex, to be sure, but nothing more.

When Heather’s mistrust meets Zach’s fear of commitment, the result is a story where the hero and heroine spend most of their time doing everything they can to work against their own happiness together. And that is the main reason why I did not love this book as much as the others before or after it. Every time it looked like Zach and Heather were making progress in realizing that what they had was something to treasure and nurture, one of them would backslide into their negative presuppositions about love and relationships and push the other one away again. I wanted to smack Heather more than once when she refused to even consider that Zach was a better man than her father, believing that making herself emotionally vulnerable was being stupid in a way she assumed her mother had been. But Zach was just as infuriating with his insistence that he was somehow doomed to follow in his late father’s footsteps in the worst possible way, with no reason to doubt what I considered to be an incredibly irrational belief.

The best parts of IF YOU WERE MINE were when we got to see Zach and Heather allowing themselves to be happy with each other both in and out of the bedroom. The dog training scenes were also fun, as well as any scene involving the extended Sullivan family, and I did enjoy the book when I wasn’t wanting to throw things at the hero and heroine. By the end of the story, it was a relief to see both Zach and Heather get set straight on what was true and real, and figure out that they belonged together for good. It may not have been my favorite in the series, but IF YOU WERE MINE is definitely worth reading for anyone who loves Bella Andre’s Sullivan family.

Favorite Quote:

He was halfway across the living room when he turned and said, “If it weren’t for the puppy of mass destruction over there, I’d invite you to join me.”                                                   Ah, there was the man she could so much more easily fight her attraction to.                    “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here.”

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Review: The Naughty Corner by Jasmine Haynes

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The Naughty CornerThe Naughty Corner by Jasmine Haynes

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Night Owl Reviews.

The full version of this review is available at Night Owl Reviews: The Naughty Corner by Jasmine Haynes

One of the things I love most about Jasmine Haynes’s writing is the sense of humor she brings to so many of her stories. There’s something funny about everything and everyone in “The Naughty Corner” even when Lola is dealing with what appears to be a stalker sending her threatening emails and letters. The relationship between Gray and Lola starts out as a summer fling for both of them, but as it grows into something deeper, the feelings they each deal with are handled as maturely and realistically as possible under the circumstances, with a minimum of angst and drama. And because this is Jasmine Haynes, the sex scenes are sensual and passionate without being lewd or lascivious. It’s that successful combination of hot sex, deep emotions and light humor that makes “The Naughty Corner” such a fun and satisfying read.

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Review: Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones

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Revealing Us (Inside Out #3)Revealing Us by Lisa Renee Jones

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance.

This review will contain spoilers for IF I WERE YOU and BEING ME, the previous two books in the INSIDE OUT series. REVEALING US should not be considered a stand-alone book.

If you’ve already read all the previous entries in Lisa Renee Jones’ gripping INSIDE OUT series – two full length books and five novellas at last count – you already know what happened to Rebecca, who her Master is/was, and how the delayed revelation of that secret nearly led to Sara being murdered by the woman who wanted Rebecca’s Master for herself. REVEALING US picks up right where we saw Sara last: sitting forlornly on the bed of her missing friend Ella, still recovering from both the attack on her life and the ultimatum Chris gave her before walking out the door. Chris is leaving for Paris that very night and he wants Sara to go with him. The implication is that if she chooses to stay, their relationship is over. But is going away with Chris the right decision? Sara may have been nearly killed only hours before, but she knows that she can’t let Chris go, and decides to join him on the late night flight.

Despite Chris’ assurances that their life in Paris will be wonderful, Sara finds herself in a place where she can’t speak the language, doesn’t like the food and keeps being confronted by various women still angry at being discarded by Chris in the not too distant past. It’s no wonder that Sara worries that she’s made a terrible mistake and that Chris will soon tire of her as he has with every other woman. But ever since she’s started trying to find out what happened after her friend Ella left to be married in Paris, Sara has also had the unsettling feeling that she’s being watched. When the hunt for Ella collides with the remaining secrets in Chris’ past, it’s Sara that gets caught in the crossfire, and there’s no guarantee that she or her relationship with Chris will survive.

I’m a huge fan of Lisa Renee Jones’ INSIDE OUT series and was impatiently awaiting this concluding book in what was originally announced as a trilogy. When the trilogy officially became a pentalogy (two more full length books will appear in the series after this one), I was concerned that Chris and Sara’s happy ending would be postponed even further. But the author reassured readers that although more was to come, this third book would still give them closure as a couple. Not only does REVEALING US provide a satisfying culmination for Chris and Sara, it also sheds new light on what may have happened to Ella, with plenty of details to keep us guessing until the fourth book arrives.

Nearly all of REVEALING US takes place in Paris, and although I missed Mark’s presence, it was a good way to focus the story on Chris and Sara without all the chaos of the previous events and the ongoing police investigation taking away from their story. Living with Chris in Paris, Sara had to deal with the full force of his day-to-day life as a famous artist in a way she’d never experienced back in San Francisco. Here she was just his latest girlfriend, and one that apparently nobody expected to stick around for long. It didn’t help that Chris had left so many disgruntled women in his past, and apparently every one of them wanted a piece of her. It got to where I pretty much expected someone to show up and threaten Sara every time she went to the ladies’ room alone.

The best part of REVEALING US is that Chris and Sara did begin to talk more and get to know each other better in a way that would help them handle all the obstacles put in their path during the course of this story. They both learned to trust each other in a way neither had in the previous two books, which had the added benefit of making their intimate moments even more emotionally compelling.

The problem for me in this story was when Sara kept ignoring Chris’ warnings to keep herself safe, constantly rushing headlong into yet another situation that put her in danger. All the while Chris kept saying there was one more big secret to reveal but insisting on waiting until the time was right to tell her. I was worried that the time might never be right if Sara managed to get herself arrested, kidnapped or worse before that could happen. I didn’t expect Sara to just agree to everything Chris wanted (despite their intermittent Dom/sub sexual interplay) but she seemed to lack common sense in a few key situations where I considered her exceptionally fortunate to have survived her poor choices.

This may make it sound like I did not enjoy this book, but that is far from the truth. I devoured REVEALING US in one long uninterrupted read where I simply could not put the book down and had to keep turning each page to find out what was going to happen next. I cheered when Sara followed Chris to Paris, I swooned when their trust and love for each other grew stronger and deeper, and I yelled when events (and evil ex-girlfriends) threatened to tear them apart. I loved the way Chris and Sara finally got to their happy ending (at least for this entry in the series) and I can’t wait to see what Lisa Renee Jones is going to do in the next book to bring Mark back into the story and show us what’s happened to Ella. If the next book is anything like REVEALING US, it’s going to be a heck of a ride.

Favorite Quote:

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this out loud.” I draw a breath and force my chin up. “Right or wrong, I needed her to know I could and would protect what is mine.”
Seconds tick by before he softly asks, “Which is what, Sara?”
The husky quality to his voice gives me courage. “You,” I whisper. “I needed her to know you belong to me now.”

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Review: Body of Work by Karla Doyle

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Body of WorkBody of Work by Karla Doyle

The complete version of this review can be found at Night Owl Reviews

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at NightOwlReviews.com.

“Body of Work” is a wonderful story about how two people wary of trusting the wrong person again can’t help but keep coming back to each other, first for lust and then for love. The scenes between Cassie and Brian are easily the best part of this book, and their relationship is both touching and believable.

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Review: Uncommon Passion by Anne Calhoun

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Uncommon Passion (Uncommon, #2)

This review originally appeared at Seductive Musings

Review: Uncommon Passion by Anne Calhoun

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at SeductiveMusings.blogspot.com.

I’ve read everything that Anne Calhoun has published for nearly a year now, and every time I’ve been rewarded with yet another wonderfully engaging and passionate romance. Her latest book, “Uncommon Passion,” features a pairing between two people who could not have seemed more different at first glance, but ultimately show they have more in common than anyone could have known.

Rachel Hill was born and raised in an isolated religious community (I think it’s fair to call it a cult) where women were taught to always defer to men and where she could only be alone in a room with her father or the group’s religious leader. After living her whole life under these restrictions, Rachel realized that her intelligence and innate veterinary talents with farm animals were worth more than what her father and religion dictated. The first brave act of her life was to take the money owed her for decades of back-breaking work and escape to the real world for an independent future. The second brave act of her life was to take the money she’d saved for vet school and bid it for a night with a man at the charity bachelor auction. Rachel isn’t looking for a date. She’s looking for a man who won’t have any problems going right to the bedroom for some quick and casual sex. After all, she doesn’t want a relationship, she just wants to not be a virgin.

Ben Harris is a troubled cop living only for the quick emotional fixes of danger and sex, both of which he gets in unhealthy quantities. He gets the danger fix from his job as a SWAT officer, taking so many unnecessary chances with his safety that his superiors threaten to remove him from the job. He gets his sex fix in his side job as the door bouncer at No Limits, the local dance club where people go to get drunk and get laid, usually in that order. Ben wasn’t even supposed to be on the bachelor list that night at the auction, but when he and Rachel make eye contact, she knows he’s the perfect choice for what she wants to buy with her hard earned money.

The “date” between Ben and Rachel goes pretty much as anticipated, with a quick dinner and an equally quick trip to Ben’s bedroom for some hard and fast sex. Rachel revels in the act that she knows she would never have experienced without leaving everything behind. Ben is relieved that she didn’t demand much of him and even left without having to be asked. But later when he realizes that she’d been a virgin, he somehow feels compelled to go back to her to ask for a do-over. It isn’t long before what started as a quick easy lay between strangers becomes an emotional journey between two lost souls afraid to see that what they have is so much more than sex.

The romance trope of a world-weary man providing sexual instruction to an innocent virgin is a common one, and one that I always enjoy. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen it with a woman who isn’t just an innocent to sex, but to adult life itself. Rachel is a truly remarkable heroine in that she has had to learn about so many things that most people take for granted. Her determination to experience everything an adult woman should have is what brings her to Ben’s bed and keeps her there when he insists on showing her everything she should know about pleasing herself and others in bed. Ben is over familiar with the adult world, to the point of seeming to have a death wish at times. Watching them become more attached to each other in spite of what they both insist they want is a wonderful experience and because this is an Anne Calhoun book, it is both beautifully written and incredibly moving. I loved every moment of “Uncommon Passion” and recommend Anne Calhoun as one of the finest romance writers working today.

Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 4

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Review: No Reservations by Stephanie Julian

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No Reservations (Salon Games, #2)

This review originally appeared at Seductive Musings

Review: No Reservations by Stephanie Julian

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at SeductiveMusings.blogspot.com.

This review will contain spoilers for By Private Invitation, the first book in the Salon Games series. You could read No Reservations as a stand-alone book, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Stephanie Julian has become one of my favorite authors over the past year, due in no small part to “By Private Invitation,” the first book in her Salon Games series. In that book, we met the handsome successful Golden brothers, born to inherit an international hotel chain but choosing to go it alone so they could create Haven, their dream hotel in Philadelphia. Haven doesn’t cater to the very rich in the usual ways, as By Private Invitation showed us in intimate detail. There is a special salon in the most private area of Haven, and it’s in the Salon where sexual fantasies of all kinds can be fulfilled among those fortunate enough to be invited there.

In the first book, we got to see Annabelle Elder and Jared Golden fall in love after meeting at a Haven’s New Year’s Eve party. This second book opens during that same event, just after Annabelle has left the table to dance with Jared. Still sitting at that table is her best friend, Kate Song, who had insisted on getting Annabelle out to celebrate the New Year while leaving her own fiancé back at home. When Jared’s brother, Tyler, spots the beautiful Kate sitting alone, he can’t resist going over to find out why she’s not having a good time at his party. Their mutual attraction is immediate, but Kate is engaged to Arnie, and she tries to make it clear that she’s not available. It’s only months later, after Kate has broken off her engagement and she sees Tyler again at Annabelle’s gallery premiere, that they renew their acquaintance and begin the complicated dance that will either end with them together in love or alone and broken-hearted.

Although No Reservations doesn’t have the same sense of intrigue as By Private Invitation, especially with regard to the secrets of the Salon, the relationship between Tyler and Kate is just as riveting and the emotional payoffs just as satisfying. We get more background on why the Golden brothers have broken away from their family’s inherited expectations and how the Salon fits into how they express themselves sexually. Both Kate and Tyler are ambitious in their own career paths, even if it doesn’t always appear so to the casual observer. The ways they have to work to balance their budding relationship with their personal goals are what drives the bulk of the story as we wait to see how they can have each other without betraying their individual dreams of success. It’s a wonderful give and take, and the love between them makes all the setbacks and misunderstandings worth suffering through to the gratifying happy ending.

“No Reservations” is an enjoyable follow-up to “By Private Invitation” and I strongly recommend both books in the series. I don’t know if there will be another Salon Games book, but I do know that if there is, I will be reading it.

Ratings:

Overall: 4.5
Sensuality level: 4 (BDSM, MFM ménage)

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Review: Everything For Us by M. Leighton

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Everything For Us (The Bad Boys, #3)

This review originally appeared at Seductive Musings

Review: Everything For Us by M. Leighton

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at SeductiveMusings.blogspot.com.

Everything For Us is the conclusion to the Bad Boys trilogy and is in no way a stand-alone book. This review contains significant spoilers for Down to You and Up to Me, the first two books in the series.

Everything For Us picks up not long after the rescue of Marissa, Olivia’s cousin who had been kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity in the previous book, Up to Me. After all the suspense, violence and exposed secrets in the first two Bad Boys books, this conclusion to the story of Cash and Nash Davenport is almost sedate by comparison.

Identity is an ongoing theme in this trilogy, where we were first led to believe that Cash and Nash were twin brothers, half-orphaned by the Russian mobsters who had killed their mother and gotten their father sent to prison for her murder. When we found out that Cash was posing as his dead brother Nash, it was obviously quite a surprise. But then we found out later on that Nash was actually still alive, and ready for revenge against everyone who had ruined his life and destroyed his family. Meanwhile Olivia had fallen for Cash at the same time he was still also posing as Nash, and her cousin Marissa was dating the person she thought was Nash when it was really Cash.

It really isn’t as confusing as it sounds when you try to explain it, but suffice it to say that in this third book, all the identity switching becomes the linchpin for what happens between Marissa and Nash, and how the threat from the Russian mobsters is eventually neutralized once and for all.

Marissa’s problem has always been that she was the rich snooty one who had been groomed by her equally rich and snooty father to think only of what was best for her family’s financial and political aspirations. She treated everyone she considered her inferior with thinly veiled contempt, including her cousin Olivia, with thinly veiled contempt. What Marissa didn’t realize is that the person she thought was Nash was dating her solely as cover so that nobody would suspect he was actually someone else.

Nash has returned to help rescue Marissa and reclaim the life his brother had been living for him over the past seven years. What he didn’t anticipate was that the part of that life he ended up wanting to claim most was Marissa herself. But Nash still has one big secret left unrevealed, one that has the power to end a relationship with Marissa once she knows the full truth.

Although Everything For Us is a satisfying conclusion to the complicated plot involving the Davenport brothers and the Russian mob, it just didn’t have the same driving force behind it for me as much as the previous books in the trilogy. After all the twists and turns that came before it, this conclusion to the story was almost anticlimactic by comparison. It’s as if the first two were the crazy rollercoaster ride and the third was the slow straight glide down to the end of the line. There is a lot of interesting character development for both Marissa and Nash, and their intimate scenes together are smoking hot and full of emotional depth. But the sense of danger was gone, and that made this book just an okay read for me.

Ratings:

Overall: 3
Sensuality level: 3

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