The Edge of Courage by Elaine Levine

June's "New to Me" Author is Elaine Levine. I got Elaine's book, The Edge of Courage, back in 2012 at the Lori Foster Reader/Author Get-together. I was drawn to the book because it had a military flavour and I wanted to try a suspenseful romance again. I also follow Elaine Levine on Twitter.

Rocco Silas and Mandy Fielding's book




The Edge of Courage (Red Team book 1) 

By Elaine Levine

Book Blurb:Haunted by memories he cannot reach, stalked by an enemy bent on revenge . . .

Rocco Silas has come home to Wyoming after long years as a Red Team operative in Afghanistan. It isn't easy returning to civilian life, especially burdened as he is with a staggering case of PTSD or hunted as he is by an enemy determined to seek an eye-for-eye--neither of which can he battle until he confronts the truth of what happened one fateful day in the high mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush.

. . . She alone holds the key to his sanity.

Mandy Fielding's dream of opening a therapeutic riding center on her family's ranch is almost within her grasp--until she hires Rocco Silas, a dangerous ex-Spec Ops friend of her brother's. His haunted eyes and passionate touch promise a love she never dared believe possible. Can they confront the truth of his past and build a future together or will the enemy stalking him destroy them both?

I had to create a new blog graphic for "Suspense" because I didn't have one. I didn't really need one before because I usually shy away from "Romantic Suspense". I have tried and tried to read the genre but more times than not I ended up rating the books low. Sensing I wasn't really connecting with the storylines I tend to avoid them. Well that is until I finally picked up Elaine Levine's The Edge of Courage book. I am officially WOW'd! This book is an absolute steal at .99 on Amazon right now.  Go now. Go get it!

2013 has been a year that I have read some pretty amazing series books and this Red Team series can be added to that impressive list. One thing I will warn you about is the misleading cover. Although the man is really good looking, the male protagonist, Rocco, is not a cowboy nor does that cover model visually represent how Rocco is described. 

Rocco was able to pass as an Afghani while he was deep under cover for numerous years. He posses the gift of a linguist which aided in his deception to gain entry into the immersed dark world of terrorism. The Edge of Courage will break your heart numerous times and leave you pinning for a bright moment to light up Rocco's life. Rocco is suffering from what many military soldiers face after war time, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If ever I wanted to reach into a book and hug a hero it was with The Edge or Courage. 

The Edge or Courage is edgy and unputdownable. I was awake until the wee hours of the morning flipping the pages. Elaine Levine does not gloss over PTSD and does not have Rocco magically healed in a chapter. The book is thought provoking and brings to light on how the war can seriously mess with a solider's mind. Particularly in Rocco's case because he was previously living his life in a terrorist's family. Rocco was far removed from American culture for so long that he was even having a hard time adapting at seeing Mandy in summer shorts and wanting her to cover up her bare legs. No small continuity item was left out. 

Mandy was an angel. A do-gooder. I swear flowers should bloom beneath her feet as she walks. She was working tirelessly to build a therapeutic horse riding center to help people with disabilities. She helps heal abused horses, she takes in mangy, hungry, stray dogs and now she will do everything possible to help Rocco. I loved that Mandy was trying what she could to help Rocco by just being herself. She wasn't professionally trained on how to treat PTSD so she made mistakes along the way. I felt the story was more authentic this way. Mandy and Rocco's love story progressed at a perfect pace and their intimate scenes were tastefully hot. 

Rocco's undercover life comes back to haunt him as the terrorists seek him out and the villains plot to destroy his life and the lives of his army brothers. The story was suspenseful and the amount of research that went into this book is completely evident. The author, Elaine Levine slowly introduces more characters as the story gets more involved and then perfectly sets up her future books. In fact, right after The Edge of Courage, I went directly to Amazon to find book 2. The story does not end on a cliff hanger; I just was desperate to read more about the characters. I devoured book two faster than this one. That review is next to come. 

Teasers: dinner for two, shower love, burnt hot dogs, lost son

Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks

Eveline Armstrong and Graeme Montgomery's book




Never Seduce a Scot (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs book 1)

By Maya Banks

Book Blurb:Eveline Armstrong is fiercely loved and protected by her powerful clan, but outsiders consider her “touched.” Beautiful, fey, with a level, intent gaze, she doesn’t speak. No one, not even her family, knows that she cannot hear. Content with her life of seclusion, Eveline has taught herself to read lips and allows the outside world to view her as daft. But when an arranged marriage into a rival clan makes Graeme Montgomery her husband, Eveline accepts her duty—unprepared for the delights to come. Graeme is a rugged warrior with a voice so deep and powerful that his new bride can hear it, and hands and kisses so tender and skilled that he stirs her deepest passions. 

Graeme is intrigued by the mysterious Eveline, whose silent lips are ripe with temptation and whose bright, intelligent eyes can see into his soul. As intimacy deepens, he learns her secret. But when clan rivalries and dark deeds threaten the wife he has only begun to cherish, the Scottish warrior will move heaven and earth to save the woman who has awakened his heart to the beautiful song of a rare and magical love.

I've read Maya Banks' first Scottish trilogy, "The McCabes" and absolutely loved them. I have to say though, I didn't fall in love with this first "Montgomery & Armstrong" book. I think this story was rushed. It felt like I was reading a draft copy and the more detailed parts were to come. I hope I explain this clearly. It felt like I was reading a simple writing outline and the author was going to come back and add in more later. Never Seduce a Scot gave me the impression that it was just the early draft to the story. It just wasn't the depth that I have come to expect from Maya Banks.  

I had continuity problems with Never Seduce a Scot. A quick example could be something simple like when Eveline would have a bath and wash her hair but then no mention of drying or brushing her hair before she left her bed chamber for dinner. Did she just leave with her hair dripping wet? That is what I mean about the story being first draft. 

I also had problems with Eveline's ability to turn around her mute situation and immediately start talking right away with only the occasional mention of a sore throat. Seemed as though she had perfect speech too. I understand that she can read lips but she ALWAYS understood everything everyone was saying. There were never mix ups. What a wonderful opportunity to have had some funny situations where Eveline mixed up what people were saying. For instance if you mouth the phrase "elephant shoe" without your voice, your lips can be interpreted as saying "I love you". Try it. You'll see. But for some reason, Eveline never mixed up any phrases. 

I did really like the animosity between the Armstrongs and the Montgomerys. It felt true and the hostility between the clans was warranted. I liked the fact that just because a marriage took place, it doesn't mean that the past could be forgiven.  

Graeme Montgomery was a wonderful hero. I liked him a lot. He was sacrificing a lot with having been forced by the king to marry a woman who was believed to be daft. He was gentle and kind to Eveline even though he was angry at the situation. 

I want to know what Maya Banks has against kilts. Her first trilogy had the men all wearing trews and in this book the men were wearing tunics and stockings. I want men in kilts! 

I also LOVED that Never Seduce a Scot did not end with Evenline becoming pregnant. Finally a historical romance that didn't need to be completed with a baby being born. 

Teasers: parental love, deception to keep safe, dungeon rescue

  

Happy Blogoversary Yummy Men & Kick Ass Chicks!

One of my most favourite Book Review Blogs is celebrating her 3rd year Blogoversary! 

To celebrate, Julie from Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks is hosting a super awesome giveaway. 

You can win 6 of her favourite books! Let me tell you, Julie has recommended some awesome books for me to read and now some of them are now my favourites! 

Stop by and check out her fabulous blog and enter her exciting giveaway. 

Happy Anniversary Julie!

Winner of the Sinful Sirens Blog Hop

Thank you to everyone who participated. I know I had lots of fun hopping around all the awesome romance blogs. 

I am pleased to say that the winner of the two St. Blaise novellas from Maggie Wells was 

Megan N. 

Megan has been contacted and the author has sent the goods! Happy Reading Megan!

UnBeautifully by Madeline Sheehan

Ripper and Danny's book
(BUT THANK GOD LOTS OF DEUCE & EVA too)



Unbeautifully (Undeniable book 2)

By Madeline Sheehan

Book Blurb:
Warning: This is not a story about fate or destiny. This is a story about pain, sorrow, and suffering. This is an impulsive whirlwind romance between two lovers that are not meant to be together. Theirs is not a world with sunshine and roses. Instead, their love blossoms in a secret world full of crime, violence, and death. Their story is about what can be born from nightmares. 

Danielle “Danny” West is the daughter of Deuce West, President of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club. A sweet and beautiful girl, she loses her way, searching for things that are always out of her reach. Erik “Ripper” Jacobs is the Sergeant of Arms in the Hell’s Horsemen. Once a man who always had a smile on his face, his life takes a turn for the worst when a tragedy befalls him, leaving him scarred and broken. During a midsummer night, Danny and Ripper’s paths cross, forever changing their lives. Hastily, their lust turns to love until another tragedy forces them apart. On a journey that is marred with ugliness and chaos, Danny and Ripper must discover if their unforeseen connection can find the beauty in their world. 

This is Danny and Ripper’s story. 

Everything has beauty. Even the ugly. Especially the ugly.
Because without ugly, there would be no beauty.

I am going to try my hardest to do this review and not use the F-word. I really want to be able to repost the review in Amazon and I won't be able to do so if the review if full of Fbombs. So here I go. 

I'm fucking ruined for other books. Well shit that lasted a second. Unbeautifully rocked my world and once again for this author, I'm awarding another 5+ review. Wow back to back 5+ ratings. 

I am trying to form my words to deliver a worthy enough review. This "Undeniable" series is unlike anything I've ever read before. Like ever. Yes the series is a romance story but it's more of a romance story on steroids, brimming with an aphrodisiac substance, delivered by a hog riding, leather donning dude with a man bun.

I love how Unbeautifully begins. Madeline Sheehan doesn't waste a moment as the storyline picks right up from where Undeniable left off. Oh I LOVE when authors do that.  I was puzzled at first when I read that Unbeautifully was to be Danny and Ripper's book because I understood that Danny was with another man, Z. It all makes sense and the pieces all fall together beautifully. 

Danny is the daughter of the Deuce, President of the Hell's Horsemen Motorcycle Club and lead protagonist from the book 1, Undeniable. As cool as Deuce is, Madeline Sheehan has never really put him high up on a pedestal. That is the draw to me. Deuce is what he is and makes no qualms that the Hell's Horsemen Club is #1. As such, Danny has had to take a backseat to the club her entire life. Dear ol' dad missed a whole lot while Danny was growing up. To top off his absence while she was maturing, the story starts off with Deuce being equally as distant as everyone is struggling to heal from the wickedness of the attacks from the first book, Undeniable. 

Unbeautifully is not a stand alone book. You must read book 1 first. The continuity is AMAZING. I was still reeling with emotions after reading Undeniable as I jumped right into Unbeautifully. So much heart stopping, gasping out loud, shit goes down in book 1 that it was completely satisfying that the author wrote the aftermath and consequences from Undeniable. Let's face it, there was a lot of emotions splayed all over the place from the first book and there would be no way for the characters to be in a "happily ever after" situation with out some deep shit healing. Unbeautifully helps understand how that healing took place for Eva and Deuce. As an instant fan of that crazy couple, I needed to read more about them. Thank you Madeline Sheehan for delivering and for not just shoving it all under the carpet.

As for Ripper and Danny, nobody that was close to Eva and Deuce would have gotten off easy with the heavy dose of insanity that was experienced in book 1. In Unbeautifully, they find each other and with painfully forbidden circumstances, they untraditionally fall in love with one another. Let's face it, it almost feels taboo to have Danny fall in love with a man so much older than she and likewise, the tough and rough Ripper fall for a gentle young woman like Danny. 

I think that there is way more sex in Unbeautifully than what was in the first book. It was hot and raw and oh so sexy. I still struggle to rate the book as "erotica" though. The story was deep and involved and the sex was secondary in my opinion. I am invested into the story and I cannot wait for the next book. Madeline Sheehan has really set up the characters well and I'm dying to dive into Unattainable. I have no idea when it will be released. 

Teasers: prom night of memories, making love on a bike, Puerto Rican - not an American Indian, outstanding secondary cast

Strings by Kendall Grey

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Sinful Sirens Blog Hop - Maggie Wells St. Blaise giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the Sinful Sirens Blog Hop. So many amazing prizes to be won on this hop! Thank you to Under the Covers & Gulity Pleasures for hosting. 

Please be sure you scroll down at the end so that you can link and hop on to the other blog stops. 

• This stop is for 18+ only. 
• Available for US/CAD and International if you can accept digital copies. 

Welcome to St. Blaise, Missouri:

Home of The Men and Women of St. Blaise Regional Medical Center

When the St. Blaise Regional Medical Center Board of Directors hired hometown girl, Beth Watkins, to jump start their public relations, they never imagined she’d be stripping their most prominent doctors, nurses, and support staff down to their birthday suits in order to beef up the hospital’s bank account.

Six men and six women were chosen to represent the best and brightest of this little town nestled in the heart of the Mark Twain National Forest. They also happened to be the hottest tickets in town. Soon the fundraising calendar is spiking temperatures throughout the Show Me state, and the men and women of St. Blaise are setting their small-town nights on fire.

On this stop, author Maggie Wells is offering digital copies of the first two novellas of her year long series, Jumping Mr. January and February's Fling. (my reviews are on the hyperlinks) I am loving my monthly dose of St. Blaise and I hope you do too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Julie Anne Long - Pennyroyal Green $1.99 Sale!!

Pennyroyal Green is a fabulous historical romance series written by the talented Julie Anne Long (USA residents only)

Pennyroyal Green $1.99 Sale for USA residents!

(Below post swiped from Julie Anne Long's newsletter) 

Every single book in the Pennyroyal Green series is on sale for $1.99 at every e-book retailer—Amazon, Barnes & Noble, you name it!! 
That includes big reader favorite WHAT I DID FOR A DUKE (An Amazon Best Book of 2011), I KISSED AN EARL (which made theUSA TODAY list just a few weeks ago!!!!), A NOTORIOUS COUNTESS CONFESSES (voted Best Book of the 2012 by readers at All About Romance) and—well, here's the whole list:


(Links to Amazon.com below. All my reviews can be found on my Books Reviewed page)


~The Perils of Pleasure

~Like No Other Lover

~Since the Surrender

~I Kissed an Earl

~What I Did for a Duke

~How the Marquess Was Won

~A Notorious Countess Confesses

Giveaway & Excerpt for Heather Boyd - Guarding the Spoils

 

I am always on the look out for new and interesting historical romances. Please feel free to check out the excerpt and then enter the Giveaway sponsored by the author, Heather Boyd. Good Luck! 



 Blurb: Elizabeth Turner once loved Oliver Randall, but was blind to his desire to travel without the encumbrance of a wife weighing him down. When she learned the truth, Beth settled for the security of a loveless marriage. Now a widow with a son to support, desperation has driven her into service at Romsey Abbey and directly into the path of the man she’d loved and lost.

Oliver has no intention of letting his dream of travel slip away again, even for a pretty face from his past. Since his return to the abbey, he’s planned a grand tour to the continent even while examining the astonishing emotional changes a decade apart from his brothers has wrought. The last thing Oliver wanted was stronger ties to the people living at Romsey. But then fate offers him both an affair and an unexpected friendship. Is it curiosity alone that stirs him, or the beginning of an unexpected adventure?




Heather’s Bio: Heather Boyd is the author of sizzling romance with an historical bent. A fan of regency England settings, she writes m/f and m/m stories that push the boundaries of propriety and even break the laws of that time. Brimming with new ideas, she frequently wishes she could type as fast as she can conjure up new storylines. Heather lives with her testosterone-fueled family north of Sydney, Australia.

Author Links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS Add to Goodreads.
Buy Links: AMAZON | iTUNES | SMASHWORDS | KOBO


Excerpt:
WHEN OLIVER RANDALL had been very young, he’d believed heaven could only be found in the thirty-feet-square library of Romsey Abbey. At seventeen and wrenched from his studies, he’d been assured he’d never see that library again and the long, lonely years after proved that heaven would be denied him. At eight and twenty, and thanks to his younger brother Tobias’s daring rescue two weeks prior, he’d thought he would be granted his reward.

Yet once he’d stood within Romsey library’s hushed confines, filled with books of every sort and description, he’d acknowledged that this place was merely a stepping stone on the path to adventure.

“Have you taken leave of your senses?”

Oliver set the polished wood stepladder against the uppermost shelf edge and scaled the heights of literature, prose, and radical thought in search of entertainment. “They are all still there as far as I can tell, Leopold.”

“Damn it, Oliver. Come down at once before you break your neck,” his elder brother demanded.

Oliver ran his fingers over the spines of the books closest. So many bright minds had been granted the freedom to live and experience the world as they saw fit while he had been condemned to the never-ending repetition of days and years with only the wonders of nature’s transitions outside his window to provide any sort of adventure. “Given the circumstances I’ve endured at the duke’s hands these past years, I do not find your reference to my sanity particularly amusing. I’ll come down when I’m ready and not a moment before.”

Oliver had only recently returned to the family fold, to the Romsey Estate and the sweet freedom of personal liberty. Leopold did not understand that Oliver looked for adventure at every opportunity now, even if it was merely helping himself to a second corner of toast and strawberry jam at breakfast or exploring a new point of view. He was plotting his biggest escapade yet—a grand tour of the known world. A world far away from this library.

He plucked three volumes from the shelves at random—Greek, Italian, and French—and descended to the main floor. Just enough light reading to last him until morning. Unlike others in his family, he enjoyed reading at all hours of the day and night. He devoured books as quickly as his younger brother demolished a well-roasted leg of lamb at dinner. The years without such precious volumes were a gaping pit of boredom he needed to fill.

“Everyone is waiting on you to go into dinner. Whatever you are doing can wait at least two hours.”

Oliver set two of the books beside the maps of the continent he’d appropriated for his preparations and settled in his favorite chair. “I’ll eat later. A tray in my room, perhaps.”

As he was about to open his first selection, Leopold snatched the book from his hands. “You will not return to the patterns of your youth. I will not indulge your obsessions as Mama did. We dine together each night and if I have to drag you there and strap you into a chair to accomplish that feat, I certainly will.”

Oliver assessed his brother’s mood. Not much had changed in Leopold’s demeanor since they were young lads on the cusp of manhood. Bossy. Opinionated. Stubborn. Leopold would make a fuss and bluster until Oliver capitulated. He’d never enjoy one fresh new word these books offered in peace at this rate. He resigned himself to the inevitable. He would have to adjust his daily schedule to include this unnecessary interruption of his study until he departed England. Hopefully, word would come soon concerning a ship bound for his destination and save him from excessive sentimentality. “Very well. No need for threats of violence.”
Leopold shook his head. “I never really understood how much trouble you must have been for Mama to manage when Father was away. Families eat together.”

“If you insist.”

Oliver stood and drew on his tailcoat. “But I should point out that our definitions of family differ considerably. You’re not even married to the duchess. Nor is Tobias married to Lady Venables. Hardly a family affair.”

A quick grin crossed Leopold’s usually serious face. “All in good time. The wedding date is set. Hurry up now.”

Rafflecopter: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Addicted to You by Bethany Kane

Katie Hughes and Rill Pierce's book



Addicted to You (One Night of Passion book 1)

by Bethany Kane (Beth Kery)

Book Blurb:All it takes is a moment for your life to change—one night of desire to make you feel alive…

Irish film director Rill Pierce fled to the tiny, backwoods town of Vulture’s Canyon, seeking sanctuary and solitude after a devastating tragedy. Once, his raw sex appeal and sultry Irish accent made women across the globe swoon. Now, he’s barely recognizable…

But Katie Hughes, his best friend’s sister, is not the type of woman to give up on a man like Rill. She blazes into Vulture’s Canyon determined to save him from himself. Instead, she finds herself unleashing years of pent-up passion. In a storm of hunger and need, Katie and Rill forget themselves and the world. But will Rill’s insatiable attraction to Katie heal his pain—or will it just feed the darkness within him?

I read the series out of order and the good news is that even though there is a bit of character overlap, each book can be read as a stand alone. Also just a tidbit of information, author Bethany Kane and author Beth Kery are one in the same. So even though book 1 and book 2 have different author names, it is the same exciting author. 

I liked Exposed to You (book 2) more than Addicted to You (book 1). I didn't like the characters as much in Addicted to You. Well that's not true. I did like Katie but Rill took quite a bit to warm up too. 

The story starts off with Rill in a bad emotional place. He is sulking? In mourning? Angry? I'm not quite sure what emotional state to label him. He is throwing his career away and he is drinking himself into oblivion. Over a year ago, his cheating pregnant wife (not his child) dies in a car accident and for some reason, this is eating him alive. Is it guilt? *shrugs* Not quite sure. 

Katie, a long time friend and a woman who has secretly been in love and cares for Rill makes the long car journey to try and nurse him back to health. Her intentions are admirable. She really does loves him and it pains her to see Rill in such a state of distress. Of course she thinks he is so distraught after the untimely death of his wife. 

Rill is faced with a challenge having Katie in his presence. His best friend, Everett, is Katie's brother. So even though he has lustful thoughts about her, he is also struggling to follow the unmentioned "Bro Code" by not lusting after a friend's sister. Of course it does not help that Katie makes no qualms about wanting to be in his bed. This conflict makes for some super hot scenes. 

Rill and Katie's courtship is filled with many ups and downs. Rill can be a really blunt person and he just says what he is feeling at that moment. I actually like that a lot about him. He doesn't sugar coat. It was a good read seeing how Rill resolves his conflicts and eventually gives in to his desires. I also liked that Rill is Irish but Beth Kery didn't try and write every word he says in an Irish accent. You get the Irish vibe from him without a thick brogue written in. 

Teasers: Dutch door love, belly dance tease, positive pregnancy test, saved by crutches