Exposed to You by Beth Kery

Everett Hughes and Joy Hightower's book



Exposed to You ( One Night of Passion book 2)

By Beth Kery

Book Blurb:It’s not often you’re hired to paint a body tattoo—and what a body—on a total stranger at a Hollywood film set. A reserved and careful art teacher, Joy would never forget it. In a rare fit of raw desire she gave herself completely, knowing she’d never see him again, or ever repeat such a shameless, naked impulse.

Little did she know, the man with whom she shared that lightning bolt of lust was star Everett Hughes. For Everett, women and sex came as easily as fame. But how could he hope to convince the guarded Joy that beneath the hard body and sexy façade of celebrity was a real man who wanted only one, real woman?

In the heat of an intoxicating affair, Everett endeavors to break down her barriers, gain her trust, and expose himself as the real deal. But can Joy do the same, and reveal to him the vulnerable woman who longs to be loved, wanted, and desired forever?

I've gone and read this One Night of Passion series out of order but it is totally fine. Each of these books can be read as stand alones or in order. Exposed to You was so fabulous, that I am totally going to turn around now and read book 1, Addicted to You. 

Romance novels that have a plot where the hero or heroine are hiding a secret normally turn me off. In the case of Exposed to You, I felt the secret was totally legitimate and completely believable. When the story starts, Joy had just been diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer. She is a bit numb to the news and is walking around in a bit of a daze. She is talented artist and a temp body painter on a movie set and gifts the actor that she is decorating with a mind blowing BJ. What she doesn't know is that the actor isn't a no name extra but rather the movie lead and is the super famous, Everett Hughes. This action all happens in the first chapter and from there, I didn't want to put down the book. 

After the first chapter, Beth Kery moves the story forward passed all of Joy's chemo treatments and she is now in remission. I have personal knowledge of what is involved with life after Lymphoma and all of the feelings associated with recovery. Beth Kery hit it all bang on. Joy's reservations about sharing her medical history, worry about moving forward and the constant fear of the Lymphoma returning is all very true to life. I was very impressed how accurate it was researched. 

Everett pursued Joy and I think his biggest attraction towards her was how Joy seemed to be so disinterested in his stardom. It had been a long time that Everett had ever dated a woman that seemed interested in just him, the man; not the fame. Everett is describe as internationally known, sexy, blond, goatee, not well dressed and owned a collection of newsboy hats. I can't help but think that Brad Pitt was inspiration for his character's appearance. (Seriously, Google Brad Pitt in a newsboy hat to see what I mean) 

The only part of the book that annoyed me was a particular scene where Everett's previous girlfriend, Jennifer Turner comes to visit. Jennifer's story is a quick novella, Bound to You. I know that Jennifer is in love with John from her story but in this particular scene I am about to describe, I think she was really in the wrong. Here is the scene: Joy and Everett are at his sister's house. Jennifer stops by for a friendly visit. It is obvious that Everett is involved with Joy. At the end of the visit, Jennifer asks if she can speak privately with Everett, alone, on the front porch and then keeps him in private conversation for a long time. I felt there was no need for Jennifer to ask for a private audience right in front of Joy and then to keep him for so long. To me, that entire scene just felt like something a high school ex-girlfriend would have done to rub in the face of new girlfriend. It just didn't sit well with me. 

All in all, a great story and I really enjoyed reading about their courtship and the smoking hot intimate scenes. I revelled being immersed into a story that had heat to back up the intensity and the chemistry that Joy and Everett burned with. As always, Beth Kery's erotic writing was superb. 

Teasers: Asking permission, rain storm, waking up baby for a snuggle, hospital visit that will melt your heart

Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan

Cole "Deuce" and Eva Fox's book



Undeniable (Undeniable book 1)

By Madeline Sheehan

Book Blurb:
Warning: This is not a typical love story. This is an all-consuming, soul-crushing, tear-your-heart-into-pieces story. It’s intense, gritty and raw, dark and disturbing, and it doesn’t happen overnight. This is an epic love story that knows no boundaries and has no time limits. It grows and develops—with hurt, sacrifice, and heartache—over the span of a lifetime. 

Eva Fox is the princess of the Silver Demons Motorcycle Club. Growing up with bikers in the club lifestyle is all that she knows. When she’s a young girl, Eva meets the reason for her existence. Deuce West is the sexy, biker bad-ass of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club. Like Eva, he was born and raised in the club—but that’s where the similarities end. Their first meeting is innocent, but as Eva matures into a woman, their chance reunions evolve into a fit of lust and love. Fate continues to bring them together time and time again, but their twisted journey is filled with pain, betrayal, and bloodshed that could tear them apart. Eva sees in Deuce what he cannot see in himself—a man worthy of love—and Eva spends her lifetime proving to him that her undeniable love is the one thing he can’t live without. 

This is Eva and Deuce’s story. 

It wasn’t easy. 
Nothing worth doing ever is.
And love is worth everything.

When I review books, I reserve a 5+ star rating for books just like Undeniable. 

Undeniable was an all consuming, brilliantly written story that spiked a myriad of emotions. I gasped out loud, I jumped off my couch, I weeped, I got enraged, I smiled. Quite simply, I'm blown away. Undeniable is not for everyone. There is no fluff. It is undeniably raw and I would not be surprised to learn that the author,  Madeline Sheehan spent hours and hours of research time dissecting the inner workings of a motorcycle club house. 

I first heard about Undeniable from a fellow blogger, Herding Cats & Burning Soup. I read an interview post with Madeline Sheehan and I was totally in the mood for something "out there". Something different. Something that would challenge my emotions. Undeniable surpassed my expectations. Deuce and Eva are not easy characters to forget. I could not put the story down. The hours were ticking away to the wee hours of the morning and when I finished the book, I was wide awake thinking about them hours afterwards. 

Ok let me start off by saying, if you don't like the F-word move on. Undeniable is not for you. If you are not open to reading about a sub-culture like motorcycle gangs, pick another book. If you are remotely uncomfortable with scenes that contain women used as whores, men who are not faithful to their wives or scenes with forced sex, keep browsing. 
BUT
That is not entirely what the Undeniable is. All of the above are intricate to the plot and are not just written in for shock value. There is sex but I would not label Undeniable as erotic because that is not what the story is about. Sex is not the main theme. Believe it or not, it is a love story. Just a gritty love story. 

The story duration takes the reader through a good portion of Eva's lifetime. Starting from when when she was five years old, the story wraps up when she is thirty five. Eva is not a typical heroine. I felt like I was reading her autobiography and not about a fictional character that Madeline Sheehan created. Hero is not the proper term for Deuce either. He is too diabolically delicious for a term as simple as "hero". No, I don't want him. No, I will not fantasize about him. Eva can have him. Deuce is so far off my radar as a book boyfriend that you wouldn't even be able to get a signal. Having said that, I will read Undeniable over and over again. When book 2, Unbeautifully comes out in June, it will be an auto download. 

Teasers: Chuck running shoes, Horsemen and Demon motorcycle clubs, a plethora of drama, psychopathic crazy Frankie

(any book I read that includes a rape scene is high not because it was hot but because this serves as a warning) 

Priceless by Shannon Mayer

Priceless: A Sexy Urban Fantasy Mystery (Rylee Adamson book 1)

By Shannon Mayer

Book Blurb:

When children go missing without a trace, there is only one person who can find them. 

Welcome to the world of Rylee Adamson, a woman with unique abilities, some wild friends and a unstoppable drive to save those who can't save themselves. 

But when the details of a missing child duplicate that of her worst case, things start to get freaky. And not in a good way.

Priceless: A Sexy Urban Fantasy Mystery had so much potential but the story fell completely flat for me. I have so many complaints about the book I don't know where to start. How about I start with what I did like. 

I will give the author credit for a great imagination and taking the urban legend of a werewolf into a whole new direction. I will admit to constantly imagining the voice of Alex the werewolf to sound like Scooby Doo. Alex seemed like a lovable character and a sweet sidekick that I liked but that is not to say I didn't have issues with his backstory. I don't think I ever got a grasp on why the werewolf pack was after him or why the alphas of his pack would bother with such a minor submissive male. Why did they set an entire pack to kill a meek and mild werewolf and why did they come and go only when the story needed a diversion. 

I think Alex was also placed in the story as comic relief but I never giggled and the humour was forced. Here is an example: 

"You going to go all Ice Queen on me now?"

Alex barked from the back. "Icy Queenie!"

Good grief. Alex's excitement and apparent happiness was infectious, and it took all I had not to laugh out loud. 

I don't get what was so funny? That's because it really wasn't. I got tired of reading that it was time to laugh out loud or smile. It was like reading along with sit-com laugh track inserted into the story. "Cue - laugh here."

The title is listed on Goodreads as Priceless: A Sexy Urban Fantasy Mystery. I think I completely missed the sexy part. What sexy? I think that there was one kiss in the entire story. Completely boring on the sexy front. 

Where do I start with the inconsistencies. There is a plethora of inconsistencies. Honestly, I was almost going to not finish the book because I was getting frustrated with the inconsistencies and matters that just didn't make sense. 

Lets start with a small one to demonstrate. At 15% in the book, Rylee conveniently has a "friend" who is eighteen years old and not only is he the best computer hacker in town, he is the best hacker period. Kyle is fresh out of high school and has his house completely bugged with cameras, recorders, computers and multiple laptops. (there is no mention of parents so I am not sure if the 18 yr old owns his own house) Kyle has the ability to hack into police files and FBI databases but when he goes to print off a 300 page document, it takes over two hours because he has a prehistoric printer. WHAT?  

Rylee is a "Tracker" and is also "Immune". From what I gathered about the Immune is that she is resistance to magic or from ever being turned into a werewolf. All good stuff but the Immune seems to only work when it benefits the story. Other times it is frequently forgotten about. 

Rylee and Alex are trapped in her cellar. There is smoke and fire all around them. There has been a murder. Rylee's friend, Milly the witch has just rescued her from the cellar. What happens next? Oh well, Rylee makes a spaghetti dinner while apparently the fire department and police are all over her property. I thought it was weird that the author bothered to mention that Milly's white pant suit was splattered with flecks of spaghetti sauce. WHAT? What about the smoke and soot from rescuing Rylee and Alex from the cellar fire? Why is the house not filled with smoke or needed to be aired out? Why don't the police and firemen have a hundred questions for her? After-all a cop was shot in the head on her property. I guess that all doesn't matter but the dinner certainly couldn't be missed. There was so much wrong with these events I was sure I had missed something major. 

The story ends on a mild cliffhanger but since it was the age old, tired misunderstanding between the main protagonists I dismissed it. I was put off and bored by the this first book, I will not be reaching for the next.