Review: Dirty Secrets by Lonaire Drummond

Dirty Secrets
Amazon | GoodReads | B&N
Author: Lonaire Drummond
Publisher: CreateSpace (June 14, 2012)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotica 270 pages
ISBN-10: 1477630783
ISBN-13: 978-1477630785

SUMMARY:

Under the maniacal rule of her crazy boss--toilet paper titan--Mindy Corentini, Adele Jaspers is overworked, under-appreciated, and has no time to date. After a narrow escape from a crazy homeless man on a New York City subway train, she has little patience for her boss’s antics. One confrontation away from exploding, Adele does the next best thing, she quits. What does Adele do with her newfound freedom? She takes an impromptu vacation to St. Lucia where she begins a whirlwind romance with an Italian corporate raider, Ambrogio Argentero. Rich, handsome, and arrogant, he lets nothing go to waste. However, his family has some dirty secrets, some of which might get her killed--Renaissance style.

MY REVIEW:

Unexpectedly quitting her job at Corentini, Adele Jaspers takes a long overdue vacation to St. Lucia. Talk about spur of the moment. Not expecting anything other than some down time, Adele finds herself completely drawn to Ambrogio Argentero, a rich, bold, and gorgeous businessman who has her on edge and wanting more with every accented word he speaks. 

Dirty Secrets is a pretty amusing book. I'm a bit on edge with the characters. Adele was okay, to say the least. I wasn't too fond of her, maybe in the beginning I was thinking, "Okay.. I can dig this, she's not so bad." But as the book progressed she started getting more and more irritating to me. Maybe it was because of how she went about doing things, or just because I didn't like her as a character. I'm not too sure yet. But, I will say that Robyne, Adele's best friend, totally made up for that. Although she's hardly mentioned in the book until about the last 5-7 chapters, I think Robyne was a great addition to this book & really kept me reading. Ambrogio, Ambrogio, Ambrogio... Aside from being completely hot & totally arousing, I was a bit iffy with his character too. He's arrogant, selfish, and secretive. If not, more. What he lacked in some areas, he made up for in others. He's also caring, giving, and totally hot in a way that confident men can be.

I liked that this book mixed romance, with dilemmas and had a few heartfelt moments in there, as well as mystery. It was never really "boring", so to speak. I didn't exactly just toss the book aside and think "I just can't continue" nope, not that at all. I was hooked & wanted to know what happened next. What I didn't like was that this book did drag in a few places and that some of the scenes were just too unreal for me to believe. Also, I hate to admit this but I used Google Translate to translate a lot of the dialogue that took place between the characters. Drummond did continue after said dialogue and cleared up a lot of what was just said, but I just felt lost and had to get a better understanding of what was said. There were some grammatical errors here and there and towards the last few chapters in the book, it picked up on those quite a bit. But, nevertheless, I pushed through all that and kept reading. 

I would recommend this book. I think the story as a whole is great, it could have used a bit more work but it wasn't "throw it down the shredder and call it day" type of a book. It was good, if a bit unpolished. To me, at least. 

MY RATING:

NetGalley Knockout

Wheeew. Hey you guys :) I think I'll jump on this NetGalley Knockout train & do some much needed ass kicking - I mean reading - done :) I've got a couple books that need to get knocked TF out ... so here goes...

To participate stop on by Goldilox & The Three Weres blog!

 TBR THIS MONTH:
♥Moonglow by Kristin Callihan
♥Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry 
♥Magic Gone Wild by Judi Fennell
♥Hell on Wheels by Julie Ann Walker
♥The Booby Trap by Anne Browning Walker
♥In Rides Trouble by Julie Ann Walker 
♥Rev It Up by Julie Ann Walker
♥Kept by Shawntelle Madison

Well.. That's all that's on this months list for me. I've totally limited myself from getting click-happy. I'm just glad I knocked out a few of those books before this challenge came along ^_^

What's In My Beach Bag #5

What's In My Beach Bag will be a weekly post about all the books & other goodies that I've bought, borrowed or won :)

Hey :) This week was pretty eventful for me. I did get a few books as well as eBooks for review. Here goes...

What I Bought:

 

♥Betrayed, Queen of Babble in the Big City and Circus of the Damned I got from The Dollar Book Store for $3.00

When I bought Betrayed, I didn't know if I already had it on my bookshelf... & when I got home... low and behold, there it was on my shelf >.< So, this one might be up for grabs. :)

Received For Review: 

Review Soon To Come

♥Thanks to HarlequinTEEN Publishing over at NetGalley for Pushing the Limits

Free From Amazon:

*CLICK ON IMAGES TO TAKE YOU TO AMAZON*

That's it for this week.. What did you get?

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #9

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend, hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines. This is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 & over crowd, and make some new friends!

This Weeks Question:

Question of the Week: Show us the goods! Share your bookshelves with everyone. Strictly eBooks? That's okay, take a pic of your reader! Give a tour of your shelves and have fun with it.

*Click on pictures to see full size*

O.o *runs to clean bookshelf* Not that there's much to clean... A few months ago I got a new bookshelf, before I got that one I had a standard 5 shelf bookshelf. It was a lot smaller than my new one & it made it seem like I had a lot of books.. well, as you can see, having this new bookshelf, I don't really have much >.< 

Regardless of my lack of a book collection, I absolutely love my bookshelf. I got this one from my grandpas house before he moved out (can you believe he was just gonna toss this beauty?) So, yeah.. I took it before it became a hearty meal for the dump-truck.  I can rearrange the shelves anyway I want. As you can see, since I don't have much, I've added some stuff to the shelves just for decor. 

The middle column is my sister's books and the left and right column's are mine. 

Mind my pillow pet there at the bottom. Her name is Pink Zebra hehe My bed is pretty much just a mattress lol. One of the greatest things I love about my bookshelf, is that there's a little lamp light attached to the top and with just a flip of a switch it comes on. INSTANT NIGHT LIGHT! oh yeah *flippin' switches like a boss*

Below, is a picture of the very bottom of my shelf. It's pretty much just school notebooks and textbooks. I don't need these text books anymore, they're just a filler for my near non-existent bookshelf xD

Let's just say... my Kindle for PC has a lot more books than my bookshelf. I've restricted myself from eBooks.. I get too click happy and then this happens ^_^ See? I haven't even begun to make a dent in that list of books -____-

Feature & Follow #5

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Each week, each host will have their own Feature Blog which allows them to show off more new blogs! It is a fun way to keep in touch with fellow bloggers, meet new bloggers and gain new followers.

This Weeks Question Is:

Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

Hmm. I've answered this question before, but... I have a few, my  favorite books that I was required to read were:

♥Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes (which I read in the summer before I started my sophomore year of high school, it was a required summer read)
♥The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (I don't quite remember when I read this one, but I was in high school)
♥The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (I read this my freshman year in college.. great book!)

What about you? What was your favorite book that you were required to read when you were in school?

ARC Review: Shadow Rising by Kendra Leigh Castle

Shadow Rising
(Book #3 in the Dark Dynasties series)
Amazon | GoodReads | B&N
Author: Kendra Leigh Castle
Publisher: Forever
Publication Date: July 31, 2012
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, 368 pages
ISBN-10: 1455511641
ISBN-13: 978-1455511648

SUMMARY:

Ancient Secrets, Dark Passions . . .

As one of the Grigori, a noble vampire dynasty shrouded in mystery, Ariane has spent her life hidden away in the desert. Like all of her kind, she is a watcher, fated to

observe, forbidden to act. Yet when her best friend Sammael vanishes, she defies all rules and flees her safe haven to bring him home.

A shape-shifting assassin for the House of Shadows, Damien Tremaine is hired to locate Sammael. His hunt for the wayward Grigori leads him to Ariane, the rogue vamp who stands between him and his bounty. Damien never lets emotion interfere with his work, but a single touch from the sexy, beguiling vampire shatters his self-control. Drawn together by their common goal, they begin an alliance of necessity that soon becomes one of desire. But when the secret at the dark heart of the Grigori comes to light, Damien and Ariane must make a choice that could bind them eternally . . . or tear them-and everything they care about-apart.

MY REVIEW:

Being kept hidden from the outside world, Ariane feels trapped. When Sammael, the only person among her kind who shows her even the slightest bit of affection disappears, Ariane takes it upon herself to flee this isolated place and search for him herself. Damien Tremaine, a cat shifting Shade who  has no intentions of taking on a partner when he is handed a job he cant refuse to go looking for a Grigori named Sammael. But when he runs into the beautiful and irresistible Ariane, he can't not deny the arousal she stirs in him and her request to be partners in search for her missing friend. 

Although I didn't read the first two books to the Dark Dynasties series, I am extremely happy that I decided to go ahead and read Shadow Rising, despite the fact that it went against my OCD self to read a series out of order. My OCD was screaming and kicking at me to put the book down! (or press the big red X in the right hand corner because it was, after all, an eBook) Let's back to the review, shall we? I absolutely loved this book and find my self both loving and loathing the fact that I read this series out of order. There were parts where I thought I was missing something more, something important. But I was still engrossed and couldn't stop myself from turning the page. Ariane is one helluva character. I love her as a heroine. Ariane is so soft yet so damned fierce! The fact that she's so innocent contributes to her overall effect on me as a character. Being locked away for so long didn't tamp down her emotions and her will to live life. Aside from her ethereal beauty, Ariane is trained and well equipped to whoop your ass, to say the least. Damien Tremaine, Damien-freaking-Tremaine. I just want to eat him up! Damien is an amazing character. Thank you Ms. Castle for bringing him into my life! Before Damien meets Ariane, he's just a Cait Sith-Shade who could care less about the women he meets. Friends? Pshh what friends? Damien has secluded himself and the only company he needs is his own. Living the life of a Shade is not the life you bring home to a family.

What I didn't like... Well, I can't say I disliked anything about this book, other then the fact that I didn't read the first two books first. What I loved, was Ariane's character. Despite her being locked away for a really long time, she's kind and caring. And when Damien tries to pick a fight with her and instead of giving him that satisfaction, she opens herself up more to him. Another thing I love... and will always love, is DAMIEN!!! Can I just like... steal him away and lock him away? Haha, prob not eh. He purr's ladies! Purrs!! *sigh's dreamily*

I absolutely loved this book and would most definitely recommend this book! If you love yourself some Paranormal Romance with a haaaawt male that purrs and knows what he's doing... then you need to stop by your local book store (or Amazon) and pick up Dami- I mean Shadow Rising :)

MY RATING: 

Live Chat with Heather Gudenkauf

Hey! So, I was recently contacted to join in on this Live Chat with Author Heather Gudenkauf on the release of her newest novel One Breath Away. I haven't read any of Ms. Gudenkauf's books but I am fairly intrigued by the summary and I'm looking forward to reading it. I haven't read a suspense novel like this in...well, forever. There will be 10 copies given away during the live chat, so swing on in & ask a few questions (I know you want to :p)

One Breath Away
Amazon | Good Reads
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Publisher: Harlequin Mira (July 26, 2012)
Genre: Suspense, Women's Fiction, 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0778313654
ISBN-13: 978-0778313656

Summary:

In the midst of a sudden spring snowstorm, an unknown man armed with a gun walks into an elementary school classroom. Outside the school, the town of Broken Branch watches and waits.

Officer Meg Barrett holds the responsibility for the town's children in her hands. Will Thwaite, reluctantly entrusted with the care of his two grandchildren by the daughter who left home years earlier, stands by helplessly and wonders if he has failed his child again. Trapped in her classroom, Evelyn Oliver watches for an opportunity to rescue the children in her care. And thirteen-year-old Augie Baker, already struggling with the aftermath of a terrible accident that has brought her to Broken Branch, will risk her own safety to protect her little brother.

As tension mounts with each passing minute, the hidden fears and grudges of the small town are revealed as the people of Broken Branch race to uncover the identity of the stranger who holds their children hostage.

About The Author:

Heather Gudenkauf is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden.  She lives in Iowa with her family.  Visit her website here.

Waiting on Wednesday #4

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Bitter Blood
(Book #13 in the Morganville Vampire series)
Author: Rachel Caine
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
ISBN-10: 0451238117
ISBN-13: 978-0451238115
Pre-Order: Amazon | B&N





 

Why I'm Waiting:

 I am a huge Morganville Vampire fan! I absolutely <3 all the characters and can never tire of them ;) Although I stopped reading after Ghost Town (Book #9) I'm still super excited that this series is going to continue! This is one of my favorite YA series! Eeek. November is just too far away *sigh*

What are you waiting for on this lovely Wednesday? :)

Release Day Blitz + Giveaway: Blood Bonds by Ashlynne Laynne

Release Day Blitz + Giveaway!!!

Thanks for stopping by! This tour was brought to you by: Full Moon Bites Blog Tours Don't forget to enter in the rafflecopter below for a chance to win an eBook copy of Blood Bonds (Book #2 in the Progeny Series) by Ashlynne Laynne. 5 copies are up for grabs!!

 

Title: Blood Bonds

Series: The Progeny Series, #2

Author: Ashlynne Laynne

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Erotica,

Publisher: Novel Concept Publishing

Release Date: July 14th 2012

Paperback/Ebook

Pages: 320

Purchase:
Amazon Kindle | Amazon Kindle UK | Smashwords| All Romance E-books 

            Book Description:

“Forever. For always. For eternity.”

The ties that bind two hearts are powerful. For Ascher Rousseau and Shauna McCutchin, it’s more than just a blood bond. Their union is that of vampire legend. Their love is a predestined prophecy foretold centuries ago.

It’s a week before Ascher and Shauna's sealing and the couple is making final preparations for their eternity, but Ascher's ex has other plans. Ursula is hell-bent on revenge—revenge fueled by lover's scorn and her father's death—and she begins breeding a fresh army of newborn darklings to do her bidding.

When Ursula finds a new weapon—an ally with the capability to dismantle the Rousseau clan— Ascher and Shauna's bond is tested and they must stand together against Ursula or lose each other for eternity.

Book Trailer:

Excerpt:

Shauna wavered dizzily as her sister’s words resounded in her head. She’d endured his ridicule and constant put downs for most of her teenage life. She’d begged her mother to move in with her when she left, but she decided to go back with him. Shauna thought back to the day she left—the last time he’d ever lay a hand on her. Unable to control the rage, she shook violently.

“Shauna!” Katy shouted. “Are you okay? Do I need to call Ascher?”

Shauna said nothing as she stood in silent shock, the repressed memories flooding her. Suddenly, she saw herself lying in the floor, her father standing above her cursing and screaming. “Son-of-a-bitch!”

The window flew open.

“Ascher!” Katy screamed, as she grabbed hold of her sister’s arm in an attempt to comfort her.

The floor shook beneath their feet and the walls vibrated with her ire. The memories washed over her, bringing the fury and wiping her mind clear of everything else.

The picture of Andreas Rousseau fell from the wall as the room continued to quake with her anger. A crystal vase of red roses flew across the room, shattering into glass powder. Shauna released an ear-piercing scream, as a crash of thunder boomed outside.

“Shauna?” Katy gasped as she now cowered in the far corner of the room.

Talking about their childhood really chafed Shauna. She knew that she’d have to bring closure to it for her sanity, but all she could think about when she thought of Gregory McCutchin was blood, destruction and fire. She wanted him to hurt as much as they did and to pay for what he’d done.

Goddesses as her witness, she’d make him suffer. “He will pay for what he’s done.” Her voice was shrill, menacing and multi-layered—like the voice of a demon in a horror movie. “Goddesses be my witness, he will pay with his life!”

Ascher yelled, “Shauna,” as he furiously attempted opening the locked door.

“Katherine, dearest, are you okay? Can you get to the door?”

“No, I’m afraid to move!” Katy replied.

“Stay out of here,” Shauna ranted, her mind hurling the desk at the door.

“She’s raging,” Katy shrieked. “It’s really bad!”

Shauna’s determined mind was insistent on keeping them out. She pointed towards the heavy wooded bureau, sending it flying across the room, wedging it on top of the desk and against the door.

“Gabe!” Katy called out with a freaked out look on her face and fear in her voice. “Oh God, Shauna. No.”

The bed levitated above the ground, hovering and twisting in the air before she made it zip out through the glass balcony doors.

Dizzy and dazed, Shauna’s body slumped, falling to her knees.

“Shauna!” Katy screamed again.

Closing her eyes, her head pounded with pain as Shauna furiously chanted, asking for guidance and strength to control her rage.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Teaser Tueday #3

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

♥Grab your current read

♥Open to a random page

♥Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 Here's What I'm Currently Reading:

♥Dirty Secrets by Lonaire Drummond
♥The Darkest Night (Book #1 in the Lords of the Underworld series) by Gena Showalter
♥Shadow Rising (Book #3 in the Dark Dynasties series) by Kendra Leigh Castle

Teasers: 

Dirty Secrets: She bit his ear, but not hard enough to draw blood. In response, Ambrogio dropped a kiss onto her shoulder. Only intending to teach him a lesson, she undulated against his crotch, treating him to several devilish rolls of her hips when her clit connected with his bulge, the resulting sensation transformed a slow grind into a full on bucking ride. Adele became undone.

Page 102

The Darkest Night:  Paris swiped the remote from him and switched the fleshfest back on. Thankfully, he punched the mute button. "Not pay-per-view, bro," he said without a hint of remorese. "This one's from my own personal collection. Oil Wrestlers Gone Wild.

Page 67

Shadow Rising: She ran her nails lightly down his chest, making him shutter; then, before she could begin to think better of it, she began to fumble with his belt buckle. She was so tired of thinking; it was so much better just to feel. 

Page 76

Random Ramblings: Currently Reading #2

Random Ramblings: Currently Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Neyra @ Darkest Addictions Book Reviews every Monday. It's where you talk about the book(s) you are currently reading for the week and whether or not you're enjoying it, how you heard of it, and who recommended it to you.

I am currently reading Dirty Secrets by Lonaire Drummond and The Darkest Night (Book #1 in the Lords of the Underworld series) by Gena Showalter

The Darkest Night: I am currently 21% into The Darkest Night & I'm already in love with this book and it's characters. This is the first book in the Lords of the Underworld series (recommended to me by Ning & Neyra... who told me to hurry up and read it!... patience, ladies, is a VIRTUE!! lol)  So, anyway, back to the book at hand. So far, so damned GOOD! hehe. I already love all the Lords. Maddox is growing on me still but I do love Ashlyn's character. She's a fighter for sure. While I was reading I kept going back to page 15 to see which Lord held which Demon inside himself. I think I've got it down... 

Maddox = Violence

Lucien = Pain

Aeron = OMG... Wait, Wrath??

Torin = Disease 

Paris = Promiscuity

Reyes = Death 

                                               Okay.. I might have cheated a little bit ;)

Dirty Secrets: I am currently 50% through this book. Dirty Secrets is a contemporary romance that I received for review from Jannelle Drummond. So far, I like it. It's not making me scream up and down with joy shouting to the world "READ THIS BOOK! READ IT NOW!!" but, it's kept my interest. I'm not too big a fan of Adele's character. She's too... I can't even pick a word for it xD But, her best friend Robynne's character is fun and interesting. One thing I gotta say is that I do NOT speak french! aside from moi and voila I am a complete doorknob when it comes to anything other than that. I actually pulled up Google Translate to help me better understand what was said between the characters. *sigh* 

 "Can we get out of this pool? My vagina broke the fall."

The sex... well, it's hawt. I mean if you have sex on a swing over a pool and end up breaking said swing... well... damn.. xD I chuckled at this... The banter between the characters is funny and cute.

 “Do you always have to have the last word.” “Not when I hear words like faster, don’t stop or more. Those words require action,” he said.

What are you currently reading? Do you like it?

ARC Review: Fifty Shames of Grey by Fanny Merkin (a.k.a. Andrew Shaffer)

Fifty Shades of Earl Grey
Amazon | GoodReads | B&N 
Author: Fanny Merkin (a.k.a. Andrew Shaffer)
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Publish Date: July 31, 2012
Genre: Parody
ISBN-10: 0306821990
ISBN-13: 978-0306821998

SUMMARY:

Young, arrogant tycoon Earl Grey seduces the naïve coed Anna Steal with his overpowering good looks and staggering amounts of money, but will she be able to get past his fifty shames, including shopping at Walmart on Saturdays, bondage with handcuffs, and his love of BDSM (Bards, Dragons, Sorcery, and Magick)? Or will his dark secrets and constant smirking drive her over the edge?

MY REVIEW:

I'm gonna start right off and say that I didn't finish this book. I'm not big on comedy, although I do love witty comments and banter between the characters. I picked this book up because:

1. I read a few reviews that said it was laugh-out-loud funny 

2. Because I needed a good laugh to cheer me up

Well, let's just say that my "laugh-out-moments" were far and few in between. I'm thinking I didn't really enjoy this book because I didn't actually read Fifty Shades, but I did read Twilight and that was enough for me to go off of. The characters, well... If I could reach in and slap someone so hard that they would be knocked back into last week (mind you, I'm not a violent person) then it would have to be Anna Steal. Which makes me wonder, what would I think about Anastasia Steele from Fifty Shades? Meehh. I guess I won't know, as it is not on my TBR list. The funny factor in here just wasn't up to par for me. I felt like I was watching those godawful parody movies about Twilight (Vampires Suck and Breaking Wind). The funny got old fast. I didn't have my "knee-slapper" moment with this boo and that disappointed me. I wouldn't recommend this book. It just wasn't my cup of tea. No, Earl Grey, not even a cup of you.

MY RATING:

Random Rants #7:

Random Rants is a weekly post I am starting that I will post on Sundays. I will be ranting about things I loved or didn't love from the past week...these rants do not pertain to books.

AURORA, COLORADO SHOOTING 

When I first heard about the shooting, I was completely shocked. I couldn't believe it happened. Later that night when I got on the computer, I looked up the story and was reading it. Can you believe it? A THEATER! My God. I am completely saddened by this. I was watching a few of the videos on yahoo and I couldn't help but cry. All these people wanted to do was watch a movie! I am now very hesitant to go to a theater. I know, this shouldn't scare us into not living our lives, but you can't help but be scared of what's out there. I think we should still live our lives and live it as best we can because we honestly don't know when we'll take our last breath. I won't go much into this one, I just wanted to share my thoughts with you guys.

WHY I HAVEN'T BEEN POSTING 

If you're follower and have noticed I haven't been posting very much, then I am very grateful you noticed my absence! lol. But seriously, I have hardly been posting this week. I only posted two posts and one of them was just a "And The Winners Are..." post. I still got on blogger and commented on a few blogs and worked on a few designs but I couldn't write my posts. And I tried. I started, but I couldn't think and just exited everything. This week has been a rough one for me, in which I just wanted to stay in bed all day and stuff my face with Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Hershey's chocolate, chocolate cake and watch extremely happy movies with happy endings to make me HAPPY! But, because I have been eating very healthy for the past month and because I have willpower that will outlast hell frozen over, I just moped and moped and moped. Oh, yeah. I moped some more. But, I'm pulling myself out of my pity party & putting on my big girl panties. I've got an ever growing pile of books that need to be reviewed and I feel like I've neglected the blogs that I visit on a daily basis. SORRY!! You'll see more of me and my "♥" signature very soon :)

Well, that's it for this week. Did y'all do anything awesome? More awesome than throwing a fabulous pity party like moi?