ARC Review: Hard Rhythm by Cecilia Tan

This is the third book in this series but it's my second read in the series. I read the last installment but I will say for any readers who also read that last book, this one is pretty different. The characters in this book are not like the others in the series and the book has a different feel than at least the last book.

Maddie is a hostess at the super exclusive sex club that is featured in all the books in this series. When we are introduced to Maddie, she is described as a switch- someone who can alternate between being a Dom and a submissive. I don't really love the female Dom books but if you are like me, no need to be concerned about this one. Maddie is a sub for nearly the entire book. In fact, I think it's fair to say that what Maddie really needed and longed for was the freedom to be a submissive. In the scenes where she acts as a Dom, the real Maddie is locked up tight.

Maddie has been attracted to Chino whose entire band is in the sex club but she has never acted on that attraction. Maddie assumed that Chino was just some arrogant rock star/manwhore Chino, mostly in response to Maddie's attitude towards him assumes that Maddie hates him. But then something happens. Chino challenges Maddie in a way that she can't pass up and through that challenge Maddie discovers something about herself that she had been missing. Maddie doesn't know how to deal with finding this part of herself but Chino knows and is the perfect balance for her. And even though Chino is hiding stuff of his own, Maddie also helps him to come to terms with some truths and to accept himself.

Oh oh oh, how could I forget, the sex scenes are amazing. The BDSM aspects are well described and realistic without being over the top. The characters are well developed, the story moves forward quickly and I think you'll find this book entertaining and romantic.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Naughty New Year Event with Cecilia Tan

Cecilia Tan is the award-winning author of Slow Surrender, Magic University, and Daron's Guitar Chronicles. RT awarded her the 2014 Career Achievement and Pioneer Awards for her 25+ year career writing passionate fiction. She lives in the Boston area with her partner of 25 years and three shy cats.

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ARC Review: Wild Licks by Cecilia Tan

I’m really not sure how I feel about this book. My feelings actually changed as the book went on. When the book started Gwen has a super hot affair with Mal but but….I don’t know, I loved the sexiness of it but her practicing her acting skills on him (read to find out about that), struck me as kind of stupid.  Gwen as a character just generally started irritating me. Gwen is strong and assertive AND submissive. She knows what she wants AND she puts up with Mal’s extreme wishy washiness.  I was having a hard time understanding her character. And then, the whole acting thing just goes seriously overboard.  I get how it started but then how the heck was it supposed to be believable after Mal heard her voice.  She wasn’t using a voice disguiser, she just had on a costume. How did she think Mal would not recognize her voice?

Speaking of Mal, the level of irritation I have for him is almost unparalleled. We rarely see a male character who is so reluctant to face his own feelings. Mal wants Gwen. He wants her before he knows who she is and he wants her after he knows it’s her. She is perfect for him. She is a lady in the streets and a super freak in the sheets. A match made in heaven for the very kinky Mal who likes to tie his woman up while playing with fire and knives. All of which Gwen loves. But Mal had a bad experience with a previous relationship (WHO HASN’T?) and has convinced himself that what he wants isn’t normal and that any woman who would let him do those things has some deep issues. Be that as it may, isn’t love all about finding someone whose crazy matches yours? The fact that Mal couldn’t accept that he had found the perfect woman for him despite his total inability to stay away from her really started bothering me. I was specifically ready to punch/slap him when he accused Gwen of stalking him when they were at the same party. Dude, nobody is thinking about you. He was on my nerves.

A crazy thing happens in this book. Gwen and her sister open a sex dungeon/club thing. I love sex club books but honestly I think I must have accidentally skipped a few pages. One minute Gwen and her sister are just normal sisters, the next minute they are running a full scale dungeon. And then to make a weird situation weirder, Mal and his band join. Mal is trying his absolute hardest to stay away from Gwen but decides it would be a good idea to join her sex club. HOW? Of course the minute Mal gets to the club, he’s flogging Gwen and then banging her brains out.

I just, I don’t know. There are some parts of this book that are really good. But when you put all the pieces of this story together and try to make it one story and combine it with Mal’s character flaws, I just didn’t enjoy the experience as much as I wanted to.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Taking the Lead by Cecilia Tan

Taking the Lead is my first book by Cecilia Tan, and also the first book in her Secrets of a Rockstar series. This book is a standalone, and the next book is about interconnected characters. I will admit that my main reason for reading this book was the cover. I knew I wanted to read it just by seeing it, without ever having read the blurb. Unfortunately as much as I loved the cover, this book just wasn't for me. 

When Ricki Hamilton and her sister inherit their grandfather's estate, part of the stipulation is that they much run one of Hollywood's most exclusive clubs. The club is a BDSM playground for the elite, with only the richest and most famous being allowed to join. Ricki has no interest in running the club though, until she meets sexy rocker Axel. The chemistry and attraction between them is instant, but Ricki knows that hooking up with him would be a terrible idea. Not only does she need to avoid the publicity a relationship with a celebrity like him brings in order to keep the club a secret, but Axel makes her want things she never knew she needed.

I really liked Axel here. He was sweet and sexy, and I thought that he was a great guy. The one thing that didn't really work for me was that while embracing his Dom side, he constantly chased Ricki and seemed to have to come up with plans to get her to submit. That just didn't ring true for me for how a Dom would act, even one that admittedly didn't practice often. Ricki was a big part of my problem with this book. She was a bit all over the place, and I didn't really care for her. Not that I disliked her really, but she just didn't leave a strong impression other than that of someone who couldn't really make up her mind. She constantly ran from Axel (which became annoying as the story progressed since she never really stopped doing it) and there just wasn't a lot to her. I did think that these two had chemistry between them, and they were hot when they were together. But their connection was also something I had a hard time believing in, because I just didn't see much of anything developing between them. There wasn't a ton of dialogue or getting to know one another, and it just felt like most of the book was more internal when it came to these two. I wish we would have had more interaction between them. 

The other big thing that really sealed the deal here for me was that this book was all over the place. There was so much going on and so many characters to keep track of, that it felt like the story was just spread too thin. There was the BDSM aspect with the club and Ricki and Gwen taking over, Ricki's agenda of trying to gear more movies toward a female audience, the makeover and restyling of Axel for his image and reputation, the relationship forming between Axel and Ricki and whether or not she could submit to Axel, all the while still trying to keep the club a secret and avoid publicity of any type or being linked to Axel. I just felt it was too much and too messy. With everything going on, the story wasn't holding my interest and I was bored easily. I wanted to skim through this one, and was disappointed that I wasn't into it. The other thing that bothered me was the BDSM portion itself. I felt like it just didn't work here and I thought that for running a club and being a part of that lifestyle, that there was a real lack of knowledge here for Ricki. It seemed that she was surrounded by people who knew all about it, so her initial reaction to Axel was a bit confusing and off-putting for me. I think that this book had a lot of potential, and I am sure that there are readers out there that will really enjoy it. However for me, this one just didn't work and I don't know that I will continue the series from here.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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