Review: Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas

I’m going to try to write this as a review for “Cold-Hearted Rake” by Lisa Kleypass and focus on the book instead of my undying love for the author. Seriously, wow. Can anyone write a historical romance better than her? Years ago I gave up reading romance novels until I stumbled across Keypass’ “Suddenly You” which is a standalone. I was so enamored with her writing and storytelling I checked out anything and everything I could at the library by her. I even read her contemporary and hands down she is just amazing. “Devil in Winter” is one of my all-time favorite historical romances. I’ve read it numerous times and will re-read again in the future.

After nearly five years, yes! Five years! She has finally written a new story” Cold-Hearted Rake” and it is a part of a series, to which I am incredibly grateful because I could not get enough of the characters in the story. All of them. I just loved them. I think one of the reasons that Kleypass always impacts me with her writing is that she just strips away all the emotions from her characters and they just become so vulnerable that it is impossible not to love them and cheer for them as they struggle to find their way.

“Cold-Hearted Rake” is the first book in the Ravenel’s series. I feel giddy just thinking about what she has instore for West, Devon’s brother. What she has in store for the twins and finally the next book in the series, “Marrying Winterborne” the story of Rhys Winterborne and the painfully shy and virtuous Lady Helen Ravenel.

But first our hero, Devon Ravenel has just inherited an earldom with an estate that is crumbling around his ears. His first inclination is to sell. He doesn’t want any of it, that is until he meets Kathleen. Lady Trenear is his cousin’s widow. To say that they dislike each other is an understatement. But Kathleen is tough and she is not shy about standing up to Devon or his brother West. She is prepared to take her sister-in-laws under her protection and take care of them. Devon for all his best efforts can’t resist the pull that he feels not only to his inherited estate but also to Kathleen. Kleypass never has an easy road planned for her characters and Devon and Kathleen are no exception. They face it all from derailed trains to failing estates and they do it with the romantic melodrama that only she can create.

Obviously, I really loved the book. I read it once and then re-read it. I lost sleep but I didn’t care. I was fascinated and intrigued with the characters and their witty-laugh-out-loud quips back and forth. In order to preserve my sanity, I’m not even going to think about the next book but for me it can’t come fast enough. If anyone has never read Kleypass before, this is a perfect introduction. The only other I would recommend is Devil in Winter. No one does antiheros like Kleypass. Simply amazing.

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ARC Review: Coming Back by Lauren Dane

Lauren Dane is one of the first authors that I read when I started reading romance, so she will always be one of my favorites. I am a huge fan of hers and she is a truly great writer. That being said, Coming Back was not my favorite book of hers. While I wanted to love it, there were just too many things that didn't work for me. 

Returning home after years away, Jessilyn Franklin is ready to stop pretending. Though Adam and Mick both walked away from her, she is tired of living without them. She tried to move on, but the love they shared is worth sacrificing her pride for. So when she receives an invitation from Mick to attend an event at Twisted Steel to celebrate Mick's partnership, she views it as the perfect chance to lay it all out for both Mick and Adam. But in order to have a future together, the three of them will have to face their past and everything that happened to separate them years ago. 

Mick, Adam, and Jessi were all likable enough characters and it was clear that they all cared about one another. I have to say that while Jessi was likable, it was almost too likable. She was the nicest, sweetest, most forgiving, full of hearts and flowers character I have ever seen. It was too much to be believable. I kept waiting for her to get real, and that just didn't happen. Mick and Adam were likable, and they were definitely sexy. But I didn't really feel invested in their relationship or this story. While the three of them were steamy together and definitely cared about one another, I just couldn't get into this book like I wanted to. 

Part of my problem with these characters was the fact that it felt like we were dropped into the middle of a story here. While this book is a standalone (even though it is third in the series), it felt as though we had missed half a book here. There was no prologue or lead in, we just start right off with these characters reconnecting after years apart and things move at warp speed from there. I wanted more of their past and what had happened to make the guys run as well as what they all had experienced apart. I was expecting to get more build up to their reconciliation, but these characters just jump right into a serious relationship like nothing much had changed. It wasn't realistic, and unfortunately that was where I started to lose interest. Since all of that happened within the first 10% or so of the book, it made it really hard to feel invested in these characters or their story. As much as I love Lauren Dane, I was bored for much of this story and it just wasn't what I have come to love when I pick up a Lauren Dane book. While this one wasn't my favorite, I will definitely read more from her in the future. If you like menage stories or are a fan of this series, I still recommend giving this one a shot if it sounds like something you would like. It wasn't a bad book by any means, it just wasn't my favorite. Readers should know before reading that this is a full menage story with a relationship between Adam, Mick and Jessilyn and if that isn't something that you are comfortable with Coming Back might not be the book for you.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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Review: Crashed Out by Tessa Bailey

I feel like a broken record but OMG I freaking LOVE Tessa Bailey's books. Seriously if you aren't reading her you are severely missing out. She just has a way of bring hot, sexy and humor to a story that no one else can. Plus, no one can write a dirty talking hero the way she can and let me tell you, Sarge was hella dirty. Dirrrty!!!

I'm a sucker for unrequited love stories and I loved that Tessa put a spin on that trope with it being an older woman/younger man. I'm usually not the biggest fan of big age gaps between characters but I found that Sarge was an old soul and didn't come across as immature or younger than Jasmine at all. In fact, to me, it felt like Jasmine was the younger one in this story. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Jasmine is still coming into her own and learning about herself.

One thing I will say is that I LOVED these two together! They were hot and sexy and had off the charts chemistry together. I felt like Crashed Out was one of Tessa Bailey's hottest books to date and yeah, these two were pretty damn explosive! I admit that I'm glad I read this one at home because it made me hot as hell. I couldn't get enough and pretty much read the book in one sitting.

I love, love, loved the fact that Sarge wasn't afraid to be honest with his feelings and was pretty much upfront with Jasmine about everything. I loved that he pursued her relentlessly and didn't let her talk him out of being together because of their age difference. I love it when a hero knows what he wants and believe me, Sarge was on a mission.

I will say there were moments when Jasmine irritated me a bit. I just felt like she was so closed off at times and stubborn to accept her feelings. I totally get it but it doesn't mean I had to like it.

As always, this was another winner for me and I just couldn't get enough. One of the hottest books that I've read in 2015 and it just left me wanting more. I love this world Tessa Bailey created and I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the characters. The little bits that she teased in Crashed Out just let me antsy and I can't wait to see what's going to happen. I just know it's going to be good! Seriously though, read this book. In fact, if you see Tessa's name on a cover of a book just go ahead and buy it and read it. You won't regret it at all.

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Dancing with a Rogue...with Bronwen Evans and Giveaway

USA Today bestselling author, Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She writes both historical and contemporary sexy romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and compassionate alpha heroes. Evans is a three-time winner of the RomCon Readers’ Crown and has been nominated for an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award. She lives in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand with her dogs Brandy and Duke.

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ARC Review: Hard to Forget by Bella Jewel

When I started this book, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it. I’m a Bella Jewel fan but I still didn’t know about the idea of the heroine being the hero’s bodyguard. If you’re like me ad cringe at role reversals, have no fear. The hero was all alpha man and the heroine gives us a little extra kick a-s to go with her otherwise very likable personality.

Delaney, the heroine, works for an elite personal security company. Right from the beginning of the book, I liked her. Delaney has an issue that any woman in her field would have, nobody takes her seriously, especially not her co-workers. I enjoyed Delaney’s journey to prove herself and I loved reading how she handled all the shi! that was thrown her way. One of my favorite things about the book is that when Delaney is assigned to Jax’s (the hero) security detail, he doesn’t just welcome her on board because she’s hot, nope. Jax is completely skeptical of her ability to protect him and goes as far as to challenge her to a throw down before he will agree to letting her on the team. As the story progresses, Jax and Delaney develop an attraction that they find it more and more difficult to deny.

The thing that I really appreciated about the development of the relationship between Jax and Delaney is that it took time. Jax had some serious ish going on and really did need security. Someone or someones were trying to kill Jax throughout the book. I liked that the relationship with Delaney was slow and not depicted as a reaction to a bunch of adrenaline spikes. I have to admit that there is a point where you might start to give the book the side eye because it stretches credibility as the story goes on. For example, it was totally unbelievable that Delaney’s co-workers didn’t figure out that there was something going on with her and Jax. It also got a little outlandish when the characters are in New York being chased by the bad guys. I can put all of that aside though because the sex was hot, Jax is a hero you will love and Delaney is a heroine you will root for.

I think I didn’t love the last Bella Jewel book I read but for me this was a return to everything I love about her as an author.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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