Review: Anytime Darlin by Julia Rachel Barrett

Title:  Anytime Darlin'

Author:  Julia Rachel Barrett

Series:  None

Genre:  Erotica, Romance

Publisher:  Siren

Published: August 21, 2010

How I Got It:  Reviewed for Dark Diva Reviews

Book Summary: 

Paramedic Jake McKenna drops to his knees beside the young woman. Beaten, starved, she's barely breathing, burning with fever. He stabilizes her, but when she opens her green eyes and stares, panic-stricken, into his, he realizes this is only the beginning of their relationship.

Devlin Barre has been through hell. If her uncle finds her, she's dead. When she looks into the warm brown eyes of the paramedic, she knows deep in her bones she can trust this man with her life. Devlin and Jake grow close, but, fearful of commitment, Devlin runs off to rebuild her life, leaving Jake heartbroken.

Five years later, Jake and Devlin meet again. Neither has forgotten a single detail of their time together. Both harbor the secret hope that they can begin again--this time, for keeps. But Devlin isn't the only person who ran off. Her uncle still waits for the right opportunity to get the one person who got away.

My Thoughts:

I have to admit that I decided to read this book simply because the back cover summary got my attention and the cover was hot.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that this story was more than just another hot read.

Anytime Darlin’ started as a heartbreaking story about a teen that had been mentally and sexually abused by someone close to her.  Usually those types of stories don’t appeal to me and I tend to shy away from them.  In this case, I was drawn to Devlin and Jake, the two main characters. 

Jake was the super hot EMT. He had all of his female co workers falling all over him including his crazy ex girlfriend that was plotting to trap him into marrying her.   Despite all the drama in his life, Jake had a heart of gold and didn’t hesitate to help when help was needed.  So, when Devlin came into his life, he couldn’t help but want to be there for her.

Devlin’s story was so sad and I truly felt for her.   It was sweet the way the EMTs and hospital staff rallied around her and supported her when she didn’t have anyone to reach out to.

I found the initial relationship between Devlin and Jake to be kind of creepy.  It didn’t feel real to me because Devlin was very young and going through a very traumatic ordeal.  Naturally, she reached out to the first person that showed her kindness. 

Jake’s first feelings were that of a protective big brother, but those innocent feelings quickly morphed into something much deeper.   That made me very uncomfortable because Devlin was still a minor.

Thankfully, neither pursued the romance until much later.    Devlin was given time to heal and mature before having a relationship with Jake.  After that, I was glad to see the two together because they both deserved happiness. 

My Rating

I give Anytime, Darlin’  four and half flowers of love.  It was heartbreaking at first, but ended with a great HEA.  The book came close to being a fav book, but I'll settle for a recommended read.  However, Jake, the smexy cowboy, has earned a place as a  book boyfriend.  

Read an excerpt

Review: Cria by Suzanne Rock

Title:  Cria
Author:  Suzanne Rock
Series:  None
Released:  May 2010
Genre:  Paranormal, Erotic Romance
How I Got It:  Ebook from Dark Diva Reviews 

*Original review posted at Dark Diva Reviews

Book Summary

Deep in the heart of the Amazon Jungle, an ancient breeding race begins… Ever since she was jilted by her lover, Aleta had been subjected to humiliation by her Jaguarundi tribe. Not anymore. She is determined to emerge from her final Cria unmated, and finally be free of tribal traditions and her overbearing father. Aleta has plans -- bigger plans than her father’s desire to see her marked by some oafish warrior in an outdated breeding competition. After the Cria she’ll move to the city and start fresh, leaving her clan -- and her broken heart -- behind. Unfortunately, the past is unwilling to let her go. Forced to abandon Aleta when he went into exile, Luiz knows that this Cria will be his last chance to reclaim what is rightfully his. When a surprise encounter doesn’t go exactly as planned, he realizes it will take more than a little seduction for Aleta to forgive the sins of the past. The race is on, and the battle of wills has begun. Everyone knows that in the Cria anything can happen, and with the stakes this high, all bets are off.

My Thoughts
Suzanne Rock is one author that does a great job of steaming up pages without a forced feeling. Cria is my second novella that I have read by this author and at this point, I love everything that I have read.  The only complaint that I have is that the story was too short!  I would love to sink my claws into one of her full length reads and fan myself as her characters take their time getting to know one another. 

While Cria was a quick read, it did not disappoint me in any way.   Cria’s plot was well written and the story was easy to follow.  The writing was so vivid that you could not help but get wrapped up in the main character’s emotions. The chemistry between Aleta and Luiz oozed off the page.  They were both strong alpha like characters that needed each other to feel complete.  Their romance was chaotic because of past betrayals and misunderstandings and their attraction was passionate and unavoidable because they were true soul mates.

My Rating    I give Cria four flowers of love.  While, it didn't earn a place on my fav bookshelf,  Suzanne Rock is now one of my fav authors.  This book is definitely a super hot read.
Read an excerpt here