Review: Always by Jodi Langston

Series: None

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: October 2010

Publisher: Self Published

Author Website: http://jodilangston.blogspot.com/

Format I Read: ebook

Pages: 101(Nook pgs)

Source: Author

Read an excerpt

Book Blurb
Writer, Alexandra Martinson, woke from a coma ten years ago not remembering Detective Rick Ryan and the love they shared. Rick, her faithful friend and savior has waited patiently for her memory to return. As he readies himself to tell her how he feels, fate throws another obstacle in his path.

A Hollywood producer asks Alex to rewrite the script based on her novel and she reluctantly agrees. Alex has kept her heart and soul locked safely away until she's swept off her feet by the incredible hunk, Thane Hunter. The womanizing former child star is drawn to the shy writer with the painful past. They share an afternoon of passion in the Vermont woods as a storm and danger rages around them.

After ten years in prison, her ex-husband, Chris, is paroled and goes in search of revenge. No one is safe as those she cares about get caught up in the tempest of violence surrounding her.

Rick makes a stunning revelation to Alex, making her wonder if all he’s done for her has been out friendship or love.

When Alex is kidnapped, Rick and Thane must put aside their differences as they race to save her. Both men care about her, but only one man will do whatever it takes to make sure she survives. When the smoke clears will Alex choose Rick, or will the hot and handsome Thane Hunter steal her heart?

Awesomeness:
“Have you even read the book, Thane?” Kyle asked. There was a time or two that he wanted to ask if he knew how to read but he bit his tongue.

“I read for a living, not for pleasure,” Thane protested

“No, you pretend for a living. She’s got a new book coming.” Kyle reached in his bag and pulled out Alex’s book and threw it at him.

“I’m not into that whole romance novel thing. I like my sex real.”

My Thoughts
This is the first book that I have read by Jodi Langston. It had so much drama that it was a real page turner for me. The story centers around Alex, a reclusive novelist. Her crazy ex husband tried to kill her ten years ago and she’s been looking over her shoulder ever since. When he is released from prison he begins to stalk her claiming that she will always be his.

Her best friend Rick steps in to protect her. He’s a cop and he’s never thought twice about going through hell and high water to protect her. He’s secretly in love with her, but willing to remain her friend if that’s all she wants from him.

When Alex is asked to rewrite a script for a movie based on one of her books, she becomes involved with Thane, the star of the show. Thane is a playboy looking for his next wife so he takes an immediate interest in her. He isn’t used to having to work to get a woman in to bed, but once he does, he regrets it.

I found Always to be a very good and I was able to read it in one sitting. The plot was and easy to follow and the characters were written well. I did not like the character of Alex. I guess that’s due to the fact that I am not a fan of the weak and whiny. To me she seemed like she was always one step away from a pill overload or a mental breakdown. I get that she was a victim, but her character was so withdrawn that she never learned how to became a survivor.

I also didn’t care much for Thane. He wooed but backed off at the first sign of real danger. One minute he was ready to declare his instant love for her, then in the next minute he wanted to move on to someone less complicated.

The real hero of the story was Rick because he was the perfect good guy. He was loyal and trust worthy and had a beat downs on reserve. I did feel sorry for him because he spent so much time pining over Alex only to see her replace him with someone else. To be honest, I would have been happy with Rick getting with someone just to show Alex what she was missing. But, then I would be bummed because that would mess up a long overdue HEA.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more of Jodi Langston’s work. If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, you’ll want to check out this novella.

Rating

Three flowers of love-it was a good read, but left me wanting  more

Other Reviews Of This Book:
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Review: Carnal In Cannes by Jianne Carlo

Series:  Mediterranean Mambo, Book #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published:  September 2010

Publisher:  Loose Id

Format I Read:  Ebook

Pages: 314 (Nook pages)

How I Got It:  Reviewed for Black Raven Reviews

Read an excerpt

Book Summary:

Money, power, and women all come easy to Harrison Indiana Ford. Yet he wants more — to ensure his daddy’s oil fortune goes to him — not Delora, the stepmother who seduced him as a teenager. If Harry doesn’t marry a virgin and produce an heir before he turns 32, Delora inherits it all. D-day and unpredictable circumstances force Harry to hire a matchmaker and marry a stranger.

Martine’s survived the streets of Haiti’s capital with her virginity intact, but she’s no innocent. Fleeing persecution, she stows away on a cargo ship, and enters France illegally. Desperate for the million Euro Harry offers for her virginity and their child so she can bring her ailing grandmother to France, she signs the pre-nuptial contract using forged documents.

Delora’s not about to let a billion dollars slip through her hands. There are too many ways to sabotage a relationship, prevent a pregnancy. And it’s so easy to foster suspicion and hatred where there’s no trust. What Delora doesn’t count on is the explosive sexual relationship that develops between Harry and Martine.

As lust morphs into caring, Delora’s detectives search for Martine’s hidden secrets. How did Martine get from Haiti to France?

My Thoughts

Usually when people marry for money or status, they always end up unhappily married or divorced. In Carnal In Cannes, Harrison and Martine find out that marrying for money has its advantages.

When Harrison makes the arrangement with Martine, neither has any idea that they will fall in love. Both agreed to the marriage with their own agendas and secrets in mind, but have a hard time dealing with this unexpected revelation. They have met before in a hot encounter, and while Harrison can’t get it out of his mind, Martine is praying that he doesn’t recognize her.

I liked Carnal in Cannes because I was intrigued by the plot and wanted to find out how the story would play out. The romance between Harrison and Martine was a surprise. At first, I figured that Harrison would be all business, but once he got a look at his new bride, his entire attitude changed.

It’s so funny how the quest for the love of a good woman can change a man’s whole mind set. Harrison was a total gentleman and made Martine’s happiness his top priority. The lengths he goes through to make sure that Martine remains his wife are what made me enjoy the Carnal in Cannes the most.

My  Rating

I give this book three and a half flowers of love.  If you love books that pair two unlikely people and come up with a HEA, you’ll want to put this book on your TBR.

1/2

Naughty Novellas: Eternity And A Day by Aline Hunter

Title:  Eternity And A Day

Author:  Aline Hunter

Series:  Desires Of The Otherworld, Book #1

Genre:  Paranormal, Fantasy, Shapeshifters

Published:  July 2010

Publisher:  Loose Id

Format: ebook

How I Got It:  received from author

Read an excerpt

Book Summary:

Dreading the one night per tide he’s forced to travel between the realms, Draigen Eric Locke has only one desire on Samhain – to retrieve the fae transporting daemon relics through the realms and escort her to the Dark Court to face the sidhe king. When he mistakenly recovers the wrong fae, the dragon under his skin responds in a way he never could have predicted, and he discovers he’s found the woman destined to him by the Fates – his Chosen.

Runa Charon is an anomaly among her kind, the mortal offspring of a human and a fae. Unlike other sidhe, she longs to experience pleasure instead of pain, love instead of lust. Immortally strong but mortally fragile, she’s been sheltered all of her life. When the opportunity to meet a Draigen from the Otherworld arises, she can’t resist the temptation and travels to meet the man who will change her destiny.

Unlike other netherworld creatures, Draigen mate for life, choosing to follow the path of their beloved mate in this reality or the next. Knowing a future can only span one lifetime, will they settle for less than an eternity? Or will they be grateful for the gift of each day?

My Thoughts

Dragons and fairies…oh my! When I first received this story from Aline, I had not read any of her books and did not know what to expect.  But thanks to constant praise from her Twitter following, I went into this story knowing I would not be disappointed.

Eternity And A Day introduces you to Runa, half human and half fae, that is tired of the norm and wants some excitement in her life.  Thanks to her evil sister and a total misunderstanding with a dangerous Draigen, her peaceful life is quickly turned upside down and about to cost her her life.

Eric is Draigen, half human and half dragon, and he despises all fae.   He has come to collect a fae that has been marked for death, and mistakenly takes the wrong one.  All hell breaks loose when everyone discovers who she really is and he is unwilling to give her up.

It did not take me long to breeze through this book and get mad when I came to the very last page.  The story is told in such a way that it sweeps you into the fantasy, you get lost in the characters, and you want more.

Runa was a feisty little character.  She’s one of those characters that you love, but you want to smack a few times because she's too stubborn for her own good.  She knows that Eric is her mate, and that neither will ever love another, but it takes her forever to come around.

Eric was a total alpha.  He was beyond possessive, dangerous, an arrogant ass, and still too hot for his own damn good.  He fell in love with Runa and even though their species hated each other, he dared anyone not to accept their relationship. 

I was happy with the ending, but disappointed that it was a novella.  Since this is the beginning of a new series, I know there is so much more to come.  I just can't wait until the next installment!  

My  Rating

I give Eternity And A Day four flowers of love.  Aline Hunter (JA Saare) is an author to look out for.  Even though this book is a novella, it packed a great story in a small amount of pages and left me wanting more.

 

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