Review: ENGAGED IN SIN by Sharon Page

Erotic Historical Romance

Dell, an imprint of Random House

Turned out of a loving home at a young age, Anne Beddington has been forced to do things for survival that she is not proud of. Now she is on the run from a crime that she was forced to commit. When she overhears that the Duke of March is in need of a mistress, she decides that just may be the perfect chance for her to escape.

Devon Audley, the Duke of March, has become reclusive since he was forced to return home from the Peninsula. He suffers more than blindness from his grievous war injury, he's also carrying the guilt and nightmares of being a survivor. He'd rather drowned his sorrows in alcohol than human companionship.

Can these two injured souls find fulfillment, love and happiness together after so much tragedy? 

 

*****

Sharon Page has created an erotic and very emotional tale of two people struggling to find their place in the world. Both Anne and Devon were truly wounded characters, who had a lot of healing to do before they could understand and value of themselves again, much less allow someone else to love them. Each had their own reasons for wanting to seclude themselves away, yet the other argued why they needed come out of hiding, and would do whatever was needed to help them.

The pages sizzled as first Anne seduced Devon, who in return truly made her learn to feel the full impact of their mutual passion. Neither of them had an easy task in front of them. Anne had been sequestered in a whorehouse for the last few years, where she had conditioned herself to turn off both emotional and physical feelings. While Devon had suffered such tragedy, that he refused to acknowledge the love of his family or friends around him, much less an emotional connection to a woman he's only met so recently.

When Anne forced herself into his life, Devon found himself wanting to feel once again, yet he was scared to. Anne had her work cut out and a few devious plans to bring him back into the folds of his family. 

 

Devon had more work than he anticipated as he tried to clear Anne's name, bring her into Society, and to make her feel worthy of his love. She was scared for her life, and he needed to prove that she would be truly safe and loved. She also knew that it would be impossible to reject her former life. How could she ever be respected with her illustrious background? Devon did a great job of making everything happen for Anne.

Ms. Page was able to bring everything satisfactorily together. I look forward to her next book...hopefully the Earl of Ashton gets his Happily Ever After.

Rating: 4

Author's Website

And the WINNER is...

Commenter #12, Jean P!!!!! Congrats on winning a bag of goodies and books from Lisa Renee Jones's Halloween Blog Hop and Contest

An awesome...and EASY way to support the memory of an awesome kid

When Bonnie asked me to help spread the word  about this awesome fundraiser, I couldn't help but say yes.  Young Harry Moseley brought back memories of another brave soul who touched my life so closely, Alethea "Allie" Neummann. She too lost her battle to an inoperable brain tumor at the young age of 11.


Authors Helping Harry is a group of writers who've collaborated to raise money in memory of Harry Moseley, a true inspiration to all.  11 year old Harry recently lost his battle with cancer, but he left a legacy with his Help Others Help Harry

"Britain's Kindest Kid", Harry Moseley, is more than a nice kid with a big heart; he’s a real life hero. An eleven-year old hero with an inoperable brain tumor who has raised over £500,000.00 ($777,000.00) for Cancer Research UK.

Joining Harry in his quest for research funds, are an amazing group of 19 romance writers, along with a wonderful cover artist/graphic designer, who have come together to support Harry, and his charity: Cancer Research UK.
 

"Author Moments" is a collection of essays written by these talented writers. As a bonus, each author has included an excerpt from one of their current, or upcoming, releases.

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Harry Moseley

Halloween Blog Hop and contest with author Lisa Renee Jones "What's your favorite hotness--Vampires or Werewolves?"

Click to follow Lisa on her Halloween Blog tour.

It’s almost Halloween and what better time to talk about Vampires! Ironically I never thought I liked vampires. I never read them. I never watched scary movies. A friend told me I HAD to read Feehan and finally I tried one. I gobble up all of them in a month. ALL of them. Then I met my fiance and that's when I tumbled into paranormal bliss. He loves scary stuff and I found a new world. I really am glad I found it too. Supernatural – oh how would I live without my Sam and Dean?! 

 

So it’s no surprise that I have now written a vampire series. DH is freaking insanely crazy about Vampires. In December I have a werewolf story coming out too – WICKED WEREWOLF NIGHT .

HOT VAMPIRE KISS

Book one, Evan’s story

The werewolf population is entrenched in a century long civil war, and now they are plagued by a virus that is turning wolves into killers. The Brooks brothers pursue one such rogue werewolf to Temple, Texas. It is in Temple that Evan encounters a beautiful nurse named Marissa who instantly melts the hundred years of ice running through his veins. When she is brutally attacked by the wolf, he breaks the rules of the Vampire Council and uses his blood to save her. Now, if he doesn’t kill the wolf by the next full moon, Marissa will become a killer wolf, and he will be sentenced to death.

HOT VAMPIRE SEDUCTION

Book two, Aiden's story

The underground vampire population of Austin, Texas has taken to hosting orgies with human women who've been forced to indulge in a new aphrodisiac.The drug, Blood Red, is a mixture of a rare type of werewolf blood and that of a vampire. Blood Red creates an insatiable desire for sex in the user to the point of pain in the absence of pleasure. Sometimes that pain leads to death. 
Vampire Warden, Aiden Brooks, has spent more than a hundred years enforcing the laws of his race, and life has taught him that anyone that he allows into his world ends up dead. Despite knowing this all too well, having painfully loved and lost in his past, when his search for the creator of Blood Red places coroner Kelly Riggs directly in both his path, and that of a dangerous clan of vampires, his desire for her goes well beyond offering her protection. He's drawn to her bravery, seduced by her feisty spirit and beauty, but he is determined to resist her, fearing he will put her in harms way. But Kelly is already on the radar of the enemy, and when she gets too close to the evil vampire clan's secrets, she is given Blood Red. Now Aiden's hunger for her might be the only thing that can keep her alive but who will save her from him? 

HOT VAMPIRE SEDUCTION will be out in November!

To win a goodie bag filled with fun stuff and books --NAME YOUR FAVORITE HOTNESS!  VAMPIRES OR WEREWOLVES?

Review: IF YOU HEAR HER by Shiloh Walker

Ash Trilogy, Book 1

Romantic Suspense

Ballantine Books

A scream in the dark.

A brutalized body found.

Can a killer be caught before he strikes again?

Lena Riddle never let blindness hold her back in any way. She has worked hard to maintain her self-reliance and takes nothing for granted. 

 

Ezra King, a Kentucky State Police detective, is healing from a gunshot wound and the betrayal of his partner. Seeking only to find peace in Ash, he is amazed to find himself drawn to Lena.

When Lena hears a woman cry out for help in the middle of the night, she finds herself exposed to the dark and twisted mind of a killer. Ezra is determined to keep her safe. With no body or evidence of any foul play found, police are skeptical of her story. But when a body is discovered, Lena and Ezra find themselves drawn into the psychotic world of a murderer.

 ***

Shiloh Walker continues to wow me with her latest book, CAN YOU HEAR HER, an electrifying tale that kept me on the edge of my seat as I followed all the twists and turns this story took. There was never a mundane moment in the entire story, as I tried to piece together the great mystery of who the killer was. 

The chemistry between Lena and Ezra positively sizzled from the moment they first met. They both had their vulnerabilities that made me root all the more for their HEA (happily ever after). I loved how Lena strove to keep her independence and admired Ezra for not taking anything away from her, sure there were a few times he was tempted to, but he was smart enough to know when and where the line was drawn.

I enjoyed following the twisted mind of the killer, as I tried, but didn't succeed in figuring out who he was. I felt that the side characters were equally fleshed out, giving great depth to the story.  I was curious of their stories and can't wait to find out more.  I kept trying to figure out with one could be our killer, and struck a few off of my list.

*~*~*~*SPOILER ALERT*~*~*~*

 I finished the book still not knowing WHO the killer is.  Ms. Walker has left me dangling at the the edge of my seat with her CLIFFHANGER ending. I hate hate hate having to wait to find the answers to all the questions that are fresh in my mind. I will be gobbling up IF YOU SEE HER (release date 1/31/12) and IF YOU KNOW HER (release date 2/28/12) as soon as I can to find the answers I need!  I have NO idea if it's someone we've already been introduced to, someone who was discussed or if the killers name wasn't mentioned at all.  I can't wait to read the next books in the series, and am especially eager to see what other complications shall arise for our couples as they seek a killer.

 

Rating: 5

Author's Website 

 

psssst....don't forget to check out Shiloh Walker, Jaci Burton, and Lisa Renee Jones' Thrills & Chills contest to win a Nook Color....just click the button on my sidebar!

Review: THINGS WE DIDN'T SAY by Kristina Riggle

Fiction 
William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins

When a boy goes missing, it's time for a couple to re-evaluate their relationship. Will it bring them closer together or tear them apart for good?

Casey has a carefully guarded secret that she feels will drive her fiance Michael away. When his daughter threatens to expose it, she feels there is no choice for her but to leave. Then his son disappears, complicating things even more. She can't go away when there is already so much confusion. When the ex-wife steps in, trying to regain what she lost, Casey wonders if what she and Michael had is really worth fighting for.

*****

THINGS WE DIDN'T SAY grabbed my attention from the very start and didn't let go. I commend Ms. Riggle for writing a fascinating story with such a tangled storyline and keeping it from getting disorienting. Honestly I first picked up this book because I saw Ms. Riggle was a Michigan author...I don't usually pick my books like that, but since it did push me towards the author, which I did not regret.

Casey had a lot going on in her life and I was perplexed with her decision to keep her past a secret, especially as she and Michael grew closer together and were attempting to establish a future together, to me it showed that she wasn't really ready for the next step. Nothing positive ever comes from secrets and lies.

Michael exhibited the typical guy attitude of the fact that he know something was wrong, but didn't really know how to confront it, so he was just waiting until the issue was forced to a head.  Then his ex-wife, Mallory, became a complication that Casey wasn't prepared to deal with . I couldn't help but think that Casey was gulled a bit to easily by her. I felt that as cynical as Casey was, she should have seen through her rather obvious ploy. 

 

Dylan was a dumb kid, but I felt sympathy for him and it brought forth a very realistic problem for parents these days. But as a parent, I had a hard time accepting Casey's privacy issues when it came to Dylan's computer. As a parent, I have my teenager's passwords to his accounts, I don't always check up on him, but he knows that I can and also knows that if there is an issue I will shut him down, but I still respect his privacy, to the point of his safety. I had to remind myself that Casey was trying to establish her self as a step-parent, because of that I could see her point in keeping the privacy, but when it became apparent he was missing, she really should have stepped up then, it was a SAFETY issue not a privacy issue then.

Angel reminded me why I was so happy to be blessed with boys and not teenage girls! Yikes, that girl would push me over the edge I think. And I really felt bad for the youngest, Jewel. She didn't understand quite what was going on.

It was a struggle watching Michael and Casey try to work together with all the added emotional baggage. But by the end of the book I was satisfied with how it turned out. Maybe now without all the deception, their relationship may actually have a chance.

Rating: 4

Author's website

HEARTSTRINGS AND DIAMOND RINGS by Jane Graves

Contemporary

Grand Central

448 pages

After a string of crappy relationships, Alison Carter still isn't ready to give up trying to find Mister Right, she just figures that it's time to let someone else do the looking. Seeing how her past choices have all tanked, she decides to hire a matchmaker to find her perfect someone.

Brandon Scott has inherited his grandmother's extremely successful matchmaking enterprise. He thinks that it's the perfect set up for him to make some quick money. How hard could it be getting paid to match up a few lonely people?

While Alison wants Brandon to be successful, she can't help but be skeptical. They find themselves drawn closer together as she helps him build his business, yet the closer they get, the more Brandon fears she will learn his secret, knowing it will drive her away.

 

*****

Jane Graves knows how to write a fun, witty story without making it too fluffy. While HEARTSTRINGS AND DIAMOND RINGS was primarily a light amusing read, Brandon's deception kept the focus from getting silly, also Alison's friends and father kept more range of emotions than just love, lust and happiness. There were some great laughs in this book, especially with the first dates that Brandon set Alison up on. She had the worst luck with men, which lead to some great smiles and laughter as I read this.

The romance between Brandon and Alison was slow moving, as the focus wasn't on them as a couple at first, but on Brandon finding someone special for Alison. I liked how it moved, as it gave them a chance to really get to know each other, and not just a bam-bam kind of love. It seemed more realistic and I felt that it was more believable, as it gave them time to get to know the good and the bad about each other, and if they wanted to learn to live with it. There was some bad that didn't come out until towards the end, with Brandon's secret finally coming to light, but there was enough history to help Alison see the sincerity in his apology.

Rating: 4.5

Author's Website