Cat Among the Pigeons

Beebs' Review

Book 3 in the Hotel Rodeo series, Zac and Delaney's story.

I had real problems with Delaney in the first two books because she came across as a real bitch and her interactions with, and attitude towards Ty were quite nasty. We get to see things from her POV this time around and while her attitude towards Ty is not necessarily forgivable, it is a little more understandable.

Zac though, he is just yummy. He knows what he wants and he wants Delaney, has wanted her in fact, for eight years but had to sit back and watch her elope with his best friend and then have her hold him partly responsible for the break up.

Zac goes all out in his plans to get Delaney, she wants a baby daddy and he offers his services but when she says she wants it through artificial insemination, he convinces her convinces her to do it the fun way instead. The scenes with them in the clinic are very funny and watching Zac slowly winning Delaney around was lovely. Hope there's some more soon.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Astrid's review

As much as I loved the first three books in the series this one fell a little flat for me. It makes me a little bit sad to read a story of an author YOU KNOW is usually fantastic and has been able to enchant you with her stories.The one factor who saved this for me was Lee. He was such a charmer.


Lee Cross is a thief. As a teenager he and his brothers were left by their mother to fend for themselves. Lee, the second oldest of the bunch accepts the responsibility to care for his family. Living on the edge of society he does the only thing he can do to guarantee his and his brothers' survival: he reaches out to a crime boss and starts to work for him.


Karla is a police officer. Her parents are a disaster - I don't think I can add anything else to this other than that her father is a prick and also with the police. She is upstanding, honest and loyal. At least she tries to be all that.


When these two meet sparks fly and not just the good ones. Karla was flat and one-dimensional and only started to shine in the last 20%. I really tried to love her and ended up only liking her, wondering all the time why Lee would be so head over heels for her. She lacked the brilliance Alexis had in King of Hearts. She had edges I didn't like and expect and in the beginning it felt a bit as if she considered herself to good for Lee.

“Take your hands off me right now or I’ll arrest you,” I ordered, my tone harsh. econds passed, like he was deliberating over what to do. Then he released me, but not before delivering a final statement. “One day, Karla, you’ll understand that me having my hands on you is never a bad thing.”

This is one of the most unlikely pairings you can imagine. The idea was the reason why my expectations soared. I thought I was in for a treat and ended up a little bit disappointed. As mentioned in the beginning Lee made it worthwhile. He was mischievous and a sweet talker and given the chance he would have talked himself into my panties right from the start - law be damned.

“I just really, really like you. I like the things you do to me, and I don’t want to lose them.”Feeling his jaw move, I thought he might be smiling. “If it’s any consolation, I really like the things I do to you, too. Actually, I fucking love them. And you won’t lose me, so long as you make the choice to be with me.”

Beebs' Review

Stevie and her boyfriend Max have been having problems and to top it all off she's just discovered he's cheating on her. While he's away on business she moves into a hotel with her bird Free until she decides what to do with herself now.

Fuelled up on ice cream and wine she reads a Cosmo six-step article and decides she needs to get her sexy back. In the hotel bar she meets Gabe and he offers to help her with her project.

Gabe is gorgeous, he's sweet, sexy and funny and pulls out all the stops to make Stevie happy. I loved Gabe, he brings Stevie to a sex club and she discovers what she's been missing in the bedroom. The relationship was a bit one-sided in my opinion, Gabe gave all while Stevie was always holding back.

I thought Stevie was shallow and immature, twice in this book she was let down by the men in her life and while I could understand her not wanting to talk to them, she didn't even listen to voice mails or read messages. There is a big misunderstanding near the end that could have easily been resolved if she had just listened to her messages.

Hot sex, some humour and a happy for now ending. Will I read the next.....probably.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Drake and Delia's story, at last!!!

Delia is ready to give up on life after everything that happened to her at the hands of the evil Cyril, she's had her revenge on those who hurt and is just about ready to give up when she and Drake realise they are mates. They spend much of the book apart because mating would almost certainly kill Delia and watching them suffer while apart is excruciating. I don't want to give any spoilers so I won't say how the situation was resolved, just be assured that it was and I was thrilled when they were finally able to be together. We also see Sander and Nastia complete their mating bond and those two are just great together and provided some much needed relief from the tension of Drake and Delia.

After the events in the last book, Drake made the decision to wake Hades to help in the search for Apollo. Now it looks like Hades might be next to meet his match, cannot wait, he's all too arrogant and needs to be brought down a peg or two.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Astrid's review

Phew. Where to start...where to start...

King. Oh yeah...King. He is rich and successful. He is attractive. And he has a beautiful soul - honest, funny and smart as a whip. I don't think I've come across a lot of characters that shone as brightly as he did right from the beginning. When we meet him he is one of the big leaders in England's world of finance.

And here is the thing: our heroine shone just as brightly as King. Alexis is sassy, has lots of snark and absolutely no filter. None. Zip. She is kind, funny and totally at home and comfortable in her own skin. Her smarts match King's and her soul is just as beautiful. These two people are so much alike and yet so different.

The story is divided in two parts:

In the first part you get all the backstory how King came to be the homeless person he portrayed in Hearts of Fire.

The second part picks up after the end of the last installment.

Alexis walks into King's life when she applied for a job at his company and despite expectations she actually is hired to be the PA of one of the big players in London's finances. Although there is an intense attraction and incredible chemistry between the two of them Alexis doesn't want to complicate her life by having an affair and lose her job in the process.

They get to know each other, spending a great deal of time together - there is a lot of witty banter between those two which I enjoyed immensely. King makes it hard for her to resist (how she did it, I have no fecking idea, I would have succumbed at hello) and at some point the pull towards each other is too strong...

Secrets are revealed that are so serious that the life they both knew will be changed forever. I will stop right here telling you more about this amazing story because this is where you have to find out for yourself how it continues and ends.

This is one of those books you don't want to end but you want it end. While the first part was funny and flirtatious the second part really put me through the wringer in a good way. My heart broke and was put together again. There are a lot of tender moments which made me *feel* the love they had for each other. I can't recommend this series enough - Miss Cosway - I worship you. These two main characters have become one of my alltime favourite couple.

“Sometimes we see someone and they just suit us. They're beautiful to us in every way. You're that person to me.”

Review at Coffee, Cookies and Books

Beebs' Review

Book 6.5 in the Wolves of Willow Bend series, this is a short sweet read. I haven't read any of the other books in this series but while there were references to events in other books I think it still read well as a standalone.

Shiloh has come home after being involved in some bad business with another pack. Most people are not happy to see her back and she is having a hard time settling back in. Her mother comes across as a controlling bitch and for much of the book treated Shiloh like a 12 year old rather than the 24 year old she is.

The only person truly happy to see her back is her best friend Matt and he immediately sets about supporting her and protecting her as he always has. He decides it would be a good plan for Shiloh to move in with him and pretend they are mates until some of the heat dies down. Of course it doesn't take long until the pretense becomes reality.

I wouldn't say there was anything new to be found here but it was a pleasant way to spend a wet. lazy afternoon.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

Book 1 in the Blood and Moonlight series

Jane has recently moved to New Orleans and is a homicide detective, she meets Aidan Locke on her first case when a body is discovered outside his club. Her first instinct is to shoot him and ask questions later because she knows he is dangerous. When she goes to the morgue only to be told that there is no body, no such murder ever took place and no-one else remembers anything about it, she starts to freak out. Things only get worse when she then meets Aidan Locke a couple of feet away from the dead body that doesn't exist and a victim who has apparently been murdered twice.

There is a war between Vampires and Werewolves looming and Jane is the prize. Locke is the alpha werewolf and when he discovers that Jane is his mate and that the vampires want her, he does everything in his power to keep her safe. Jane will not be coddled though and is determined to do her part, he can protect her but she will protect him too. Thane, master vampire, is the villain in this story and he is willing to manipulate everyone and anyone to get what he wants.

This was my first Cynthia Eden book, I enjoyed it and since it looks like the next book will continue Jane's story, I will definitely be reading it. I need some answers.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest reveiw

Astrid's review

Hero:
Broken - check
Protective - check
Loving - and f*cking check

"You have never been invisible to me, flower. You're all I see."

 

Can a man be any hotter? I'm talking about Jack McCabe, brother of Jay Field, MC from Six of Hearts. This was even better than the first installment of this series and I'm so freaking happy with the end. Lets start at the beginning, shall we?

Lille is an artist and a good person. She lives with her mum who is a bitch extraordinaire and abuses and controls our heroine. One day at work, Lille receives the offer to join a circus. Lille, sensing the opportunity to get away from her mother. And so the journey starts.

Jack works for the circus as a fire breather. His family was killed when his parents' house burned to ashes. In the process he lost his brother. Or did he? Jack is broken and convinced no woman is fit to deal with the extent of his flavour of kink.

Lille wants to get to know this enigma that is Jack. She is fascinated and enarmored with him and wants to dig deep to get to the secrets he harbours. She also doesn't shy away from a little meddling when she thinks it's for the happiness of the people she loves.

“Would it make you feel better to know that we all get the same number of hours in a day, days in a year? Some people might be rich and some might be poor, but none of them can buy time. It is one of the fairest systems in the world.”

 

 

As they get closer Jack starts opening up. And of course there is betrayal and hurt and all kinds of roller coaster emotions. I loved the dynamics between Lille and Jack, while he tried to keep his distance he still showed a lot of tenderness with his girl. To be perfectly honest, I loved Jay and Matilda a great deal but I absolutely adored Jack and Lille.

My emotions were all over the place with this one. The hurt, the reluctant happiness emanating from Jack, the heartbreak when Jack talks about his youth. The incredibly hot sex.

There is a little murder mystery as a side story which I also enjoyed.

As you can guess I loved this book immensely and L.H. Cosway is becoming another favourite of mine with her stories in creative settings and her writing. I can't wait to see what King's story is. That guy really broke my heart.

Beebs' Review

Gray's an ex-soldier turned MMA champ, he spots Emory at a friend's engagement party and falls head over heels. Emory is a divorced mother of one and nursing practitioner, she is intrigued with Gray from the get go but is wary and can't understand what he could possibly see in her.

It was nice to see an older couple (late 30's, early 40's) get a book for a change. The relationship between Gray and Emory is sweet, he is very gentle with her letting things build at her pace.

Overall, I liked it, a short read with a little bit of drama and a sweet couple.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Beebs' Review

I haven't read the previous book in this series, something I intend to remedy ASAP, but I don't think that book is relevant to this story, this is Christopher and Millie's story.

Christopher Argent is an assassin for hire, he is hard, cold and impervious to all softer emotions until he is hired to kill Millie. Millie is a famous actress, she lives for the stage and her son Jakub, although she fears danger is stalking them both.

I loved Millie, she has worked hard to pull herself out of the London tenements and strives at her craft to stay at the top. Jakub was a lovely little boy, intense, studious and quiet but very relevant to the relationship building between Millie and Argent. Some of the sweetest scenes in this book occurred between Argent and Jakub.

My heart though belongs to Argent, his life story is horrendous and it is small wonder that he has become so hard and cold. He needed the strength of Millie and the sweetness of Jakub to pull him from the darkness he'd been lost to for so long.

The mystery was good and quite spine chilling, though I did guess the culprit quite early on, I was still on tenterhooks at times. I really enjoyed this and will definitely be seeking more books by this author.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Their chemistry is great and Matilda finds herself wanting more than friendship but Jay keeps pulling back which (naturally) causes Matilda to feel even more insecure.

I loved those two together - there was a sweetness about how Jay handled Matilda, even when he rejected her. He made sure to explain why he couldn't be with her - without revealing his motives though.

I might tell you that you're mine, but you need to understand that it goes both ways. I belong to you, too. 

(show spoiler)

While you progress in the story you can actually guess where this is going yet it is so freaking clever that you still get a kick out of the solution. I loved every word of this book...so now i'm onto the next installment!

Beebs' Review

Gia offers herself for sale at an auction for several reasons, she will raise money for an animal shelter she works at, she will earn enough for herself to put a deposit on a house but most importantly she will find someone who can finally help her reach her subspace. She has been trained by an experienced Dom and Domme and dabbled in the BDSM club scene but has never managed to reach that level of trust with anyone.

She is bought by Ivan and they fall in immediate insta-lust with each other. He proceeds to make all Gia's fantasies come true and decides that one week will not be enough so he persuades her to go back to Russia with him. She agrees to go for another week but has to return to work after that because she has no more vacation time left.

And that is basically it!! There are a lot of very hot sex scenes and at the end of two weeks they are in love and planning to get married, the end. I don't get it! I got the lust, that came through loud and clear but I'm having a hard time believing they were in love after such a short time together very little of which wasn't spent having sex. An epilogue may have helped me believe a little more but tbh I doubt it.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Astrid's review

Thank God I had the second part of this story already waiting!

Half a year has passed and Lily has been nursing a grudge towards Marc. While being apart she trained with Marc's friend Kingsley and has become a force to be reckoned with. When she meets Marc again there is some major ass-kicking and it takes a while for Lily to get over the resentment and hurt. But knowing Marc we know that he'll charm himself back into her panties.

 
There are some incredibly sweet scenes when Marc drops his roughness and says how he really feels about his girl. There are also heartwarming scenes with Lily and Kingsley and I love how much he cares about her. I have already said that I can't wait for his story - that way lies some heartbreak, I'm sure. And who the hell is Mai?

Again, this was a story that had me tensed up and squeal in delight, the snark all these characters show is hilarious and I am really satisfied with the end.

Beebs' Review

Let me start first by saying that this is my first Sawyer Bennett book so obviously I hadn't read the previous books in this series. Thankfully that didn't matter, this book reads very well as a standalone, probably a few spoilers for previous books in the series but this book is very much focused on Vale and Hawke.

Hawke and Vale met as kids and fell instantly in love, they were inseparable from day one and nothing existed for them but each other. All Hawke's dreams were coming true, he had Vale, he'd just gotten his place in a major team and everything is perfect. That all ends the day he is leaving when Vale tells him she no longer loves him and pushes him away.

Hawke has spent the last seven years living the dream, his career is on the up, he parties hard and plays the field, with women throwing themselves at him, why not? He gets a shock when he arrives for practice to discover that Vale is the new athletic trainer and is surprised at the anger and hurt that rise to the surface when he sees her.

Vale had her reasons for pushing Hawke away the way she did and I did guess at what happened almost immediately and found it frustrating at how long she waited to tell Hawke her reasons. Despite their history, the minute Hawke hears that Vale's dad is ill, he immediately sets out to help in any way he can. He was very sweet in the way he supported her through all that was going on and he was wonderfully supportive when she told him her reasons for pushing him away when they were younger but he was still a total ass when she confessed that she still loved him. He did redeem himself when he managed to get his head out of his ass and the epilogue was very sweet even if the ending felt a little abrupt to me.

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Astrid's review - Happy New Year!

This isn't a sweet lovestory. This is a story you'll end up having whiplash with and boy, that feels so good. I hope the story will be made into a movie, it would be epic.

Lily (I love her name) and Marc are mercenaries. For the correct amount of money there isn't much they wouldn't do. Lily is a kickass woman, she can hold her own in a fight, she's smart as a whip (I see pattern here) and her role in this operation in Liberia, Africa is to be a transporter. Lily has her own agenda though. She has been working towards her goal to get revenge for her sister, who was tortured and killed by Russian mob.

Marcelle De Sant is a rough guy who can be utterly charming when he wants to be. He is usually solitary but of course he doesn't mind a lady's company for a passionate romp in the sheets. He works this job for the money.

I hopped into this book not knowing what was to come. After the first 20% I was wondering if I wanted to read about a hero and a heroine roughening each other up but as the story progressed I saw that it was necessary. These two people aren't lovey-dovey people, they work in a field where violence is present at all times and it is essential to shoot first and ask questions later. So I moved forward in the story with that in mind and I'm so glad I did.

After they spend some time in each other's company, unwillingly at first,

Marc softens and succumbs to Lily's charm (which includes but is not limited to) kicking his ass six ways to Sunday, and it's probably the only sweet thing you'll see in this book.

Kingsley Law is a side character and Marc's friend and sometimes partner and I can't wait to get to see his story.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, so make sure you have the 2nd book ready because, I promise, you will not want to wait to continue. This read was extremely fast paced and I had to catch my breath repeatedly, there wasn't a quiet moment and I loved every second of it.

Beebs' Review

Fast paced, funny and aptly titled but very short. I think I might have enjoyed this more if I had read the author's "The Case Files of Dr. Matilda Schmidt" series first as I believe the hero played a large part in those books.

I liked the main characters and their interactions were hilarious as Lavinia came up with some very interesting and inventive ways of killing Crixus but I found their HEA a little sudden and would have liked a bit more. Still it as I said it was fun and perfect for a rainy afternoon.


*Received from Netgalley