Reviews by Simone Sinna

The Golden Dolphin Cruise sets sail again, this time up north. As I'm going to Vancouver for the first time in May this really added to my interest- will have to get to Alaska another time! Our heroine in this book is Pandora (love the name of the book and its double entendre...!)and the book opens promisingly (albeit it sadly) on the death of her sister whom she finds has been caught up in the BDSM lifestyle. Pandora wants to find out what happened and how much the lifestyle and the "master" had to do with her death, so wangles her way onto the cruise ship to find out all she can. I would have liked more plot/tension about the sister and her master but it does get resolved (and I am a romance-suspense author with an emphasis on suspense which this book isn't aiming to be). In the middle is a long interlude where we get to lay back and enjoy the cruise. The author clearly has fun playing with how married couples would enjoy such a cruise (and keeping them essentially faithful) and at times I found it stretched my imagination somewhat, and Pandora as a newbie is a lot more relaxed about public display than most would be, but the romance is strong, Gray the hero hangs in there, and we get action in the mine as well as plenty of action in the dungeons! Have fun!

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Cassandra’s Revenge by Skye Michaels This book is loads of fun; doesn’t everyone have a revenge fantasy? Well this one is located on a delicious BDSM singles cruise and Georgia (it’s hard to know which of the places I want to go most. Always had a soft spot for the name Savannah, my latest heroine, and in this there are lovely little titbits like The Carriage House and House of Jewels that just really get the imagination going). What’s also nice is that it’s in the end not a nasty revenge. While revenge might be better served cold, forgiveness and moving on (as Cassie does) is much better for one’s sense of well being! Beau is the cad who turns up from the past…but of course he’s even more delicious than before and who can resist a Dom who has the hots for you? Probably not Cassie, for all that she is pissed off at him (so is her Dad; he gets to release his anger too!). The BDSM, with classes for newbie subs, auctions and strip poker is all perfect. Unless I can find this cruise boat doubt if I could ever go on a cruise. Would be too dull! Nice read, plenty of good hot sex (we have Cassie’s friend Devon and the “Bee” twins at play too…), locations to disappear to in your imagination to (you may not want to come back) and it leaves you feeling good.

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This gently paced love story is a Romance with a capital ‘r’ so sit back with a glass of champagne and prepare to lose yourself in the Florida high flyers (I could think of worse places to disappear!). Both hero and heroine are survivors of marriages that didn’t work, but recognise the chemistry between them is just what they had been looking for and previously missed out on. They seem entirely suited to each other; just one minor problem of the Victoria is representing the low life who is trying to take Zack’s company to the cleaners. Midst the increasing tension of who and when is this going to be exposed, we get to spend plenty of time with Tori and Zack (and Tori’s wonderful horses Rocky and Rosebud), learn about Grand Prix dressage to music (I used to Event but I thought it was only the Lippzaners that did the music bit, so this was fun to read about) and polo, and odd rub up against the ex-husband/girlfriend and just by the by – some wonderful hot sex!

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A feisty heroine, a man with ulterior motives, a heavy dose of magic, some nasty vampires and a bad witch, all in the beauty of Oregon and served with a glass of Pinot. What’s not to like? I haven’t been to Oregon, only visited it through the Twilight series (it rains less in this book) and through my husband’s visits there when he and a friend started to import their wine into Australia. I enjoyed this trip more than either! The book launches straight into some hot sex, but then moves on a few years and we learn Echo’s life didn’t continue according to plan. Grieving still she hasn’t been able to face her past, nor and as it turns out her future, until Henry turns up and gives her enough grief to have her charging back to the house she has never seen. Enter a whole lot of secrets she doesn’t want to hear, until lust gets the better of her and all hell breaks loose. And the lust? Yep, loads of hot sex so keep your partner or a vibrator on hand. But enough fun magic too, keeping the pace moving along to a polishing off of the bad guys…or maybe not...? I'm hoping there will be more instalments but don't miss this one!

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Kel Ryder finds herself a reluctant and ill-equipped captain of a spacecraft after most of the crew and pilot die from a mysterious illness. Roaming around in space with the next most able a computer game nerd kid, things aren’t looking good, and two alien ships boarding don’t help. She’s human and they aren’t- yet our hero Commander Dreyton, Maddison manages to make attractive, despite perhaps not the usual symmetrical features and buffed bodies of romance! What makes this novella work (and it is short- my probably only criticism, because I wanted more!) is the tension around both the situation and between our hero and heroine. If it had gone for longer and there had been more, would have been even better! The friction is there from the moment Kel traps him, unsure of what or who he is, and is there in the background as the next lot of (unattractive) aliens take over. There are some nice touches with mind reading and memory merging. All in all, a good read, even for a non Sci-Fi person like me!

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This is sexy! Not only is it sexy, it’s also lots of fun. Shannon throws us into a world of vampires, witches and werewolves (plus a few other types) and there’s barely a moment to take breath. I loved the atmosphere she sets up in the old house that heroine Chloe thinks she has inherited from her father; she then takes us along on a romp of sex and action as Lucade and his crew try to dominate the world. But Gabriel and Chloe with her new discovered powers are up for the fight, even if Chloe is discovering them as she’s going along. This actually adds to the fun; there are a lot of light moments that also give you a giggle as the characters bounce off each other. And did I say the sex is hot…???!!! At times there is a lot of information thrown at us and a few to many ‘Holy crap balls’ and similar sayings (not that this did EL James any harm) for my liking, but they aren’t repetitive and fit these characters. Lots of fun- well done for a first novel!

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Blair has written a classic feel good romance. It's easy reading and I read it in one sitting (actually laying as I have sciatica and am only allowed to stand or lie so this was a great excuse to spend some time reading and not feel guilty!). I'm not American (and when I did live there it was New York) so cowboys aren't my area of expertise but who doesn't like to fantasize about a hunky man on a horse? This Simone is young, attractive and needs money. She lands on the door step of Brent, a North Dakotan landowner, hoping to convince him to sign over oil rights and is literally bowled over. He isn't interested in oil- but is happy to string her along to keep her around. Their attraction is immediate and mutual and there is an attempt to hold each other off- but not for long! The writing is competent, the pages turn effortlessly (even without a subplot which I usually like, driving it), the characters and story believable and likeable (okay you have to believe in love/lust at first sight but it has happened to me, so I do!). Their romance is full steam ahead and damn the torpedoes, with an odd hiccup, but not enough to cause too much anxiety about where it's all heading. Want to feel good about love and have a few hours to fill in? Curl up with this!

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Daily tedium forgotten, I was spellbound and read this novel from start to finish in one sitting. The setting helped having a bit of alove affair with Spain and the Saniards are rather hot! Could not even stop for coffee as I followed Adam’s adventures. The hero, a twenty year old part-time Gym employee from an uneventful suburban American background, visits his Spanish father’s ancestral village expecting rustic charm. What he gets is a sudden education in reincarnation and the dangerous reality of vampires. Caught in a war between vampire factions, Adam and his cousin Jose find that when even the good guys have to kill and drink blood to survive, choosing friends is not easy. They have not only their own safety to preserve; the lives of both their families are also at risk. Naturally, this is made much more interesting by the fact that vampires are sexy as hell, even the bad ones. Both Adam and Jose notice this. Love and lust well up at the most inconvenient times, so romance has to be slotted between vicious supernatural battles and startling revelations. This riveting introduction to the Aragon series leaves you excited and ready for the next episode.

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When I read the blurb I picked this to read because it looked like it had a story beyond the romance, which personally I think makes a much more rewarding read. So story I wanted- and story I got! The prologue takes us right into the bad guy’s head and we know this is not going to be an easy ride for our heroine even before we’ve met her! Then right from the first page when we do meet Zane we are plunged into cattle country in Missouri and the disconcerting finding of a body in a suitcase on her property. Zane is a gun totting (we Aussies can be a bit so-so about guns but here it seems right- besides she might need it after the prologue introduction to one sick guy) horse riding cow girl who has risen above a dysfunctional family that keep coming back to haunt her. The pink haired cousins are a cute relief in the otherwise seriously male world. So story? There’s cattle rustling, a good deal of ominous trucks and people watching her for unclear purposes, people unhappy with previous land deals and the drunk ex-boyfriend who Zane is more than capable of dealing with. Particularly when Tim the FBI agent is on the scene and looking a whole much better option even if Zane doesn’t think she’s got time for a relationship. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of him and maybe some earlier tension, but the romance and sensual sex is there and of course all gets pulled together in the end!

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I picked this because I was interested in the 'third' man concept and how a story of this length (half my books length) would work. Mostly pleasantly surprised. Good characters and the romance/ sex and whole werewolf thing (I'm new to this genre too) done well and pretty believably. Even with three men thet are well differentiated and memorable. The weak point I think was the back story of her illness and the evil ex- seemed very contrived and would have put this down to a 3 if it hadn't been for the quality of the romance/sex and characters of Emma and her three men.

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This is a bit short for my liking but for a quick read, as long as you don't mind paranormal and some nice MFM romance and some good hot sex, then this really fits the bill!

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Two hot men, a story that holds it together and plenty of well written sex. Not much else one can ask for in an erotic novel! There’s plenty of spice and tension between the Captain and Hunter who just wants out of the navy and will try anything to make it happen. But Hunter hasn’t factored in falling for the Captain who has his measure. Neither factor in some other things thrown in to derail them, and the pace and tension pick up towards the climax. I’ve never read MM before so not sure how this compares to others in the MM genre, but if you like your men well built, smart and at least one a bit feisty, then this should work for you. It takes about 60 pages to set everything up, but it’s worth every page that then takes you on a sizzling sexual adventure.

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Okay I need to be upfront – this is my first venture into this genre, so Sci-Fi expert I am not. That said, I suspect Siren must have struggled to work out just what genre this is – yes, there is romance and yes there is sci-fi, but there’s a lot more too! Sci-Fi aside the author is not telling us the story in a conventional style. The title word Incidents actually is well chosen, because there is an element of an episodic nature to the story. Lots happens and we can't (well I couldn’t) predict what is going to happen next or where things are going to go. Mid way when it seems to be relatively straight forward we are taken in a surprising different direction. This works though – I was never bored, and as long as the Sci-Fi premise is accepted everything makes sense. It’s nice having older characters (even if one of them has something the rest of us don’t), and there’s a gentleness and sweetness to Laura and Michael that has us rooting for them. The romance is steady and solid, with some occasional steamier moments. There’s action – quite a lot of bad guys and not wanting to do any spoilers, I’ll just say more than one gets a suitable come-uppance and in highly original ways. Probably could have separated this into two novels but given its in one, just means plenty of entertainment in one package.

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Ms Willows warmed up nicely with her first book. This one too has loads of sex though there are a few more moments to take a breath than in the first (Bound by Accident). This is good because it then there is just enough room for a story and tension that means you can't put it down. Love Charli - this is a heroine that is very achingly real and gritty. Could do with Deven being a bit meaner but any guy where courting includes jumping out of a plane - hey this is my type of guy. And I guess if he was meaner Charli (despite being 5ft tall) might have had to knock him (6ft4)out. These books are interracial - fiesty black women and white men (that are built like what I dream black men are...)and she makes it just right. Not a social science lesson, nor moral conundrum just mutual attraction working and to hell with colour and social class and background. World needs more people like these characters.

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Makenzie thinks she’s ordinary but the hero Charyn certainly doesn’t thinks she is and nor will the reader. Not that there’s anything ordinary about Charyn either (least of all the ten inches). They are however delightfully real and down to earth – Mak is sassy (though not quite as much as her friend Charli who I note appears in the next book and am about to sart that) and Charyn a man who knows what he wants but is patient in getting it. If this means making his woman wait (and enjoy things all the more) well that’s what he’ll do. They meet as the title suggests at an accident and from first sight the chemistry is there. Amazingly Ms Willows keeps the chemistry going and the sex steamy – and pretty much continuous. Most others I’ve read in this genre build you up to the sex at the end more or less – this just keeps building but it’s hot from the start. There’s some great light moments (love the visual imagery of the ass-out gown – I remember working in a hospital!) and I want the address of that restaurant Dojo!!! I haven’t read much BDSM so can’t compare, but what is woven into this relationship is done beautifully. Educational and erotic at the same time, you can just feel those ties (and knots) at all the right places. I recommend not reading it all at one once. If you want to spice up your sex life, there’s enough here to keep you going for quite a while. The first in the Moreland brothers series – there’s three hot brothers so I’m hoping for three hot books, the second I note is just out. This book is hot – searing!

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Ok I don't think cowboys are my thing. If they are and the gentle giant variety then this is a four. It's well written, easily readable. I picked it because cowboys seem to be big thing and its on the best seller list. Her cowboys are two gorgeous male specimens and I can certianly think of worse things than being stuck on a ranch with them. But for my tastes too homey and the guys are too sweet ( I like a little ass kicking).

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It takes a while to get there but when this very down to earth homey PI (we meet her dog and mother) finally gets into that hotel room with the hot actor (who isn't really a bad boy)any prior thoughts of them being mismatched go out the door. Fortunately they don't for some time (apart from a quick amusing trip to the gents for a condom)and the sex sizzles over several chapters. Worth the wait!

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