Night After Night by Janelle Denison

Book 2 in The Reliance Group series

www.janelledenison.com

A special thanks to Janelle for the review copy!

Zoe Russo is so excited when leasing agent Sean O’Brien contacts her about setting up shop at the Onyx Casino. It fits her budget, is a great location, and has plenty of space for her to use. And when the sexy Irishman asks her out on a date as well – what’s there to say no to? However, Sean O’Brien is no leasing agent, instead he’s an ex-conman working as part of The Reliance Group to locate Zoe’s father, who is accused of embezzling funds from his own work project. Sean has a personal vendetta against Grant Russo that makes this case extremely important to him. He’ll go to any measure to catch this guy and put him behind bars, and if that measure is dating the man’s incredibly attractive daughter, well, he’ll just have to 'suffer' through.

Meanwhile, pop-star Jessica Morgan (Zoe’s best friend) gets a romance of her own when she meets up with high school sweetheart and one-time lover, Noah Young. Single, attractive, and the manager of a successful nightclub, Noah is the package deal. But he and Jessie have some unresolved issues from their past that will put their fresh, new romance on the line and their future at stake. Can Jessie learn to trust in Noah and the amazing man he is? Can she see past her own shame and guilt for leaving him? Could this cute couple possibly have a happy ending in store?

I loved the romance between Jessie and Noah and that, combined with the plot (which, by the way, was a total surprise at the end) is what kept me turning the pages. I liked Jessica a lot, as a person and a heroine. She was a fun but caring and responsible pop star and I liked that her occupation was a little different than the norm. I thought the way she and Noah worked out their problems was classy and deep, and I loved him for his understanding, patience, and unconditional love. Jessica had a lot of issues in her childhood and past, and their romance about overcoming and learning to trust again was touching. Both of their characters were developed well, and I felt very close to them each throughout the book. The suspense plot was fairly well written – and you can bet your bottom buck that you won’t guess where Grant Russo is ‘hiding out’ until it’s revealed at the end. It was a fun, unique premise and fairly suspenseful but not overwhelming.

My main problems with this book were the poor attention to detail, a few absolutely unbelievable scenes, and the protagonists. There were a lot of grammatical errors I can across – missing letters, etc. HOWEVER please note that the copy I received was a REVIEW COPY and therefore the actually print addition may have less (or no) mistakes. I cannot definitively say either way. But things like people thinking about themselves in third person, Zoe calling herself a ‘daddy’s girl’ then getting upset when Sean jokingly calls her the same, and using the word ‘lessoning’ instead of ‘lessening’ bothered me as I read.

As far as unbelievable scenes, how about this one: Zoe is in the parking garage when this guy starts stalking towards her. She gets rightfully scared, runs back to her car, gets in, and locks it. She then proceeds to SIT THERE in her car while the guy pulls out a knife and starts saying scary things to her. And all the while she's thinking of how she's going to die because he can break the window and slash her throat. One would think that she would, oh, I don’t know – DRIVE AWAY? You’re in your car, lady! DRIVE AWAY FROM THE SCARY MAN WITH THE BIG ASS KNIFE!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? Waiting for him to make sushi on the hood of your car? RUN AWAY. I tell you. It drives me nuts.

Finally, the protagonists were a little under-developed, cliché and contradictory. Sean is hypocritical, especially at the beginning of the book, and that in and of itself is an annoyance. Then Zoe, who claims she wants commitment before entering a relationship thinks “…this was just a dinner, not a lifetime commitment, and that worked perfectly well for her.” which sounds like the words of a girl who likes casual dating. Which Zoe has already claimed that she doesn’t. Sean is annoying in his ‘I’m not worthy’ cry baby attitude and Zoe, while pitiable, is kinda wimpy. I just didn't like either of them, especially Sean, and couldn't sympathize with their plights. Overall I wasn’t satisfied with or convinced of their love for one another, and I tried to ignore their romance in favor of Jessica and Noah – the two loveable characters in the novel.

Favorite Quotes:

“Nice?” She lifted her head and gave him an incredulous look. “More like spectacular.”

“Good to know.” Smiling he smoothed her hair from her face then readjusted her bra and top portion of her dress, making her presentable again. “Next time we’ll strive for phenomenal.”

“If you’re talking about me bringing women to Alex Stratta for dinner, you’re the first.”

Her cheeks warmed at the thought, and she was grateful for the dim, outdoor lighting that disguised the extra color suffusing her face. “Lucky me.”

Unexpectedly, he reached out and skimmed the pad of his thumb along her jaw, then trailed his fingers along her bare neck in a sensual caress. “No, lucky me,” he murmured huskily.

“Sexy”ness rating: Hot!

Overall Rating: B

Bottom Line: This book had a great romance between the secondary characters, but the primary romance was a little cliché and stilted and the main characters were contradictory. Nevertheless the book was engaging, if a little underwhelming, and Jessica and Noah’s story really made the book for me!

Pages: 352

Published: October 4, 2011

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Contemporary

Into the Night by Janelle Denison

Book 1 in The Reliance Group series

www.janelledenison.com

Nathan Fox is going undercover to save a young girl, Angela, from being sexually abused and potentially sold into prostitution. However as he begins working up his case he meets this sexy reporter, Nicole, at a single’s meet-n-greet – and the night ends in some steamy, no-holds-barred sex. But she’s gone before the morning is over and Nathan is left with only Nicole’s hot memory burning him up. A few weeks later Nathan sees Nicole at an art exhibit, and is surprised and infuriated to learn that she’s decided to go undercover on his mission, trying to get an expose on Sloane, the virtually-untouchable and incredibly-wealthy man who kidnapped Angela. Can the two work together to save the girl and keep their passion under wraps?

The major problems I had with this book: Tell not show, poor characterization and contradictory nature, Stilted and unnatural prose and dialogue, and poor plot/suspense development. Surprisingly, the book was not so bad that I had to stop reading it – I sort of wallowed. I was stuck in it, like one gets stuck in mud. Not a good feeling or a good image.

The author drove me insane with her redundancy. The way a character acts is supposed to display what they’re thinking and feeling. Several times the author would write about Nicole smiling and laughing – clear indications that she’s enjoying whatever is happening. That's fine - that's good. But then the author has to, redundantly, point out “Nicole was enjoying their witty banter”. That line came up WAY too often in the book – often enough that I can recall seeing it, specifically, several times. There were a lot of examples of redundancy in the book, as well as that ‘tell not show’ attitude that detracted from my reading experience.

The characters were stereotypical, lacking the depth that could have led to any real emotional connections between them. I was unable to believe the love, trust, and developing intimacy between Nathan and Nicole. It was more ‘BAM we like one another and the sex is great’, less ‘Wow, I really enjoy getting to know you’. The author didn’t back up her statements of intimacy with evidence. I never felt or believed the romance of the story – I kinda read it and scoffed like “Yeah, right.” There was a lot of sex (way more than I was expecting, actually) but as most every romance reader knows sex does not equal romance or intimacy.

The unnatural prose and stilted dialogue are self-explanatory – the characters sometimes (NOT always) talked like talking cardboard stereotypes. Laughed like them too. The villain was unoriginal in his insanity (I hate that. Can’t we ever have a sane, smart villain?) as was his assistant being crazy-in-love with him. Oldest trick in the book = unoriginal. In this case, there was nothing defining to make it unique, and therefore I was unimpressed.I expect a lot from the villains in my romantic suspense books, especially when there is so much focus on the villain.

Finally, the plot had the same unoriginal quality that the prose and characters shared. It wasn’t terribly suspenseful – I definitely was never on the edge of my seat. I was a passive observer, occasionally skipping passages because I was bored and wanted things to get a move on. Suspense was not omnipresent throughout the story and I kept waiting for something of interest to happen. Occasionally there was a very welcome change of pace, but for the most part the book was lazy and slow. Not good for a book in the romantic suspense category. Overall, while there were a few isolated scenes in the book that I enjoyed, the book clearly did not earn my overwhelming favor and while it could possibly squeak by with a C but is getting a C-.

Favorite Quote:

“Good morning.” (Nicole)

“Yeah, it is.” He slid into her with a sleek, heavy thrust that made them both groan in pleasure. “And it’s about to get a whole lot better,” he said, and proceeded to make good on his promise.

“Sexy”ness rating: Lots of hots

Overall Rating: C-

Bottom Line: The book was interesting enough, but lacked momentum at times making it a slow, dull read at times. The characters, while developed alright individually, were borderline stereo-typical and had forced interactions with one another. The intimacy of relationships and trusts felt unnatural and forced. The prose was stiff, the dialogue occasionally stilted – while not bad, Into the Night is not a stunner.

Pages: 346

Published: March 29, 2011

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Contemporary

Long, Lean and Lethal by Lorie O'Clare

Possibly in series with Tall, Dark and Deadly; Strong, Sleek and Sinful

 

www.lorieoclare.com

Long, Lean and Lethal is a book of mostly average devices with occasional extra-ordinary moments. Special Agent Noah Kayne is FBI, sent to Lincoln Nebraska to work with local police as part of a murder investigation there – or several murder investigations, actually. With a possible serial killer who seems to be targeting swingers that are part of a local club, the FBI decides its time to stop playing around and send in the big guns. Local Detective Rain Huxtable, however, is more than a little angry that her investigation is being taken over by the feds – even angrier when she finds out she has to go undercover with one of them, masquerading as his wife. Noah’s wife, more specifically. Rain does NOT like Noah, which is perfectly fine because Noah does NOT like Rain.

All is not well for this ‘married’ couple, but it does get better – and hotter. Noah and Rain have an angry, combustible relationship that leads to some great burn-me-up-sex. Noah has skillz, and Rain is more than appreciative even as she struggles desperately to hold on to her tough outer shell and dislike for Noah. While I liked  both the characters, Rain and Noah fell a little flat for me and the transitions from angry and resentful to partner were a little too quick and convenient. Noah’s character was pretty good – compassionate, smart, and tough and Rain, for the most part, was consistent but she occasionally acted in strange and mysterious ways. I could’ve used a more emotional take to their romance, with a little more depth and a little less lust. I did like the strength Noah gave Rain, however. That was the part of their relationship I liked the best.

The secondary characters were mostly the other members of the swinging club that Rain and Noah infiltrate as part of their investigation. While amusing and intriguing (occasionally in a morbidly fascinating sort of way) I found that the dynamics of the club were never fully explained, so when the killer was revealed I was a little confused as to his/her motive. It also made the story seem like a series of snapshots – vignettes – rather than a fluid, connecting story where the characters were perfectly entwined in their world. I really liked the glimpses we got into Susie’s mind – I thought she was really interesting, again in a creepy way. 

The suspense was only so-so. I’d figured out who the killer was about halfway through the book, but it was still pretty sudden how Noah and Rain found out. I also had issues figuring out exactly what Noah and Rain were discovering while undercover. Besides having really hot sex, what did they accomplish of value? Not much. The suspense had a lot of holes in it – so any true lover of suspense will find his/herself vastly disappointed in the plot. The book meanders around a half-there suspense plot which was find by me – but anyone who reads suspense regularly will have a harder time with the plot, since it’s pretty unrealistic.

Favorite quotes:

God forbid she suggest he read the manual. And she was pretty sure it would be an even larger crime if she picked up the book and started reading it and advising him.

“Fuck you,” she grumbled.

“It crossed my mind.” (Noah)

“I always pay on a date,” he (Noah) informed her.

“Some date.” (Rain)

“You don’t think I know how to take a lady on a date?”

… “Just because it’s been a while doesn’t mean I don’t know how to show a lady she’s worth something.” (Noah)

“Sexy”ness rating: Hot. Very erotic power-struggle sex. Angry sex. Fun and yummy sex.

Overall Rating: B-

Bottom Line: A good book for people who like pretty light suspense and don’t mind a few holes in the plot. Great sex, good characters, a fun and easy read.

Pages: 372

Published: September 29, 2009

Genre: Suspense/Contemporary

Savor the Danger by Lori Foster

Book 3 in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor Series



www.lorifoster.com

Lori Foster writes another stunner with the third book in her Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series. The characters are well-developed, fun, and sexy. The suspense builds from page one, as does the heat and love between our fantastic hero, Jackson Savor, and our wonderful heroine, Alani Rivers. This book was wonderful from its funny beginning to its HEA ending.

I knew I’d like Jackson after watching him interact with Priss in Trace of Fever (book two in the series). He’s funny, with a bunch of wacky phrases and quirks that make him (is it possible?) even more charming. His character was so completely, utterly believable and so well-developed I felt like he was a real person. I loved how he interacted with Alani – 100% honesty. Honesty about his desire and honesty about his feelings. Honesty about his life and honesty, when he could, about his job. He was sweet, sensitive, and caring despite his sometimes crude charm, and he came through for Alani in all ways. I also loved how he interacted with Trace and Dare – he scowled at their ribbing, but didn’t take major offense. He stood his ground in his pissing contest with Trace to be Alani’s lover (and eventually husband). He was a delicious and yet the best part of his character wasn’t his sexy allure, but his kind, caring, sensitive interior.

For her part, Alani was a perfect fit for Jackson. She wouldn’t let him push her around with his Alpha orders. At one point I even wrote the note ‘You go girl!’ after she stood up to him yet again. I loved her strength and her sass, her spunk and her perk. I loved how she trusted Jackson with her heart and her body, and even though he was her first, she wasn’t at all afraid to tell him what she liked or experiment with him. She was courageous in and out of the bedroom. I loved how she was firm, insistent, and honest as well as strong but smart in the face of danger. No rushing moronically into danger for Alani. She trusted her macho man to handle the threats, and I thought that spoke for her intelligence big time.

The romance was exceptional. In the very beginning, Jackson wakes up with Alani in his bed – and no memory of what happened. There was clearly already a firm bond between the two, demonstrated by Alani’s tender concern later when she finds out. But watching them grow in their love for one another, even as the sexual heat and passion simmered, burst, and exploded, was wonderful and heart-wrenching in a beautiful way. Jackson needed Alani to help him really enjoy life instead of living by routine, never satisfied, and Alani needed Jackson to grow into the strong, sexy woman she was at the end. Jackson’s teasing lent the whole romance a light-heated, sweet, fun edge, but there were still poignant serious moments. I also liked how free he was in touching her, even in front of the protective Trace. I loved how they loved each other – every sexy second of it. 

The suspense and action were well done and had me biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my seat – especially when Arizona... ‘came up’.  I loved ***SPOILER ALERT*** that the way Jackson got drugged was when the female villain, Chandra, took advantage of his kind, considerate nature. I thought that really fit for his character, and it was a testament – once again – to his undeniable kindness. ***END OF SPOILER ALERT*** I would’ve preferred a little less direct explanation from the villain at the end – but it was still a wonderful climactic ending scene. I liked how Jackson handled the danger and I really liked seeing the team in action this time around. In the previous two books, it felt like the hero was doing most of the work alone, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. But in Savor the Danger I enjoyed watching the ‘Studs’ (Jackson, Trace and Dare) work together. It added another element to the story that was well-researched and well-developed. All in all, Foster wrote a wonderful, exciting romance from its light-hearted start to its satisfying ending.

Favorite quotes:

…typical personalities for lethally honed mercenaries. (there are typical personalities for lethally honed mercenaries?)

“Things did happen sort of…fast.”  (Alani)

Dare’s mouth quirked. “Not something Jackson would want you to share, hon.”

“No one thinks you’re an idiot. That’s just dumb.” (Jackson)

 “Sexy”ness rating: Smokin’

Overall Rating: A-

Bottom Line: This book contains a sweet, sassy heroine and a sensitive, caring Alpha hero. Watch out for burned fingers – yeah. The book is that hot.

Pages: 416

Published: June 28, 2011

Genre: Contemporary

Trace of Fever by Lori Foster

Book 2 in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor Series

 

www.lorifoster.com

I think part of the reason this book got such a low rating (D+) was that I’ve come to expect so much from her books. There are so many excellent Lori Foster books out there that giving this one a higher rating would be doing an injustice to the others. So even though this book is getting a low rating, keep in mind it’s because Lori Foster is such an amazing author that I’ve set incredibly high standards for her books – ones that she usually surpasses without qualm.

That being said, this book still had one of my favorite Lori Foster elements done really well – The Hero. Trace Rivers (or, if undercover, Trace Miller) is a sexy, smart, sinful, delicious, hard, uncompromising Alpha from his head to his toes (and thank God, everything in between). I LOVE a Lori Foster hero because they are so alpha, so unrelentingly strong and sexy it fires the blood. If you love Lori Foster heroes, if you love strong alphas in action, you will LOVE Trace. *Fans self* Wow. Smoking.

Unfortunately, Priscilla (Priss) Patterson was a little off. She was contradictory in her motivation and behaviors. I couldn’t get a clear sense of who she was, why she did what she did, where she was coming from – even after having her past explained. She was all over the place, and was one of those characters that seemed to act only to further the plot in the way the author intends. From an author who is always so true to her characters, I was disappointed. Also, her virginity was something that bothered me, what with her owning a porn shop. I'm not saying that I think women that own porn  shops are whores - I'm saying someone who is sexually knowledgeable will likely have had sex by the time they're in their twenties. So her virginity was kinda a questionable thing for me. Priscilla was also occasionally TSTL too, and that was an annoyance. I also disliked her nickname, Priss. It just gave the wrong impression. In general however, she was just unlikeable.

As for the plot, it wasn’t one of my favorite LF’s either. I liked it very much at the beginning – but then it seemed that there was no place to go and we simply wallowed in and waded through small, climactic elements that lead nowhere. I didn’t feel the build-up of the plot or the build-up of the romance. It was all too chaotic and messy for my tastes. Nothing seemed to tie into anything else, it was just one action scene after another with no real reason or resolution for any of them. It was a very strange blend of too much going on and not enough meaning assigned to anything.

As far as the villains go, they were well-developed in their vile evilness. Helene, appropriately named Hell, was frickin’ insane, which I thought made for an interesting story even if she wasn’t completely believable all the time. Murray Coburn, our big time villain, was evil and insane and sickening - overall, a very well done villain. At times, however, I had trouble understanding his motivation for his actions too – which made him seem like another character Foster was simply using to further the plot. That was the unfortunate thing with this book – the people were not caught up in the events and reacting to them. Rather they were creating events of little consequence so that there would, somehow, be a plot.

In the end, my favorite thing about this book (besides Trace’s delicious physique) were the lies told by Trace and Priscilla to Murray. Their quick thinking was astounding and gloriously fun to watch. It was a definite tribute to their cool-headed nature, dedication to catching the villain, and intelligence. Loved it. The rest of the story… not so much.

Favorite quotes:

“God, nothing in the world tastes better than that first drink of coffee.” (Priss)

 Trace looked over his shoulder, his attention zeroing in on her mouth, then her chest and finally down to her bare legs. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

“Does Priss know how you handled it?” (Chris)

“No.” (Trace)

“Then maybe you ought to tell her before she murders Matt.”

 Trace started on his way again, this time taking the lead. “She’s five-four and weighs less than one-twenty. Matt can handle himself.”

“Says the man with the black eye.”

“That sounds like some adolescent bullshit or something.” (Jackson)

“You have a very limited vocabulary.” (Priss)

“My balls still hurt. It’s affecting my brain.”

“Your brain is located a little low, isn’t it?”

“Sexy”ness rating: Hot. Even when they weren’t having sex. Trace is just… hot. All the time.

Overall Rating: D+

Bottom Line: If you love Lori Foster there’s a high probability you’ll love this book just as you love the rest of her work. Trace is our very loveable, extremely sexy Alpha LF hero, but Priss and the storyline just weren’t working out for me this time. But When You Dare was awesome, and I’m expecting great things from Savor the Danger – so don’t give up on the series!

Pages: 400

Published: May 31, 2011

Genre: Contemporary

When You Dare by Lori Foster

Book 1 in the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor Series

www.lorifoster.com

First, I am a HUGE Lori Foster fan. I own almost every book she's written. I started buying her books when I was twelve (Truth or Dare was my very first adult romance). I am enraptured with  almost all her writings. So it comes to no surprise that I liked this book a lot. I’m a big fan of Foster’s style (especially her SBC Fighters series), and this book (with our delicious Dare Macintosh) was no exception from her excellent writing.

Our heroine, Molly Alexander, has been kidnapped to Tijuana, Mexico and has just been rescued by Dare (he was on a mission to rescue another kidnapped woman and rescued Molly while he was at it). After determining that her kidnapping was not at all random, he vows to keep her safe and help her heal. The plot was a very typical Foster plot – danger, excitement, suspense, a crazed villain that hits close to home, a sexy and very capable hero who takes the villain down … she always writes it very well. The plot I had no exception to, it was enjoyable, fast-paced, and a nail-bitter to the finish.

 On top of a great plot, the characters (supporting like Chris as well as primary) were excellent as well. Molly was the strongest Foster heroine yet, and she always writes really independent heroines. Her strength was incredible, unmatched, and yet still realistic. She was a beautiful woman, confident and sure of herself. I also loved, LOVED that Molly was a romantic suspense writer. Some reviews I’ve read say they hate how much Foster’s own voice shines through so clearly in this one (for an example see the first quote below). Personally, I thought it was entertaining, creative, and unique. Her personal opinion was clearly infused into the book as were some of her personal experiences as a writer. I thought her absolute knowledge on the subject of writing really enhanced the book – but that’s just me.

Our hero, Dare, is sexy as sin and deliciously tempting. He was everything a good contemporary hero should be (and everything a Lori Foster hero always is) along with a kind of lethal danger and quiet sensitivity. Foster likes to write action, and she’s good at it. Dare is capable of handling dangerous situation when bullets are flying and blood is flowing. I found Dare to be exceptionally sexy in his protection of Molly and his ability to focus in tough situations. I would have liked to see more of his past, we didn't get enough background for Dare.

There was only one thing about Dare’s personality I didn’t like. He seemed, at times, a little too violent. The lines ‘I’d go back and kill them again’ (not a direct quote, but something similar) were written several times throughout the book and during the climax Dare has to restrain himself from killing a man who is virtually defenseless. While I understand the sexy-factor of being lethal and capable, the violence and lack of regret for murder (even if the individuals were really nasty) made me a bit uneasy. A little remorse or pause about taking a life would be nice - as it was he was way too blase about it. But other than that one complaint, Dare was fabulous, smoldering, and tender. I think the tenderness is really what did me in.

If you need yet more convincing to read this book, check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrzODHtvm_U&feature=youtube_gdata_player Yum.

 Favorite quotes (it was hard to only pick three):

She immediately went defensive. “Life has sex in it, and I write about life, about people who face hardships and in the end triumph through it all. And really good triumph deserves a lasting love, don’t you think?” Before he could answer, she said, “Of course it does. And any lasting love has to have really hot, wonderful sex.”

“That’s, uh, the second time you’ve kissed me.” (Molly)

His gaze went back to her mouth, his voice deepened. “I can count.” 

“Chris is gay.” (Dare)

“Gay?” Mystified, she stared at him. “But you’re not…?”
Dare gave her a look. “Are you actually asking me that? Because I thought I’d made my sexual preferences pretty clear already.”

 “Sexy”ness rating: Hotter than Hades (and more sinful too)

 Overall Rating: B+

Bottom Line: I always advocate reading Lori Foster if you’re a contemporary fan – and this book is absolutely no exception. Great characters, an intriguing plot and a suspenseful race to the finish (with some smoldering sex too) this book was an excellent read overall.

Pages: 448 pages
Published: April 13, 2011
Genre: Contemporary