The Role by A.B. Wilson


The Role by A.B. Wilson
Publisher: Totally Bound
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Thrown together on the set of a failing TV show, Alina and Markus must navigate the spotlight together as a couple or risk cancellation.

Rebuild. That’s Markus’ plan after a disastrous role and explosive public breakup with the girl he thought was The One. The bit part he originally agreed to take on after losing a bet now seems like his last opportunity to pull his career back from the brink. When he walks onto the set, he finds a TV show on the verge of cancellation and the paparazzi circling like vultures watching for what—or who—he’ll try to do next.

When Markus is introduced to the director’s muse and the show’s on-location assistant producer, Alina, sparks start to fly and the two strike up a tentative friendship among the lights and cameras of the gossipy set. The ambitious and hard-working Alina has zero interest in getting sucked into Markus’ celebrity gossip drama, but she may not have a choice as one disaster after another befalls the set.
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A chance screen test and some serious groveling by the show’s director leads to Markus and Alina taking on major roles in a desperate attempt to save the show from network cancellation. Now in front of the camera, Markus and Alina are bound together as love interests and the line between private and public starts to blur. As life begins to imitate art, Markus and Alina get ground to dust by the celeb gossip mill seeking the ‘real’ story behind the two of them. If they can come back from this and save the show, they’ll be the next Hollywood power couple.

The Role proves that being manipulated and mental exhaustion happens to men, as well as women. Markus has just finished a physically, emotionally, and mentally draining film, compounded by his girlfriend breaking up with him. Alina is working hard as Assistant Director with her own plans for the future. Sparks fly when these two meet.

This is a book of two halves for me. The first half – when Alina and Markus meet. Although they get off to a rocky start, they soon become friends. The second half is when they give in to their feelings and it moves on from there. There was chemistry aplenty between them from the word go, so it really was just a matter of when, not if.

Alina and Markus are both brilliant characters, with their own friends, family, and ways of doing things. The supporting cast of Markus’ family plus Alina’s friends helped to make this a great read.

I can’t wait to see which brother comes along next, and I hope we still see more of Alina and Markus.

A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.

His Woman by Arabella Sheen


His Woman by Arabella Sheen
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Lesley York, a divorced mother of two with a PhD in Fine Art, finds herself falling hard for the charm and charisma of Rafael Capello.

And love? Well, love has nothing to do with it. She’s making no plans for a future with Rafe. And besides, she’s ten years too old for him. What she needs from Rafe is physical fulfilment … in other words, sex, but without the romance or strings attached.

But Rafe wants more from Lesley than a fleeting romance. He thinks she’s sophisticated and stylish, and he’s developed an unexpected passion for one sexy mature lady in particular…

As the University goes into lockdown, can Rafe and Lesley find love amid the crisis of a pandemic?

Lesley might not be the young, naïve dreamer she had been – but that didn’t mean she couldn’t occasionally do something spontaneous. Like take the handsome Rafe up on his offer of a steamy, sexy fling. Since they both worked at the University they often found their early morning swims at the campus pool meant they had the entire complex to themselves. Lesley all too soon finds herself in deep water with Rafe. Are they in this together, can she really become his woman?

I found this to be a delightfully sexy, short read. I was pleased that both Lesley and Rafe were interesting characters and that Lesley in particular was a thoroughly modern and relatable character that I could empathize with. While her painful past and emotional baggage held her back somewhat I was pleased she took a chance on Rafe and that they could indulge together and have some grown up fun.

Readers looking for an intricate plot or a very deep and complex story won’t find that here, but this short story is a steamy and wonderfully quick, fun read. Extremely explicit, I thought this hot romance still managed to covey a strong emotional connection between Lesley and Rafe. Despite her previous relationship pain Lesley was clearly willing to trust Rafe and I felt it was obvious he had good intentions towards her too.

Rafe could easily have been written as an arrogant playboy, cruising through the female population of the university so I was relieved and impressed when it was clear he was focused on Lesley and really wanted to form a relationship with her and commit. I found that refreshing and lovely. The small subplot around Lesley’s ex-husband and children could have been fleshed out a little better to my mind, but I wasn’t overly concerned about that partly due to the short word count, but also since the focus remained on the beginning stages of Lesley and Rafe’s relationship and that made sense for this steamy romance.

With two strong and interesting characters and a brilliant modern outlook this sexy short story was a great, quick read.

Dark by Thayer King


Dark by Thayer King
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

For Princess Veracity, it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, Dark has never given her any indication that he returns her affection. Even more unfortunately, she’s betrothed to marry a man she’s quickly growing to hate. She doesn’t want to disappoint her parents, but there’s a reason she’s known to be the rebellious daughter. If she gets her way, her wedding day will feature an entirely different groom.

They call him a monster, an abomination. When he smiles, people run. Dark has wanted Veracity since the moment he laid eyes on her, but there are too many reasons why they can’t be together. She deserves better. Because the rumors are true. He is a monster. And he’s only growing stronger.

Veracity has long for Dark for years to no avail. Instead of being with him, she is betrothed to someone more interested in plants than he is with her – and she’s not that bothered either.

This is the third book in the Princesses series but you can read it as a standalone as I have. The couples from the first two books are mentioned but not in a way that makes you feel like you are missing out. More like you now want to read those too!

Dark was a brilliant character, tortured, hard shell, the whole works. Veracity is the one to break down his walls. I was a bit confused, to begin with, because there wasn’t any mention of them knowing about the other one liking them, but then Dark is ‘summoned’ and it’s full steam ahead. Veracity is impetuous and impulsive yet tries to convince everyone she has matured. This leads to out of control situations.

Dark was a great read that whisked me away to planets unknown, full of amazing characters, and plenty of steam. Thayer King is a new-to-me author but one I will be looking at more closely from now on. Absolutely recommended by me.

These Small Hours by Gloria Herrmann


*These Small Hours by Gloria Herrmann
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense, Romance
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

Keep writing…or die trying.

Charlene Vanderberg is a bestselling author whose world is turned upside as she experiences writer’s block for the first time. She now faces a deadline to redeem her career after her last book, a sappy romance, flopped. Charley had only wanted to try her hand at a different genre, one with a little less murder and mayhem, but had ended up creating some disgruntled fans. That’s when the words disappeared, and Charley found herself unable to write a single sentence.

After being plagued with crippling writer’s block for months and about to hang up the towel, Charley’s agent Pamela has convinced her that a change of scenery would help get her creative juices flowing again. She sends Charley off to a cozy lake resort and has enlisted some protection for her in the person of Nick Capra, a detective who is running from his own demons, has no desire to babysit the famous author but finds himself unable to stop developing feelings for his charge.

Famous for writing chilling tales, Charley isn’t prepared for the nightmare in store for her. The sleepy lake community where nothing bad ever happens begins to see a string of grisly murders. Charley discovers these murders were meant to inspire her to write her next novel. A copycat killer is reenacting scenes from her bestsellers. No one is safe from this killer—not even Charley.

If you are looking for murder, mayhem and suspense with some romance thrown into the mix, These Small Hours is the book for you. The story centers on Charlene (Charley), a bestselling crime writer and Nick, a burnt out detective.

Charley has decided to visit the small town of Crescent Lake with the hope of getting over her writer’s block. What she didn’t expect is dead bodies turning up. This story starts a little slow, but once Charley enters the sleepy community of Crescent Lake, things start to heat up.

Along with the suspense there is a romance brewing between Nick and Charley. I liked both these characters but it took a while for me to connect with them. Suspense and romance is typically just the type of story I love and I was anxious to start reading this one, but unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with the writing. I found the pacing a bit slow and the characters one dimensional. So, for me, the writing wasn’t what I had hoped for, but maybe it was just the mood I was in.

The good part is that the ending was a surprise. Usually, I can figure out the ending, but with this one, I could not. If you like mystery and suspense with some romance, give this one a try.

Eternity Is Forever by K.G. Inglis


Eternity Is Forever by K.G. Inglis
Publisher: Xlibris
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Alstroemeria

COMBATING DANGERS IS WHAT THEY DO. BUT THIS TIME THOSE DANGERS ARE MORE INTIMATE THAN THEY BARGAINED FOR…

Book 6 – The Eternal Series
Ex-Special Forces, Hawke is afraid of nothing, except maybe the dark haired female with a 9mm Buretta pistol aimed between his legs. Bound by honour to protect her, and driven by overwhelming desire to possess her, those two needs clash with fiery consequences.

Anna is used to dangerous situations as an undercover DEA Agent, but when her cover is blown in the biker bar she’s been working in for the past six months, she discovers that the drugs they’re pedalling are only the tip of the iceberg of secrets they’re harbouring. Even so, she faces her enemy with confidence. It’s the danger she faces of losing her heart to Hawke that terrifies her.

As the balance of power shifts within the supernatural world, it threatens to disrupt the natural order of life on Earth. Hawke and Anna join forces to eliminate the threat, but the stakes are raised with the suspicion of a traitor in their midst. It soon becomes clear that more than just their lives are on the line.

Get ready for some highly intense action, fingernail chewing suspense and heart warming drama, interwoven with a heavy dose of steamy attraction and laugh out loud fun.

Eternity is Forever absolutely swept me away into that precious love we have all had with vampires. To say that it lived up to every hot expectation is a complete understatement! Not only were the readers blessed with the rugged “Adonis” Hawke, whose supernatural talents exceed every expectation, (especially in the bedroom), but we also get a kick-butt, no-nonsense character like Anna to put him in his place, and have fun doing it!

Anna as a character is so great to read, because despite the alluring charms of Hawke, the strong female lead pushes back against society’s expectations, and is the character in this story that fully embodies “If I say jump, you say how high.” Being drop dead gorgeous and good with a gun is just a bonus. The story between the two main characters is full of twists and turns that makes the book VERY difficult to put down. Every moment is action-packed and never lacking in steam. It is a surprise they can get anything accomplished with how much they just want their hands all over each other!

K.G. Inglis does the paranormal genre justice to the extreme by giving the reader a taste of all the supernatural there is out there, never limiting to one kind of legendary creature. There is a sample of a whole slew of different extraordinary beings, with fully developed plotlines and background stories for every character in the novel, which is truly a rare find. I was interested and invested in every side character in this story, and the knowledge that this is the sixth book in an ongoing series is the only thing keeping me from being upset about the cliffhanger ending.

Although I came in late to this series, I can say without a doubt that Eternity is Forever can be read as a stand-alone novel, but good luck trying to keep yourself from running out and buying the next book in the series. Good news for you is that it is already published!

With such a riveting storyline, one that has already spanned 5 novels, and the fact that the action-packed energy flows through the pages of this sixth book just goes to show the strength of K.G. Inglis as a writer. The intertwining backgrounds of all the different characters and storylines never gets confusing, and never gets brushed off. Everything written is important and intentional, and reading through it doesn’t ever feel like a chore.

If you needed a sign here it is: go out and buy this series. It’s hot, it’s refreshing, it’s paranormal, and it has got a plot that packs a punch. I can’t believe I get to read more!

The Silver Cage by Ana Raine


The Silver Cage by Ana Raine
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Danny barely remembers who he is, let alone his mate. After being taken from his pack years ago by a group of overzealous hunters, Danny identifies only as “Wolf” — the pet of the pack who helps track down other shifters for the hunters’ sport.

When Danny tracks down a female wolf, he hesitates to help imprison her male companion. At first Danny doesn’t remember this wolf, at least not logically, but his senses are completely overtaken and he’s sure he’s met this Alpha before.

This wolf isn’t just his former Alpha. Jamie is also his mate, and after years of believing Danny dead, Jamie’s not going to let his mate go ever again. Even if it means working together to kill each of the hunters so they can never take their lives again — or come between their mating bond.

Danny was taken from his mate and his pack ten years previously, and has been subjected to goodness knows what. He has forgotten his name and now only thinks of himself as Wolf. His life is at a crossroads – one of the humans wants to keep him, but a pair of wolves want to save him. In saving Danny, Jamie’s sister, Danica, is taken.

This is a fast-paced novella that is sometimes a bit jerky as the scenes progress. A whole lot of story is crammed within these sixty-six pages. I would have liked it to have been expanded upon, even if only a little bit.

The characters are likeable (or not, as the situation demands) and believable. This is the first in the Restrained series, so it will be interesting to see what happens next. I really hope Jax stays at home!

A quick coffee-break book that I enjoyed. If you’re looking for a light read, then I can recommend this one.

Godsend by Elvira Bell


Godsend by Elvira Bell
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Genre: Erotic Romance, Historical, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Ari and Vidar are Viking warriors and blood brothers. Will handsome thrall Elric break their bond…or make it even stronger?

When young Saxon Elric is sold to Norse slave traders, he thinks that his life is over. He is brought across the sea to the settlement of the Norsemen and becomes the chief’s thrall, and neither the chief nor the warriors are lenient with him. Two of the warriors are different, though—Ari and Vidar. Elric senses that their bond goes beyond mere friendship, and wishes that he himself had someone who would care for him.

Ari and Vidar have been lovers for years, but they have to sneak away whenever they want to be together. Vidar is next in line to be leader, as the chief’s nephew, but he’s shy and insecure and only feels at home on the battlefield. Ari looks different than the other warriors, since his mother was of foreign descent, and he’s had to learn how to stand up for himself.

The two of them are blood brothers, linked together forever, but even though they are lovers they can’t go against the taboo that prohibits free men from being passive during sex. Ari feels that something is lacking, and Elric’s arrival gives him an idea—what if they invited Elric to join them in bed? The thought excites him, and Elric himself seems eager to please.

The only question is how Ari is supposed to get Vidar to agree to letting another man into their relationship…

Imagine having your freedom within reach, only for it to be taken cruelly away. This is what happens to Elric on the last day of his service to a farmer. He has served five years and, after doing one more trip to the market, will be a free man. Until his farmer sells him to the Vikings.

This is a well-written romance that only touches on the Viking culture, focusing more on the romantic elements of the story. It moves along at a fair pace, and you see how Elric’s life changes, and the pressures upon Vidar. Ari is the one in the middle of them both, the one who helps make the dream a reality.

A lovely story with a great supporting cast. This is the first book by this author I have read, and it won’t be the last. Definitely recommended by me.

The Billionaire and the Escort by Evelyn Mahony


The Billionaire and the Escort by Evelyn Mahony
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

In the world of high-end escorts, getting personal is never part of the arrangement.

When Josh Roberts became a male escort, there was no room for emotions. They went against the job description. He had a full appointment book and enough clients to pay the bills. There was definitely no time to get attached to an older, extremely successful, incredibly gorgeous man who paid for his services.

But Josh can’t turn down the money that has started rolling in, along with the gifts and the opportunity to live in the lap of luxury as the man flies him around the world to play pretend as his boyfriend. How on earth is he supposed to say no? Especially once he starts falling for his client.

James Barnwell is the successful CEO of Winter Luxury Resorts who stumbled upon Josh Roberts in a dark, high-end bar in midtown Manhattan. The young man was cocky, young, beautiful and offered James exactly what he was looking for—the chance to be with a man who knew the ropes and offered no opportunity to get attached. James had a lucrative business to run and meetings all over the world to attend. Having someone by his side would just weigh him down—or so he thinks, until he finds himself caring deeply for the man he pays for companionship, and it completely changes his world.

Two men are trying to play make believe—until they realize their sham might be closer to reality than they thought.

An Escort and a Billionaire – sounds like the start of a joke, right? Well, it’s actually the start of a love story between a young artist and an older business owner. Trust me, it will all make sense.

I enjoyed how the story rolled out, with the instant attraction and the constant fight to keep things professional. I also loved how it was James who was the insecure one who needed baby steps. It is hot and steamy from the word go and only slows down as you near the end. Once again, this all makes sense for the story.

What I found a little confusing was the ‘Daddy’ part of it. Now, I love a good Daddy story as much as the next person, but nine times out of ten, the dynamic didn’t exactly work.

On the whole, this was a great story with the opportunity for more from this cast of characters. I enjoyed it all and have no hesitation in recommending it for a steamy summer read.

Land Of Enchantment by Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga


Land Of Enchantment by Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga
Publisher: Tygerseye Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

What if you had to leave everything behind to find your way home?

Opposites definitely attract, but can an east coast kid on the run and a southwest rodeo cowboy learn to speak the same language, let alone learn to trust each other?

When Mason Wild has to get out of Jersey fast, he heads west without a plan or a penny to his name. Luckily he finds a job with a roofing company run by a rodeo cowboy who’s kind, easy to work for, and even with his jaw wired shut, hotter than July in the high desert.

Bull rider Levi Yost knows what it’s like to be down on his luck. He’s not much older than Mason, but he’s been around the block a few times–or at least around the rodeo arena. He takes a chance on Mason, giving him a job and a place to live on his ranch. The two of them discover a surprising amount of common ground, but trouble has a way of finding each of them. Mason has to decide whether to trust Levi with his past, and Levi has to come to terms with the fact that he’s not just riding out for himself anymore.

On the run and having been on the road for a while, Mason is hungry and pretty desperate for some steady work when he finally gets some luck while hitchhiking out in the desert. Levi takes a step of faith and hires Mason onto his regular crew doing some roofing work and quickly both men realize they can truly trust each other in all the important ways.

I really enjoyed this full length cowboy story and loved the slow, emotional pace. From the start it’s clear that Mason has more than a few secrets and is in dire need of people he can trust and who will do right by him. Levi, also, is recovering from a bad fall while rodeoing and I loved how the longer length of the story let the two men ease into a true and deep relationship. While sexy and hot, I loved how the co-authors took their time to let the two men learn and trust each other first. This really helped me as a reader get a good feel for them both and get excited as they trusted each other inch by inch.

With a few really strong secondary characters I loved how Mason in particular flourished after he found his feet. The pace around the reader learning his backstory was lovely, snippets here and there that added up into an interesting and intense sub-plot around where and what Mason had left behind him. Levi also was a delight, and once we finally get back onto the rodeo circuit with him I loved how the reader could see it all fresh and learn through Mason’s eyes. Personally I have zero knowledge about real cowboying and rodeos (short of what you’d see on tv) so I loved how much detail and authentic description the co-authors added into the story without it feeling like a massive info-dump. I loved these scenes and felt they really added hugely to the story as a whole.

While it took a while for the plot (both Mason’s past to return and Levi to realize maybe his time for being on the rodeo circuit was a limited thing) to really blossom and come to fruition but I didn’t mind this at all as the growing relationship between Levi and Mason was given ample time to really come around and not be rushed. This book is really like a lovely long, slow drop and I adored this pace.

Readers eager for a character-centric story with vibrant and different characters, plenty of hard work, desert settings and authentic cowboys along with some complicated personal plot-lines and a loving and emotional, deep M/M romance should find this story really fits the bill. I loved this story and can’t wait to reread it again soon. Recommended.

When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz


When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Jove
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her stepsister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one of her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant, and reckless, Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends—women in a Seattle-based online investment club—for answers. But what they find is chilling…

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Max Cutler enjoys his work as a PI even though his first career as a profiler for the FBI – along with his marriage and the home he’d made for himself – all went down in flames during his last case. When he agrees to take on a client who insists his cousin’s death isn’t what it looks like Max meets Charlotte and together they discover the unusual link between Charlotte’s step-sister’s mysterious vanishing and Max’s suspicion, death. Soon they’re working together, each determined to find some answers.

Jayne Ann Krentz has been a staple of my reading material for more years than I’m comfortable remembering. This book really brought home to me just how amazing she is as a writer, because over the years (gulps: decades!) she has continued to grow and thrive in her writing style. She has always been an exceptional writer but I found this book really exceeded even my own high expectations.

For example – this book had a good number of strong, varied and interesting secondary characters (the investors group of four friends, the nursing home residents and Max’s family as just a few). Whereas there is almost always some secondary characters to help flesh out the world and situations – I thoroughly enjoyed that this book really had a higher than usual number and yet the quality and interest in this large group remained high. I also really enjoyed how the plot wasn’t linear – numerous threads all wove slowly but steadily together and the story-telling around this and weaving the pieces together was not just artful but entrancing to me.

As I admitted above I’ve been a fan of Krentz’s for ages, but like all relationships it ebbs and flows. Some books hit the mark better than others and while they’re all good – there are different levels of “good”. I adored this book and it really hit a number of my “excellent” buttons so I rate this book above a number of her other recent works. Now sure, there are the usual tropes which are as comforting and enjoyable as they are predictable – Charlotte is smart, savvy and has a “crash and burn” relationship in her near past, Max has his own issues and a far bigger “life-altering moment” in his past and they each are dealing well with their respective histories and baggage. They’re both strong characters, attracted to each other but cautious of getting burned again and focused on the mystery and task at hand – all the usual tropes. But that doesn’t detract (for me, at least) one inch from the enjoyableness of the story, and for sure it doesn’t lessen the intensity of their characters or the situation at all. Indeed the comfort and known quantity of these aspects helps me enjoy the tension and weaving of the multiple plots more than if I was trying to grapple with their character and objectives. I know this style of characters and can enjoy the plot and circumstances more because I’m not questioning or catching up on other parts of the story.

Readers who love a fairly traditional style of romantic suspense should definitely give this book a whirl. If you haven’t read Krentz before you can pretty much look into anything of her backlist in the last 10-15 years and chances are good there’s a number of decent stories there awaiting your perusal. Krentz is a go-to for me for solid, enjoyable, believable and interesting romantic mystery/suspense. This is definitely one of my favourites though they’re all of a high quality. The romance is a slow-burn and while the bedroom door is left open the focus of the romance is more emotional and Charlotte and Max connecting and working their investigation together with a bit of bedroom sizzle thrown in – this is not an explicit or heavily graphic romance story, but a solid mystery/suspense with a good dash of romance woven in and balanced well.

A solid and thoroughly enjoyable read, I was delighted by this and can heartily recommend it.