Not Another Blind Date by Leslie Kelly, Janelle Denison & Jo Leigh

A good selection of Valentine’s stories

4 stars

This is Blaze’s annual collection of stories for Valentine’s Day all focusing on blind dates and what they can lead to.

SKIN DEEP by Janelle Denison

At a fancy dress party, good girl Jayne decides to give herself one night of craziness with a hot, bad boy. Jayne’s never enjoyed sex so hot but it was a one-time thing. Or so she thinks. When Jayne gets set up on a blind date with Brian she realises the Cupid has other ideas.

I really enjoyed this story as it was sweet and cute with some good heat running through it. Definitely the best of the book.

HOLD ON by Leslie Kelly

Shy Sarah Holt is enamoured with sexy Doctor Steve Wilshire but he doesn’t know she exists. So when a twist of fate allows Sarah to step in as Steve’s blind date she jumps at the chance and has the best night of her life. But will it last?

This was a good story if a little far-fetched. I liked the romance but I was surprised Steve wasn’t a little more angry when it came out who Sarah actually was which made the conclusion a little unbelievable for me.

EX MARKS THE SPOT by Jo Leigh

Paige Callahan has just lost a big break for her job so it’s the icing on her crappy week when her ex-boyfriend sets her up for a blind date on Valentine’s Day. But things start to look up when she meets sexy, wealthy, Noah.

I could barely finish this story as it was ridiculous – what ex-boyfriend, described as careless and thoughtless, would set his ex up on a Valentine’s date and what girl would accept? It was also boring and the ending was forced and unbelievable.

Overall, there are two good stories in this anthology and one that didn’t do it for me at all. Despite the bad story I’m still going to go with 4 stars as even if you’re not a fan of Valentine’s Day this anthology is worth a read if you get the chance.

Ms. Match by Jo Leigh

Wonderful uplifting and hot romance

5 stars

Hot, successful and hunky PR man, Paul Bennett can have any woman he wants. Except for the one he really wants. In order to score some points, he agrees to take the girl’s rather plain sister out for a night.

Gwen Christopher isn’t as drop dead gorgeous as her sister and so Paul’s more than a little surprised to wake up, near naked, in a hotel bedroom next to her so soon after they meet. Gwen may be fun, smart, interesting, exciting and downright amazing in bed – but she’s not the kind of girl that he goes for. So why is suddenly being near her the only thing he can think of?

This story was a really fabulous read and I absolutely devoured the book from beginning to end.

Gwen wasn’t your stereotypical ‘plain-Jane’ heroine. She knew she wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous and didn’t have any hang-ups about it. She was lively, interesting, exciting and I loved her! Paul too was a great character. Starting off as a shallow man, he transformed into someone we would all love to have. The way he fell for Gwen was delightful. Together the pair had good chemistry and there were some nicely sexy moments to the story too.

Overall, this story was a great tale of two people that shouldn’t have been perfect for each other, but were. If you’re looking for a fun, sexy and uplifting read then I would recommend this book to you. 5 stars.

Destination: Marriage

Two hits and a miss for this marriage themed anthology

4 stars

Trouble in Paradise – Jill Marie Landis

From the moment Carrie Evans arrived in Hawaii for her dream destination wedding things have started to go wrong. With the rain, a lost wedding dress and an awol caterer to mention but a few, Carrie is sure that the signs say that she really should be getting married at all. Her fiancé Kurt barely has 4 days to change her mind.

I was terribly disappointed in this top billed story. Kurt didn’t seem to care that the bride was flipping out and was only interested in getting Carrie into bed. And the games the pair played, rather than being amusing, made me think they shouldn’t have been getting married at all.

Biting the Apple – Jo Leigh

Aspiring journalist Trish Avalon has just won an all expenses paid wedding in New York. There’s just one problem – she’s not engaged. Determined to get to the Big Apple to start her new life, she convinces her high school sweetheart, and all round local boy Mark Reynolds to be her groom. But is it only for the week?

This was a great story about chasing your dreams and then realising that maybe they weren’t what you were really looking for. Sweet and romantic with great characters (and set in the decadent Hush hotel) – this was a fantastic short story.

A Venetian Affair – Jackie Braun

Dayle Alexander is planning her perfect wedding – so why isn’t she on top of the world? Her fiancé is stable and dependable – so unlike her unsettlingly hot business partner, Max Kinnick. When business takes the pair to Venice, Dayle begins to realise that her perfect wedding will only be if she can snag the perfect groom!

This was a stand out, adorable story. There was a good dose of emotion without being melodramatic and I just loved Dayle and Max as a couple. A great short romance – I’ll without doubt be searching out more of Jackie Braun’s books in the future.

With two out of the three stories really standing out – I would recommend this book if you’re looking for some fun, light and romantic short stories with a wedding flavour. Despite the first story – still worth 4 stars.

Have Mercy by Jo Leigh

Good addition to the series

4 stars

Pet concierge Mercy Jones is much more comfortable with the pets at Hush than she is with the people. But when mysterious Will Desmond checks in with his faithful companion Buster, Mercy might just have to change her opinion. Buster is adorable, but it's Will that's got her drooling.

Will is determined to do whatever it takes to have Mercy in his bed. His sensual suite was just made for seduction. The more time they spend together – the more the pair bring out the animal in each other. With all this time spent on pleasure – Will is neglecting his duties, but what will Mercy think when she realises what Will and his four legged side kick are really up to?

The latest addition to the Do Not Disturb mini-series, this book continues the fun that's to be found in the sensuous Hush hotel in Manhattan. As with all the books in this series – this book stands completely alone so you don't have to have read the others to enjoy this.

In this particular story – both Will and Mercy are stand out characters. Mercy is a girl with a past but she's sweet, determined and slightly vulnerable. Will also has a past but his continues to haunt him. Despite that he's strong, confident and delicious! Together the pair have good chemistry and the sex scenes sizzle nicely.

The story itself works well and I do enjoy seeing a man brought to his knees by love – especially when he's not expecting it! The crime/mystery element isn't too overpowering and it's not really too difficult to figure out what's going on – but that's not such a bad thing as it's the romance that really matters. My two minor complaints would be that I thought Will got a bit of a bashing during the conclusion – I didn't really think what he'd done was all that bad! And, I would have loved to see some sort of epilogue. I hate it when a book wraps up the storyline and romance and then just ends. I want to read what's going on a couple of months later!!

Anyway, this was, as I've said, a good addition to the Do Not Disturb series. It's fun, interesting and well-written. A good story to wile away an afternoon. 4 stars.

Coming Soon by Jo Leigh

Fun and sexy with a little bit of murder!

4 stars

A movie is being shot in and around the world famous erotic hotel Hush, so concierge Mia Traverse definitely has her hands full. And that's before she stumbles over a very dead body in the basement club. A murdered, dead body!

Detective Bax Milligan can't wait until he leaves the force in a few months and he needs all the help that he can get solving this most high profile of murders. But he hadn't counted on the sexy, CSI addict, Mia becoming the Watson to his Holmes and reviving that long forgotten thrill of solving a crime and triggering a few new thrills at the same time.

When Mia's life is put in danger it's up to Bax to protect her - and his bed seems like the safest place to do just that. But is it safe for either of their hearts?

I am pleased to see that Blaze's Do Not Disturb series is back again and we get to revisit the wonderful Hush hotel with another sexy and fun story.

Mia is a girl who loves her job and is lively, interesting and determined to solve a crime. Thankfully, she also wasn't a heroine that was ridiculously stupid although she did manage to get herself into a few scrapes that she needed saving from. Bax was slightly jaded without being a stereotype and a deliciously rugged hero. Together the pair were a perfect match and a cute crime fighting duo.

The sex scenes were both hot and sweet although it was maybe the latter that stopped them from scorching the pages. But they still were enjoyable.

The mystery was engaging and engrossing and I certainly didn't immediately guess who was the main culprit of the murder as there were so many pieces to the puzzle in the end. Those more used to reading or watching murder mysteries might disagree, however!

Overall, this is a well-written, welcome return to Hush hotel that is entertaining, sexy and definitely worth a couple of hours of your time. 4 stars.

Hush by Jo Leigh

A fun, light read
4 Stars

Hush hotel is Piper Devon’s dream. An erotic retreat with wicked and sinful toys, luxury, secret nooks and silky sheets – the place is designed for sex. Too bad that her hotel magnate, billionaire father is less than impressed.

So he sends the family lawyer, Trace Winslow to try and sort things out. Trace has to put a stop to Piper’s crazy ideas before the family name is dragged through the mud. But soon it’s not just Piper’s sexy tabloid antics that are making Trace crazy and he decides that if he’s in the hotel designed for sex he really should try and beat Piper at her own game.


This was an enjoyable book and the start of a new series of books set in the delicious Hush hotel. Surprisingly, I really liked Piper. For someone who was essentially a spoiled little rich girl – she was a very believable and sympathetic character and someone I really started to root for. Trace was also a good character although I was a little disappointed that he was written as almost 10 years older than Piper – although that’s maybe just me. I also have to say that I didn’t really understand why Piper felt she had to seduce Trace to get him on her side – but I suppose that’s not the point!

Being a Blaze there is obviously going to be some sex in the book and although there was some – it wasn’t as hot or sexy as many other Blaze books I’ve read. Still enjoyable though.

Overall, the story was quite fun and the hotel definitely sounds like somewhere that I’d like to visit! While maybe not being the best Blaze I’ve read – it certainly kept me interested and was good for a light, afternoon read. And it’s definitely made me want to read the other books in the Do Not Disturb series.