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.

Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly

Teasingly sexy and sweet romance

4 stars

Maddy Turner is in a bit of a mess. She’s about to bid a hefty amount of money at a charity bachelor auction to stop her father’s latest wife from bagging herself a sexy, single man. And the man she must outbid her stepmother for is none other than a European gigolo.

Sexy, all-American paramedic, Jake Wallace, has no idea that a mix up at the charity auction has left the bidding ladies convinced that he is a male escort. When he is won by the deliciously sexy Maddy – he is sure he’s onto a good thing.

But Maddy has been burned before and it’s going to take all Jake has to convince her to give him a go. And of course there’s still the fact that Maddy is sure that Jake is only with her because he’s being paid to be.

I am a huge fan of Leslie Kelly and I was happy to see her with a new book in the Wrong Bed miniseries (a series that started off in the Harlequin Tempatation line). This is the first of two books, the next being Heated Rush.

I definitely did enjoy this book as it was fun, sexy and interesting. Maddy and Jake were a good couple and despite all the confusion and misunderstandings – they did have some good chemistry. As such, the sex scenes were teasing, sexy and very hot.

The conflict in the story wasn’t as clichéd as it could have been – which is always a good thing. However, by removing the ‘obvious’ conflict, this meant that the story was fairly slow paced and was very much character focussed despite the quirky premise.

Overall, it’s perhaps not Leslie Kelly’s best book but it’s still exceptionally well written with a fun storyline, likeable characters and some naughty sex. Definitely recommended.

4 stars.

Putting it to the Test by Lori Borill

Hot Office Romance From Blaze
4 stars

Sweet and bubbly website designer, Carly Abrams, is fed up being overlooked for promotion. When the office staff are asked to complete a survey to find out which man and woman are most suited for a big job, Carly does the only thing she can think of and cheats - sex questions not withstanding!

But now she is paired with designer extraordinaire Matt Jacobs - the most irritating and infuriating (not to mention gorgeous and delectable) man Carly has ever laid eyes on - to work together on a top project. If anyone finds out she matched her answers to his then she's in big trouble!

Despite the lies - it seems that Matt and Carly couldn't be more suited - sexually at least. But the pair are combustible, in and out of the bedroom and when they have to fight for the same promotion - the survey results are really put to the test.


I really liked the idea of this story and the goings on within the office that spring from a naughty survey!

Carly was a fun character that you could identify with although perhaps not as in depth as the character of Matt - a typically arrogant, alpha bad boy. Together the pair were delicious and their chemistry scorched the pages. Although there was talk of kinky sex - most of it in the book was fairly vanilla, but still very hot and exciting.

I thought the story ticked along wonderfully and really captured me until about 3/4 of the way through when things slowed down and it just didn't sparkle as much as the first part. Having said that, it was still interesting, engaging and well-written with the required happy ending.

If you like stories about office romances that are hot, sexy and fun - you really can't go wrong with this book. Recommended and worth 4 stars.

Never Naughty Enough by Jill Monroe

Amusing and entertaining romance

4 stars

Annabelle Scott has always been the perfect executive assistant – punctual, efficient and a hard worker. She’s also been hopelessly in love with her boss, Wagner Achrom, for the last four years.

Wagner is so completely enveloped in his work that he has failed to notice how sexy his wonderful assistant really is. That is until Annabelle is put under hypnosis at a party and her deliciously naughty side is brought to life.

Now Wagner is having trouble focussing on anything other than his sexy employee and wondering just how naughty she might turn out to be.

Never Naughty Enough is a fun read and another winner from Jill Monroe. Annabelle is a nice normal girl who gets to unleash her daring and devilish side with the help of some amateur hypnosis. It just goes to show that you can get what you want if you’re just a bit naughty! Wagner is a good hero too – sexy and strong and completely shocked at what’s been right under his nose the whole time.

Although there was some heat and chemistry in the book – it really was more teasing than scorchingly hot even though the sex scenes were plentiful.

The writing is good, the story keeps you interested and the romance is sweet and fun. Overall, this is a good book to keep you engrossed for a few hours and one I would recommend to those that enjoy entertaining romance stories. 4 stars.

Hitting the Mark by Jill Monroe

A fun and feisty romance

5 stars

Danni Ford comes from a long line of con-artists and no-hopers. But she’s bucking the family trend and trying to play it straight. When devilishly sexy Eric comes on the scene she finally feels like she’s found someone that makes being good, oh so bad.

But Eric isn’t quite as normal as he makes out and when Danni finds out she’s been played, then all bets are off. And just why shouldn’t she get something pleasurable out of this particular con? Her revenge will be to tie up her good for nothing boyfriend until she gets the truth from him…before he finds out all of her secrets.

This is the first book of Jill Monroe’s that I’ve read and it definitely won’t be the last. The story was fun, very fast paced, interesting and exciting. It had me hooked from the first page to the last and I couldn’t wait to read more.

Danni was a great character. Feisty and strong, she had a criminal past but still retained a lot of vulnerability over whether she deserved a second chance. Eric was a typical alpha male – strong, confident and in charge – the best kind of male to watch fall head over heels in love. I enjoyed their interactions and together they made a perfect couple. Their chemistry was scorching and as such, the sex scenes were very sexy and fun.

The book also had the secondary romance of Danni’s best friend, Cassie and the man who broke her heart back in high school, Dirk. The story of how they got back together because of their sex tape that ended up on the internet, was almost as good as the main story.

All in all, this was a well-written, interesting and fun story that I would recommend to those that enjoy a good Blaze romance. I will look out for more of Jill Monroe’s books in the future as this one is definitely worth 5 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.

The Man Tamer by Cindi Myers

Enjoyable if predictable Blaze romance

4 stars

Popular columnist Rachel Westover is proud of her moniker The Man Tamer – there isn’t a sports-loving, self-absorbed, slobby male that she can’t turn into the perfect mate. But then she meets Ozzy lacrosse star Garret “Wild Man” Kelly and all bets are off. The gorgeous, rumpled man presents quite a challenge but Rachel never said her behaviour modification techniques were easy.

As an extra incentive, if she succeeds at domesticating Garret, she will land herself her very own TV show. The more time she spends with Garret, the more she begins to find his boyish, sports-loving ways charming and irresistible – so much so she’s abandoning all her strategies. But she’s determined that one of them will end up tamed – she just hopes it’s not her.

This was an enjoyable offering from the Blaze line with some enjoyable characters, good sex and fun situations.

The plot itself is fairly predictable in that you know where the majority of the conflict is going to come from, although what happens for the majority of the book isn’t by any means formulaic or dull. The premise is interesting and different enough to make it stand out from many other books in the line.

Rachel is a great heroine – strong and sassy yet believably insecure and personable. She’s really someone you can identify with or aspire to. Garret is equally a good hero – masculine, rugged and a real man’s man but with enough heart to make him irresistible. My only complaint is that with Garret being an Ozzy, we are subjected to quite a few awful clichés in his habits and speech for the first part of the book – but that settles down soon enough and it no longer becomes a noticeable issue.

The sex scenes are fun, sexy and plentiful and definitely help the book live up to Blaze’s tagline of a scorching hot sexy read.

Overall, this is a well-written, enjoyable book that is certainly worth a read. It may be slightly predictable, but the fun characters, interesting premise and great sex really make up for it. 4 stars.