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.

Letting Loose by Mara Fox

Slightly disappointing Blaze romance

3 stars

Tina Henderson is desperate to find a way to forget about her fling with fellow lawyer, Tyler Walden. Things were getting too cosy and Tina’s just not a relationship sort of woman. So a night of hot sex with the stripper from her friend’s hen night seems like the perfect way to chase away the memories of Tyler and the fun they had together.

Tyler isn’t about to let Tina walk out of his life – especially since they had such potent chemistry. Posing as the stripper at the hen night is a calculated risk but it’s one that Tyler is determined to take to win Tina back. But what will happen when she finds out about his deception – and will she be happy to see this particular lawyer again – this time without his briefs?

I’ll admit that this Blaze left me slightly disappointed and I didn’t feel it was up to the standard of other books from this line.

Tina was an exceptionally strong character but I felt that she was a stereotype and really wasn’t developed throughout the story. As well as that, at the beginning of the book she decides she will pay the stripper for sex which really stopped me from identifying with, or even liking her. Tyler was a good enough character but you hardly ever learn anything about him other than the superficial. And again, at the beginning of the story – he decided to use his current date to make Tina jealous – hardly hero behaviour!

The actual plot of the story was okay – basically concentrating on Tina’s changing feelings towards Tyler and relationships in general. It didn’t offer anything new but it wasn’t truly terrible.

My biggest complaint was the sex scenes. There were plenty of them and I’ll admit that they were hot and sexy – however they read like the script of a cheesy 80s porn flick. It wasn’t sensual or romantic and the dialogue during the scenes was so cringe worthy it was embarrassing.

Having said all that, I did manage to finish this book and it was an easy read which is always a plus. It didn’t offer anything particularly exciting or new and it’s not a book that I would keep, however it’s certainly not offensive so if you like this author or are looking for a quick read then this book could be for you.

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.

Just Dare Me by Stephanie Bond

Predictable but enjoyable romance

4 stars

Marketing executive Gabrielle Flannery is tired of being overlooked and undermined at work so when the opportunity arises to manage the account of the biggest outdoor equipment company – she jumps at the chance.

But she didn’t bet on the office heart-throb and all round marketing whiz, Dell Kingston, wanting to handle the account too.

So to win the account – the pair must head off on a wilderness survival weekend and compete against each other. Since he’s in touch with the great outdoors (and she’s anything but) he reckons he’s on to a sure thing. But he doesn’t count on the distraction of Gabby’s sexy legs and she certainly has a few other tricks up her sleeve.

And nothing stimulates a sexual appetite like a campfire, the great outdoors and a healthy bit of lust!

This was a fun romance as an ‘ugly duckling’ goes up against a gorgeous, confident man that she has worked with, and had a crush on, for a long time.

Any woman who has ever felt that she faded into the background will identify with Gabby and cheer her on as she tries to take control of her life. Dell is a good hero – outdoorsy, gorgeous and just a little bit cocky.

The story is very engrossing and keeps you turning the pages although the plot itself is fairly predictable. There is plenty of anticipation and build up toward the sex scenes yet there maybe aren’t as many as I would have liked!

Overall, I was debating between 3 and 4 stars for this particular book. I settled on 4 as despite its slight predictability, it’s a fun, entertaining and well-written book that I very much enjoyed. A good, light read for fans of Blaze romances.