Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Published June 3rd 2014 by Signet

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Series: The Cavanaugh Brothers, #1
My Rating: ❀❀❀
Genre: Contemporary Romance


In the small town of River Black, Texas, sits the Triple C—a working cattle ranch that sustains the town. But it also holds painful memories and shocking secrets for the Cavanaugh brothers...

When the Cavanaugh brothers return home for their father’s funeral, they discover unexpected evidence of the old man’s surprising double life—a son named Blue, who wants the Triple C Ranch as much as they do. The eldest son, Deacon, a wealthy businessman who couldn’t wait to leave the ranch and move on with his life, is looking to use his powerful connections to stop Blue at any cost. He never expected the ranch’s forewoman, Mackenzie Byrd, to get in his way.

Mac knows Deacon means to destroy the ranch and therefore destroy her livelihood. But as the two battle for control, their attraction builds. Now Deacon is faced with the choice of a lifetime: Take down the Triple C to feed his need for revenge, or embrace the love of the one person who has broken down every barrier to his heart.

This novel was not what I expected to be. That being said, I was excited when the unsolved murder of the hero's sister was introduced, and looking forward a romance that had a bit of  a mystery. However, that's not exactly what I got, though I suspect the series as a whole will focus on Cass's murder. Let me preface my review by saying, I did enjoy the book. That being said, I did have some issues with it. Overall, he writing is easy to read, crisp and clean and I see a lot of potential in upcoming books. Perhaps there is even a greater plot line interwoven into the series as a whole that I'm not seeing at the moment. It will be interesting to see how the series develops, and to discover exactly what happened to Cass and who her killer really is.

The novel is about Deacon Cavanugh, who wants to destroy his late father's ranch. He literally wants to bulldoze everything to the ground. It has been his life's ambition for some time, fueled by a hatred for his dad who allowed some horrible things to happen after the murder of Deacon's little sister, Cass. Mac, Cass's best friend and now foreman at the Triple C, refuses to allow this to happen. She is as hell set on saving the ranch as Deacon is in saving it. Having once had a crush on Deacon, sparks begin to fly and they are pulled into a passionate relationship despite their better judgement.

However, despite the passion I sensed in Deacon, I am still asking myself why. Why these are two characters, who are supremely at odds with one another, suddenly come together so intensely and passionately--I didn't understand the connection or attraction between them. Other than some fond childhood memories, and a shared tragedy, I wasn't sure what anchored these two characters together.

Bottom line? I wanted more from this story. More character development, more plot development. I wanted to really crawl inside Deacon's head and truly understand why he was so angry, so full of hate for his father and what it was about Mac that made him lose his heart so utterly. I wanted to understand what had happened to him after Cass died on a deeper level. I wanted to know more about what happened the day that Cass was abducted, and why her death destroyed her family in the way that it did. I'm hoping the upcoming books will unravel some of these questions for me so that I can better understand the characters and story in this series.

Today I'm going to do something new--review two books in one review! I'll keep these shorts because that's my objective, to share with you some books I read in a quickie review.

I hope you enjoy this new feature, which will pop up from time to time!


The White Princess
by Philippa Gregory 

I was really looking forward to this book. I had been waiting for it for quite some time, since The Red Queen really, and then it took me a while to get to it. Regretfully, this novel did not really work for me.

Philippa Gregory is one of my favourite historical fiction novels, but this novel seemed to drag and obsess about a character who either was, or wasn't, Richard, Elizabeth of York's younger brother, and therefore a legitimate prince to the throne of England, which Henry Tudor had won for the Lancasters and Tudors on the battlefield. While the first half was interesting, the second seemed to focus on this question far too much for my liking, and then the ending was just there-blam. So I was disappointed with this read, though I thought Ms. Gregory explored the question of what happened to the lost princes in an interesting way. But I was really disappointed with Elizabeth's character even though I honestly felt sorry for her as well. So for me, this was only a three star read. 

The Serpent and the Pearl
by Kate Quinn

I have been wanting to read a novel about the Borgias for a while, and Kate Quinn is another author I love in the historical fiction genre. I loved that she wrote this from three different view points, and thought the novel

 worked quite well. The narrative style was a delight to read, and I was genuinely fond of all of the characters represented by Ms. Quinn. Especially Leonello. Each of the characters, Giulia Farnese, Carmenlina and Leonello had their own distinct voices and histories and I found the way their lives intertwined very interesting. Naturally since we are reading about La Bella, the notrious mistress of Pope Alexander VI, we get to see something of the Borgias themselves. I have no doubt that they will play more largely in the next novel, but I was intrigued by what I saw of them and am eager to continue the series since the novel leaves the reader with no question as to the story's continuation. For me, this was a four star read.


I hope you enjoyed today's Quickie!

Paperback, 358 pages

Published June 28th 2011 

by Pocket Books

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Series: Arcadia Bell, #1
My Rating: ❀❀❀❀
Genre: Urban Fantasy


Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

This is sort of a difficult book for me to review. For about forty percent of it, I wasn't sure I liked it. It seemed like a lot of world building, explaining how Heka works, talking about Arcadia's past and parents and demons. This is all important to the story, but I felt like it was a lot, and also that the plot was moving at a snail's pace because of it which started to get on my nerves. But....I was really impressed by the rest of the book, and especially the ending. Plot twist? Oh yeah. And I did not see it coming.

This book is not like any PNR or UF I've ever read before. The demons, the magick, are all very unique and I loved that about the story. There is a romance that grew slowly between Arcadia and Lon, but the focus of this story is finding information to clear Arcadia's parents of murders they were accused of when Cady was a young girl. And Arcadia goes through some interesting situations to discover the truth. Everything from being hunted by demons to performing a magickal sex spell. 

The characters are what really kept me hooked I think, since for me the pacing was initially too slow. Cady is a spunky heroine, a powerful magician and it was great getting to hear the story from her point of view. I was seriously interested in her magick, and her mission to prove her parents' innocence. She was resourceful and determined, and I liked that about her. Lon, the "hero" if you want to call him that, was cool and calm (which I thought was unusual for a demon) and a bit nerdy but also hot stuff. Maybe it was because he was so cool and collected, but I just pictured him as this sexy forty year old in a tweed jacket and longish hair looking all intellectual and sexy at the same time. I liked the way he was somewhat detached,and yet very gentle and sensitive in a way too. 

So, what do you get when you mix together great characters, some great plot twists, magick and some demons? A truly unique and sparkling read. 

Dear Readers,

I hope you enjoy my Quote It! post today. I'm sharing some quotes from novels I read recently.

You can find the review for The Baron Next Door and Once Upon a Kiss here on My Devastating Reads. Both novels had such devastating moments that I just had to share them with you.

Quotes from The Baron Next Door

"If only your arse of a neighbour would leave you be."
She licked her lips, her eyes riveted on his. "I don't want him to. He just doesn't seem to believe me."

"The best things in life are worth fighting for. And for more reasons than one. Living with regrets is no way to live-even if that means disappointing those we love in the short term. Some decisions are simply too important to leave to others." 

"It's because of you that I even know how deep love can be."

Quotes from Once Upon a Kiss

"Women exist to put right all the wrongs men do and keep them from making a complete pig's ear out of the world."

When she caught the gleam in his eye, she had a sneaking suspicion he was rather enjoying playing the gallant resucer. "Don't do anything foolish," she warned. 
Stepping up into his carriage, he turned to look at her and smile. "That's why I'm not taking you with you with me."

"I want you to call me Darius, when we are alone."
She nodded. "And?"
He wasn't sure how much more he could ask for, but she was teaching him to be bolder. "I want yo to kiss me at least once a day."

I promise you, both books are absolutely le sigh. So if you loved these little quotes, then you'll adore the books.

Published June 17th 2014 (first published June 1st 2014)
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Series: Rough Riders, #16

My Rating: ❀❀❀❀❀

Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance

The final Rough Riders book.

Settle in for the hot McKay romance that started it all...

The moment Carson McKay saw the sexy blonde at the dance hall, he wanted to throw her over his saddle and gallop hell-bent toward the closest church. Given his reputation as a lover and a fighter--not necessarily in that order--it wasn't surprising she gave him the cold shoulder. But he hadn't expected the mean right hook when he tried to steal a kiss.

Carolyn West might look sweet and innocent, but she's no fool. The good-looking cowboy with the heart-stopping smile didn't really want to marry her; he just wanted to take her for a test ride. But when he kisses her a second time, she doesn't fight her burning attraction to him...until she learns he's one of the McKay cowboys she's been warned about.

Carson doesn't care about the long-standing feud between their families; he knows that Carolyn was meant to be his. And the more intimate they become, the more Carolyn sees the real man behind the wild cowboy reputation--a man who wants the same forever kind of love she does...and who will lead her into a love story that spans fifty years.

Dear Rough Riders fans, I know how very sad you are to have the series end. But what an ending! I love this final novel for Lorelei James' hot cowboy saga, and I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I was tickled pink when I found out that the last novel would be about Carolyn and Carson McKay, the parents of those hot cowboys we have loved reading so much about. And their story was hot and sweet, and tender and romantic. I was really blown away. 

I think what really hooked into the story was the setting. It was back when Carson and Carolyn were young, in the 50s, and I loved reading about their love at first sight romance. I didn't only think it was romantic because it happened so fast, but because they struggled with their love for a lot of different reasons, but in the end chose that love and each other and worked to make their relationship one that would truly last. Their devotion to one another was really touching, and this was the romance that just swept me away. 

Later, watching Caro and Carson raise a family made me giggle. If you're a fan of the series, you know the McKays are hell raisers--well, little McKays are hell raisers too! Just in younger ways. I loved seeing them as little boys, I loved seeing Caro and Carson go head to head throughout the novel, and the amount of time this spans really illustrates that is a family saga, and a series that is very focused on the ups and downs of family. Because families aren't easy. There are fights and anger, hurt and misunderstandings, even when there is a lot of love. Lorelei James has written the Rough Riders as a family saga, and this final book really zeros in on that and reminds us at the heart of this hot and sexy series, is family. 

This is easy reading. It made me laugh, cry, and the steam level was just right. I loved seeing the points of view of both Carolyn and Carson as we read the novel, and I loved the final chapter of the book--that scene was just perfect in my opinion. I'm so glad I read this that I want to read it all over again!