Igniting Temptation by Sydney Cayon

A Novella

Head of Pediatrics, Mackenzie Trotter, (Mac) is a workaholic. Her partner Loren is a control freak and a bully. Mac Immerses herself in her work to avoid spending time with her. When Mac meets a beautiful fire fighter, Lieutenant Kylie Neil, sparks begin to ignite her feelings for the first time in quite a while.

Kylie’s life revolves around her job, saving lives and rescuing people from burning buildings. When Kylie meets Mac, she is smitten. Unfortunately, Mac’s spoken for. But they can be friends, right?

The temptation is soon too great and igniting the flames of love until they are burning brightly. Maybe too brightly.

I liked the synopsis of this book. But, I have to say, this is about all I did like about it.

The story is way too short for the extortionate price being asked. The price is considerably more expensive in the UK to obtain a copy to what USA customers are asked to pay. The price may not have seemed so bad if the book was full length and the story and writing were good.

The story is choppy, disjointed and doesn’t flow at all. There are numerous typos and grammatical errors throughout. The characters are also rather unbelievable and inane.

The premise of the story was good, unfortunately it failed to deliver what it promised.

This book has DRM on it.

 

And A Time To Dance by Chris Paynter

Corey Banner has been with Judy for six years. They are madly in love and their future is rosy. Unfortunately, fate intervenes and Judy is cruelly snatched from Corey when a fatal car accident takes her life.

Two years have passed and Corey is still in deep mourning and unable to move on. She’s tried dating, but she can’t let go of Judy and the love they had together. She knows she has to take some drastic steps to try to heal her broken heart.

Corey decides she has to move from her home in Lansing, Michigan to Grand Lake, Colorado. An area Judy and herself had been meaning to visit for sometime. Maybe a new place without memories of their life together will help her turn her life around.

Corey arrives at Rainbow Lodge, Grand Lake, owned by Erin Flannery and her Aunt Tess. When Tess finds that Corey is in need of a construction job, Tess hires her right away as Head of Maintenance. Erin doesn’t seem too keen at first, but it takes a lot to gain Erin’s trust.

There is an attraction between Corey and Erin. Erin is afraid to love again after her partner betrayed her. Erin’s life consists of endless different women and one night stands. Corey is afraid of betraying Judy and is eaten up with guilt. Both Corey and Erin come to the conclusion they can only be friends and spend the summer getting to know one another. Will Corey’s heart heal enough to allow her to love again? Will Erin open her mind to the possibility of being able to trust Corey and open her heart to let Corey in? It’s a hard decision they must both make. They can either let fear rule or find their way to dance another dance with love together.

I’ve been eagerly waiting for another book by Chris Paynter. The wait has been well worthwhile. And A Time To Dance is a beautiful, well written, heartfelt, tender romance, between two amazing women who are both broken and defeated. The story is set amongst a breath taking vista of glorious scenery, so well described, I was totally lost in the story.

Both Corey and Erin are fully formed, multidimensional characters. They are backed up by a cast of equally well developed characters to enhance and progress the story right through to the end.

The story develops at a nice pace, enticing the reader to read ‘just one more chapter,’ before turning out the light.

Both Corey and Erin’s stories are sad, but although they are different, as Chris Paynter states, both stories have resulted in death. The death of a loved one and the death of a relationship. Both are painful beyond words. Chris has written this book with a sympathy and understanding of both the characters and how the reader will also feel reading her book. There is a nice touch of humor throughout too, just in the right places, resulting in some laugh out loud moments.

Whether Corey and Erin manage to overcome their fear, remains to be seen. You’ll have to read the book to find out.

This is another winner for Chris Paynter and is in my re-read folder as a comfort read.

 

Rayne's New Beginning by Dannie Marsden

Sequel to Rayne Comes To Town  

Set five years later.

Rayne Mathews had run away from her home and her abusive father at sixteen. There was no way she was going to marry the old man her father had set her up with. She ran to Willow Springs to her aunt and uncle’s farm, only to find they had both passed away. Her uncle had left the farm to Rayne.

When Rayne rescued saloon girl Emma from a life of horror and pain, they both set to and ran the farm together. Soon they fell in love. Unfortunately a terrible tragedy occurred leaving Rayne bereft and filled with pain, anguish and rage. She endures this for five years until fate intervenes and her past comes back to haunt her. Her life takes a 360 degree turn around. Will Rayne finally be able to put the past where it belongs and have a chance of happiness again?

I love a good lesbian western story and I’ve been looking forward to this sequel since I finished the last page of Rayne Comes To Town. I have to admit to getting quite a surprise that this book didn’t carry on directly from it. I was so looking forward to reading more of Rayne and Emma. However, the story here is a good one, which more than made up for any assumptions about this book I’d already made.

The story is told with flashbacks and a dream like sequence, which was seamlessly woven in to the present day story. Very well written and so easy to follow.

I love the characters, they all interact well together. I found it very easy to lose myself in the story and visualize myself amongst the characters in the well described old west setting. Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down. I had to keep on until I’d finished it. There are twists, turns and surprises along the way. Some good and some bad. The fact that I was on a high one minute and a low the next, shows how well written this story was.

I’m not sure if we can expect any more from Rayne, but I certainly hope we can.

 

 

A Guardian's Passion by Stein Willard

Vampire, Trinity O’Riordan, had been turned into a vampire four hundred years ago. Trinity was still nursing a broken heart and carrying the burden of a painful past. One night, everything changes for Trinity. She rescues a beautiful young girl from a group of bloodthirsty renegade vampires. Trinity befriends the girl and watches over her while she grows into a beautiful woman, keeping her safe. For the first time in four hundred years Trinity feels happiness again. Unfortunately, Trinity’s past comes back to haunt her and it finally catches up with her, to her dismay.

Gabriella Talos is a well known and respected therapist. The best in her field. Her life hasn’t been easy. When Gabriella is faced with a past she thought she’d left behind eighteen years previously, it rocks her entire world. What will Gabriella do and who will she reach out to?

Finally! The eagerly anticipated third book in this page turning series has arrived. How could Stein Willard top her previous two novels? Well, she did. I was certainly not disappointed and was glued to my ereader. I know I had intended to savor this book and read it slowly, but I couldn’t help it, I tore right through it, feverishly turning the pages. It’s a wonder my ereader didn’t catch fire. However, I was secure in the knowledge that I would be re-reading this again to write this review. So, I did manage to savor the story the second time around.

I love The Royal Clan of Vampires. I love their constant battles to save the world from the renegades. Each and every character is multi faceted and is essential to further the story forward. The plot was very well thought out, exciting and thrilling.

The scenic descriptions are so vivid, it was easy to lose myself completely in the story. The sex scenes are hot. There is just something about a vampire that is sexy and makes for a decadent read.

I am now eagerly looking forward to another book in this delightful series.

 

A Window In Time by J.M Dragon

When Julia Stokes is a young girl on the verge of going off to university, she is given a dare to carry out by her two best friends. She meets a mysterious woman named Evelyn Carter at the spooky abandoned hippy commune she’s been dared to enter. Ultimately, the dare Julia accepted is going to affect her whole life.

Years later, on a visit back to her home town, Julia meets the woman she thought she’d met all those years ago when on her dare.

Evelyn Carter denies she’s ever met Julia. But something mysterious is happening. A mystery is throwing up a lot of questions, but not providing any answers. Who was the woman Julia met years before? What happened all those years ago? More to the immediate point, what is happening now? Does Evelyn hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the past and present?

This is a well written, lovely little story, with a romance thrown in for good measure. If you are thinking this will be another fluffy romance, you’d be wrong. There is a very clever and quirky twist to enhance your reading pleasure.

I’ve yet to read a story of JM Dragon’s that I didn’t enjoy. As always, this is a page turner right the way through. The characters are great, all multi sided and they all interact well together.

I was sorry to reach the end of the book. If you want a quick, easy, delicious little story, that is different to the norm, this is one I highly recommend.

 

The Crush by Susan X Meagher

Nicola Bagnolesi is happily working at her father’s advertising agency in Chicago when she gets a terrible shock. Aldo Bagnolesi, her father, has just gained control of the winery in Tuscany that has been in his family for years. There is just one tiny problem with this, Aldo needs someone to run it for the next two years as he can’t retire just yet. Who better than his expendable daughter, Nicola?

Nicola feels pressured into agreeing, even though she knows nothing about wine and has no interest in living in Italy. Heck, she doesn’t even speak Italian. It’s only for two years though, how hard can it be?

Nicola finds out that living in Italy isn’t at all how she’d imagined it. She has no friends, the language barrier is a big problem and the easy caretaker life she’d envisaged isn’t happening. Nicola decides that she can and will do something about the no friends situation and heads to Florence to a gay bar. This is the one decision that could change her life forever. She connects with a beautiful, sexy, lesbian and she seems just as interested in Nicola as Nicola is in her. Plus she speaks English.

Is Nicola silly to set such great store by one meeting? Or should she throw doubts and caution to the wind?

Another winning hot romance story from Susan Meagher. This book is refreshingly different from others I’ve read recently. The setting is Italy, the scenic descriptions are beautiful. Easy to visualize myself in Italy in the vineyard picking the grapes with Nicola and Chiara.

Both Nicola and Chiara are wonderful, multifaceted, well formed characters, easy to get to know and love. They are backed up by a great cast of equally well formed characters to enhance and progress the story right through to the end.

This goes beyond a romance, to the art of winemaking, bringing in some history of Italy and encompassing Nicola’s difficult and complex relationship with her father. (I could have cheerfully shaken him on more than one occasion). The story also shows how Nicola went from a rather slap dash and spoilt girl, used to having her own way, to the sophisticated, knowledgeable women she became. The fact that the romance is hot doesn’t hurt either. This is a book I will read again to savor the story and it’s settings.

 

Shadow Box by Kim Pritekel

Erin Riggs has just moved from Pueblo to Northglenn, Colorado, after a break up with her boyfriend. She is determined to make a new start. She’s found a small apartment and has just secured a new job working for a lawyer. All is looking really good. A frantic knocking at her door at 3 a.m is about to change her new start and peaceful life forever.

Tamson Robard’s childhood was grim, dreadful in fact. She lived alone with her weak willed mother and they moved around frequently. So Tamson didn’t get a chance to make friends very often. Her mother was hell bent on finding a man, any man would do. She was hiding deep dark secrets from the past from Tamson. Tamson knew she was hiding something, but never knew what. Was this the reason why they kept moving around?

When her mother got involved with Dale, an uncaring, brutal man, teenager Tamson decided she’d taken all she could and ran away. She’s now an adult, she’s also a drug addict. Her only friend is her imaginary childhood guardian angel, Penny.

When Erin and Tamson meet, it’s like fate has brought them together. The two women eventually embark on a journey in which the hidden, deep dark secrets and the horrifying truth will emerge. Their journey will be fraught with danger and will take them both to hell and back. Will they both survive?

I’ve read a lot of Kim Pritekel’s work. This is one of the grittiest and darkest books I’ve read of hers yet. Tamson’s harrowing story and the journey her and Erin take is going to stay with me for a long time to come.

Both Erin and Tamson are multidimensional and interact well together. Although so very different, they do compliment each other. Their volatile friendship is hard going. Both women are suffering mental anguish of different sorts. But their fateful meeting could either be their salvation or their destruction.

The subject matters that arise throughout this book, are for the most part difficult to read, heart breaking too. But I couldn’t not continue. The book was a page turner right the way through. This story evoked a myriad of emotional highs and lows for me. It is a rollercoaster ride of turbulent twists and turns until it’s satisfying conclusion.

This book is in my re-read file. One reading simply isn’t enough to take on-board this story and to savor it. I hope I don’t have to wait long for Kim Pritekel’s next book.

 

The Blue Hour by Beatrice Donahue

Rosina King is immensely unhappy with her life. Married to Charles, an uncaring, unfeeling, tyrant of a man, she barely exists. Like most married women in England in the 1920’s, Rosina’s sole purpose in life is to please her husband and obey his every need.

One night Rosina meets American painter, Eve Soames. Unknown to her at the time, her life will be changed forever. One kiss is all it takes and Rosina is mesmerized. Eve is independently wealthy and she’s strong. More than a match for any man or woman. When Eve meets Rosina, she is immediately attracted to her. The fact that Rosina is married, doesn’t faze her at all.

Rosina doesn’t dare to hope that Eve might want her as a friend, let alone anything else. This is all about to change. One fateful afternoon after Charles has taught her a painful lesson, Rosina bumps into Eve. Both women’s lives are about to take a change for the better. But, will Charles come after Rosina?

A well written debut novelette. The two characters, Rosina and Eve are likeable, well formed and interact well with each other.

From the scenic descriptions, it was easy to visualize myself back in a sleepy little English village in the roaring 1920’s.

The story is short, but sweet, hot and very erotic. I’ll be watching out for more from Beatrice Donahue.

 

Grand Theft Equine by Margo Moon

Horse trainer, Joan Caulder, is one of the best in the business. She’s had her fair share of failed relationships in the past. When Joan meets gallop girl Cailen Eagleton, she believes she’s finally met ‘the one’. The woman she could settle down with forever. But will Joan be able to charm Cailen and win her affections?

Cailen is not falling for Joan’s charms. She thinks all horse trainers are only out for their own prestige and care nothing for the horses in their charge and money is their only goal. Cailen is about to find out just how wrong she could be.

Joan and Cailen eventually come to an understanding, but not everything is running smoothly. Cailen’s got her past to sort out first.

When an obsessively jealous owner of a beautiful filly threatens to sell her for slaughter in order to gain Joan’s love and oust Cailen forever, Joan, Cailen and their two best friends form a desperate plan to rescue her. Getting a half ton, highly strung racehorse from the Ranier Farms with all their high tech security equipment will not be easy. Will they be successful?

This is Margo Moon’s debut novel and it is an exciting, excellent, well written story from start to finish. I say story and there is an overall story, but also two beautiful and tender romances all seamlessly entwined within the main story centered around the stables.

First there is Joan and Cailen, Joan is free, but Cailen has a failed relationship to sort out before she can commit to another relationship. She is torn between resolving her issues and her growing need to be with Joan.

Brie is Cailen’s friend from way back, she’s also Joan’s friend and employee too. When Brie meets Hannah, she fights hard against becoming involved with her. Brie has to be shown it is alright for her to give her heart to another. Hannah pulls out all stops to win Brie round and knows it is only understanding, time and a great deal of patience until Brie will finally get the message. The love between all these women radiates from the pages.

The settings are very descriptive and leave nothing to the  imagination, which enabled me to lose myself completely in the story and live it with the characters. All the characters are multidimensional and play well together. Even the ones I disliked. Namely Sassy and Lara.

I only had one small issue with this otherwise perfect book. I haven’t had any experience amongst horses or the racing world. Some of the technical jargon went right over my head and I ended up looking it up. Which in turn pulled me slightly out of the story at times.

Overall, I loved this book, Margo Moon is off to a flying start in her writing career. I can’t wait to see what she will publish next.

 

In This Small Spot by Caren J Werlinger

After the death of her beloved partner, Doctor Michele Stewart finds herself looking for a way out of her meaningless life without Alice in it. There has to be something she can do, but what? After some serious soul searching, Michele finally decides to become a nun. She will dedicate her life to God, prayer and all things spiritual.

Michele’s family and friends are convinced that she’s running away from her previous life because she can’t live without Alice.

Michele’s decision to become a nun allows her to finally discover her true self. She no longer has her career, wealth or any of her former possessions, but she is surrounded by love and inner peace.

Unfortunately, Michele’s inner peace doesn’t last long when troubles and woe from the outside world come crashing in upon her. Michele now has many more demons to confront, including finding herself in love. A forbidden love that will result in her having to leave her safe haven if she acts up on it.

Tormented beyond reason, Michele must decide where she belongs and with whom. As Michele struggles to come to a decision, she begins to understand Abbess Theodora’s warning. For better or worse.

This is Caren Werlinger’s third published book. Just like it’s predecessors, I couldn’t put it down. The story is a well written page turner from the very first page through to it’s climatic and dramatic conclusion.

Being perfectly honest, when I read the synopsis, my heart was in my mouth. I’m not at all religious and I really didn’t know how I was going to read what I thought was a book all about nuns, let alone write a review on it. Well, let me tell you, it was easy. You don’t have to be religious to read this heart felt, often at times, heart breaking story. Although the settings are mainly in the abbey, the story does go far beyond the abbey and religion.

I don’t want to put in any spoilers, the synopsis is enough, so suffice it to say, that getting to know these characters was a privilege and an honor for me. Reading this story is likewise.

There are lessons to be learnt in this story. It’s a story of great changes in the characters lives, the risks they take and most of all the costs involved in taking these risks. (I don’t mean monetary costs either).

I won’t lie, the story isn’t a light hearted fluffy romance. There are plenty of those out there if that is what you are looking for. This is a thought provoking story which has left me a little breathless and stunned. A story, that several days after reading it, I’m still thinking about it and the wonderful characters as well.

I will be putting this book in my re-read folder. It is a keeper and deserves multiple readings.