No fooling: hot sex is on the way!


Cam’s Catastrophe
A reckless adventurer, Cam is about to take the wildest April Fool’s Day risk ever: jumping into bed with Dr Jenna! But it’s her recklessness that amazes them both…


Darcy’s Dark Day
The clouds lift when Darcy has a sudden opportunity to reel in her long-time fantasy man, Evan! Who’d have guessed that a silly curse could set up this amazing sex…


Devon’s Dilemma
She’s about to take a sexy Chance…a sexy pilot called Chance? It’s a gamble. But it could transform Devon’s devilish dilemma into a delicious one!


Reg’s Rescue
Anne desperately wants Reg back in her life – for good! So she intends to help him break the family curse – just as soon as they get out of bed. . .

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This is a set of 4 short stories (or encounters) all based around April Fool's Day and the Franklin siblings who are all cursed to receive bad luck on this one day each year.

CAM'S CATASTROPHE by Kathleen O'Reilly
The oldest of the Franklin siblings, Cam refuses to be laid low by a curse. So each April Fool's Day he does something outrageous and laughs in the face of the curse that plagues his family. And each year he finds himself in the E.R. being cared for by Dr. Jenna Ferrar.

This story spanned about 4 years with the relationship building up over the space of a couple of hours over one day in each of those years. With that in mind, the fact that these two people could discover feelings for each other (or probably even remember each other) after such a teeny tiny amount of interaction made the story unbelievable and a little frustrating.

--

DARCY'S DARK DAY by Julie Kenner
Darcy Franklin is determined to visit New York on April Fool's Day to show the curse can't hurt her. Determined to save her from the curse, Cam asks his best friend, Evan, to make sure no harm befalls Darcy. But what Cam doesn't know is that Evan has always had a crush on Darcy and this is the perfect opportunity for him to make his move.

Curse aside - this was a sweet story if a little unsatisfying in terms of romance. Not bad though and easily the best story of the four.

--

DEVON'S DILEMMA by Kathleen O'Reilly
In order to hide from the curse, Devon holes herself up in a fortress of a house in a remote town. On April Fool's night she receives a visit from airman, Chance, who's happy to take her mind off the bad events that are sure to follow.

It wasn't the story that was ridiculous with this effort but the fact that Devon lived in such a state of fear from a curse that only struck one day a year. Regardless, Chance didn't seem like long-term material and I didn't believe in the romance.

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REG'S RESCUE by Julie Kenner
Reg Franklin is the one sibling determined to find the cause of and break the curse. Because of the curse he let go of the only woman he'd ever loved to keep her safe. But now she's back and the curse just might be ready to be broken.

While I liked this story and the two characters - to my mind Reg didn't love Anne enough to be with her and it was only his lust driving him to get back with her. Disappointing.

I feel I could really have got behind the premise of a curse that inflicts a whole family for one day a year if it had been handled a little less clumsily and with a little bit more reality - as strange as that may sound. As it was, the whole book was fantastical, a bit baffling and utterly ridiculous. Shame, really. 2 stars and the extra one is only because I finished all the stories and didn't mind Julie Kenner's attempts.

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217 pages

A Little Bit Unexpected. . .

Eleanor Collins knows that her beautiful younger sister will have wealthy, powerful men falling at her feet in her first London season. But Eleanor is surprised to discover that one man's attentions are utterly focused on her.

A Little Bit Forbidden. . .

As delicious as Sebastian Dodd, Viscount Benton, finds the eldest Collins daughter, his true motive is darker than mere seduction. Until he has avenged his mother's death, he will be unable to think of anything else. Or so he believes, until he takes his first taste of Eleanor's inviting lips, and finds his mind--and his body--utterly consumed. . .

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This is a stand alone book but it appears that it is linked in with many other of Adrienne Basso's books. I would imagine that Sebastian appeared in the book that featured his best friend which is the one before this one (How to Seduce a Sinner). I haven't read that book and although this one seemed to stand alone I think I would have had a better grip on the characters, especially the secondary characters, if I had read the previous one first.

The book itself was a good read. I was interested and at no time did I get bored or not want to continue with the story. Both Eleanor and Sebastian were likeable characters and I liked their story and interactions. However, neither they nor the story were particularly memorable and they also didn't have much depth which left the whole story seriously lacking in emotion. This really made it difficult to invest in the characters and I didn't fall in love with them or really believe that they fell in love with each other.

This book did hold my interest so it's a little disappointing that I feel I can only give it 3 stars. I'll give Adrienne Basso another read because I liked her writing style but this book did little for me, I'm afraid.

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385 pages

Click to see other books by Adrienne Basso

1 wrong text message + 1 impending hurricane = 1 sexy surprise for 3 couples!

Text and the Single Girl

Sophie Callahan is angling to move up the corporate ladder...and attending a client party is her ticket. But she doesn't count on being trapped by the hurricane with sexy entrepreneur Adrian Dean. Suddenly, "riding out the storm" sounds like a very good idea...
 
Text Appeal

When Mia Weiss skids off the road en route to the party, hottie Kevin Powell comes to her rescue. Only he's not her ideal savior. He's abrupt, a little grouchy...and, oh yeah, the best lover Mia's ever had!
 
Safe Text

Being the assistant to a demanding boss is running Cammy Phillips ragged. But Gil Shaughnessy, Cammy's former partner, has the perfect cure in mind...and it involves getting Cammy more deliciously worked up than the hurricane raging outside!

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Text and the Single Girl
Junior copywriter Sophie Callahan is determined to move on up the corporate ladder so when she gets a text to attend a private party with the creative director of the ad agency she sees it as her great chance. But when she gets to the beach house she finds the party only consists of client Adrian Dean - what will they do to pass time when a hurricane strikes?

Neither Sophie or Adrian were particularly likeable characters - Sophie because she was too grasping and Adrian because he felt too weak. With that the story fell flat and I didn't believe that the pair would ever have a happy ever after.


--

Text Appeal
On her way to the beach house party, Mia Weiss skids off the road in the hurricane only to be rescued by hottie, Kevin Powell. Mia has always been smart in love but Kevin makes her want to throw all her resolutions out the window and just wait out the storm in his bed.

This was a fair enough story but it wasn't particularly exciting and it was obvious that Kevin and Mia's attraction was purely physical for the vast majority of the story which is not great when you're reading a romance.

--

Safe Text
Being assistant to a demanding boss is running Cammy ragged especially since she's infatuated with him. But Gil, Cammy's former partner has the perfect cure in mind and it involved changing her mind about the right man for her while the storm rages outside.

While being the best of the three stories, this one was let down as Cammy had given up three years of her life and a promising career due to her 'love' of her boss. Gil deserved a better woman.


 
For all the stories I didn't like the fact that all the women were so hung up on or obsessed with Jonathon - the boss of the agency and the man who sent the original text. I know that without that fact the stories wouldn't make sense but who can root for women who are so pathetic and delusional? Unfortunately this anthology is only worth 3 stars and even then I think I'm being quite generous.

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217 pages

Click to see other books by Heather MacAllister

Tristan James Gatewick, the Duke of Shelbourne, is the most sought after bachelor in all of England. It's an enviable position for any man of marriageable age - after all, it's time for him to settle down and have the heir and the spare his family so desperately needs. 

The problem: he can't bring himself to marry any of the ninnies he's met courtesy of the ton. Only one woman interests him, a honey-haired beauty with a sharp tongue. She's unlike any of the vain, spoiled, clumsy chits he's met up to now. The only problem? He's hired her to find him a wife. 

Tessa Mansfield can't believe her luck. Ever since she was deemed a spinster a few seasons ago, she's been a professional matchmaker, finding ugly ducklings and penniless chits all over London matches in the highest echelons of society. But she's just landed the Duke of Shelbourne as a client and her entire career rests on finding him a suitable match. So she concocts an elaborate way to ensure a happy match: the Duke will court 25 women simultaneously, eliminating them as he sees fit until he finds the perfect one. Unfortunately she never expected to desire him herself and fantasize about his touch...

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This is Vicky Dreiling's debut novel and overall it was a fairly enjoyable read. However it really didn't present anything new or different from other romance books and I'm not sure I'll actually remember much about it in a couple of weeks.

Tessa was an enjoyable character - independent and strong without being a cliché. Unfortunately all the other female characters were insipid dimwits that I couldn't take to at all. I also liked Tristan - your typical rakish duke brought down by love but if I'm honest the pair had little chemistry and not enough heat or emotion to give you that 'butterflies in your stomach' feeling that you want when reading romance.

The story was a little disjointed and didn't always flow. Towards the middle I wondered whether anything exciting was actually going to happen and by contrast the ending was so drawn out that I could have screamed! I felt that all the characters were ridiculously proper on occasion - probably correct to the time period but a little dull none the less. And the hugely devastating secret of Tessa's turned out to be fairly tepid compared to other books I've read which was a little anticlimactic.

I actually enjoyed reading this book and it was never a chore to pick it up. It wasn't overly exciting but if you've got it on your bookshelf then it's still worth a read. 3 stars.

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384 pages

Click to see other books by Vicky Dreiling

She lives for passion.

Bold, impulsive, and a magnet for trouble, Juliana Fiori is no simpering English miss. She refuses to play by society's rules: she speaks her mind, cares nothing for the approval of the ton, and can throw a punch with remarkable accuracy. Her scandalous nature makes her a favorite subject of London's most practiced gossips . . . and precisely the kind of woman The Duke of Leighton wants far far away from him.

He swears by reputation.

Scandal is the last thing Simon Pearson has room for in his well-ordered world. The Duke of Disdain is too focused on keeping his title untainted and his secrets unknown. But when he discovers Juliana hiding in his carriage late one evening--risking everything he holds dear--he swears to teach the reckless beauty a lesson in propriety. She has other plans, however; she wants two weeks to prove that even an unflappable duke is not above passion.

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This is the third and final book in MacLean's Love By Numbers trilogy and one that I've been very much looking forward to. I don't suppose it needs to be read in order but I think you would understand more of the back story (and be aware of Juliana and Simon's history) if you've read the first two books - Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord.

From the first page I was hooked by this book. I loved Simon and Juliana from MacLean's first two books and couldn't wait for them to get their own story. Juliana was the feisty Italian that I came to expect and Simon was even more of the disdainful, arrogant duke than he first appeared. The pair had good chemistry and interacted well.

The story kept me interested and I couldn't put the book down. Until about the middle. Then, for some reason, I became a little disenchanted. Simon and Juliana seemed to be on a neverending cycle of her doing something scandalous, him being disdainful and neither of them ever bending, learning or changing. It picked up again towards the end and I liked the ending although, if I'm honest, I didn't feel that I ever got to completely understand the characters, their love or their motivations.

I've still given this book 4 stars because I'll admit that since I was so looking forward to this book it probably could never have lived up to my expectations. Add to that the fact that it could never beat the exceptional Nine Rules to Break... and I've probably given worse books more stars.

Overall I still really liked this book and would recommend it to someone who enjoys a good ol' Regency romance. It's well written, engaging and I'm sure you will enjoy it. I'll also eagerly be waiting for MacLean's next book and the start of The Fallen Angel's series, A Rogue by Any Other Name. 4 stars from me!

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385 pages

Love by Numbers series:

       

Click to see other books by Sarah MacLean

Mia Butterfield has just walked away from the lawyer life. No more late nights, no more dull contracts. And no more superhot-in-his-legal-briefs boss, David Pearson. But before she starts her new business with her friends, they decide to revisit Hawaii for a "Spring Break"…and all the sensual indulgences that come with it.

Only Mia never dreams just how hot it'll get under the Hawaiian sun…

David has followed her to the islands, and their serious lawyer sides appear to have gotten lost…along with most of their clothes! But even with a hot, delicious David at her side, Mia can't help wondering–how long will her lucky streak last?

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I liked the premise of this story and it was executed fairly well. However...the story wasn't thrilling and really lacked any real sparkle or magic.

I liked both David and Mia but their relationship was a little bit strange. It felt as though the author couldn't quite decide what the power dynamic between the couple was supposed to be. This made David especially seem at times quite weak and at other times a real alpha male - it was quite odd. There was the usual heat for a Blaze romance but nothing that gave me goosebumps.

And the twist - you could have seen it coming a mile away but when it actually arrived it was a little pointless and unbelievable.

Overall this was a good enough book to read on a rainy afternoon. It wasn't overly exciting and it, if I'm honest, was a little forgettable but not wholly bad. I suspect that Mia's two friends Shelby and Lindsay will have their own stories soon making this the first in a trilogy of stories.

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224 pages

Click to see other books by Debbi Rawlins

Wilderness survival television star Dominic Tyler (Ty) and his assistant Kate Somersby are stranded in a remote cabin during a freak winter storm. Things look pretty bleak–until they make a fire and strip off their wet clothes….

Act I–set up
Survive This! is Kate's life…as are unscripted fantasies about Ty, her boss and best friend. But when Kate is suddenly injured, Ty decides filming is too dangerous for her. This will be Kate's last adventure for a while.

Act II–plot point
Kate is furious and threatens to quit. But Ty needs her. So what can he do? Keep her occupied by filming every minute of their intense and definitely unrehearsed sex!

Act III–cliff-hanger
It's Kate's choice now: Her hard-won career? Or end credits featuring dangerously wild sex with Ty? Ha. Some choice. But either way, the final cut is guaranteed to be a thrilling ride!

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I wasn't sure if I would like this story being that it's a bit more outdoorsy than I generally like to be! But I was hooked from almost the first page and found I couldn't put it down. Kate and Ty were likeable characters and fit brilliantly together both as friends and then as lovers. There was a lot of heat within the book despite it being set in snowy Canada and I really liked the pair's interactions.

I know we're supposed to suspend belief in these kind of stories but I did have a little issue with the pair going at it outside in the forest in the middle of a snowstorm! Maybe I'm being overly cautious but I would assume that at the temperatures they would have been facing things might have fallen off which is probably not very sexy!

I'll admit to always being a little worried when either the hero or heroine aren't American in these kinds of books because their "accents" more often than not are clichéd and cringe-worthy. In this book Ty was Australian but I'm pleased to say his lingo wasn't overly embarrassing or stereotypical.

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me entertained from beginning to end. It's not the best or most romantic story ever but for something to keep you occupied for a couple of hours then you can't go wrong. 4 stars.

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222 pages

Click to see other books by Meg Maguire

Take Everything by Shannon McKenna
All Jane Duvall wants is to bag another big account for her headhunting firm, even if it means stealing a key employee from sexy hotel CEO Michael "Mac" MacNamara. But once Mac gets a good look at the luscious, elusive Jane, he's more than willing to let her take everything ... body, heart and soul.

Exposed by Donna Kauffman
Christmas Eve and two strangers on a train stranded in a blizzard--well, Austin Morgan and Delilah Hudson couldn't have picked a less likely place to experience passion and love.

Pure Ginger by E. C. Sheedy
Ginger Cameron has wasted too much time on the hey-baby, great-sex, see-ya kind of guy--sand her PR business is suffering. From now on, she's a beige woman, a serious woman, and a woman who sleeps alone. Enter Cal Beaumann who wants to hire Ginger. But when his male radar kicks in, he bets himself there's more to Ginger than coiled hair, orthopedic shoes-and industrial strength underwear.

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MELTDOWN by Shannon McKenna
Jane Duvall is a great headhunter and she's determined to snag her next client even if it means stealing him away from hotel CEO, Michael "Mac" Mcnamara. Mac plans to find out what Jane's really up to even if that means he has to seduce it out of her.

This story started of well but pretty soon turned into absolute trash. Mac was such a bully that it was uncomfortable to read. I like an alpha male as much as the next girl but Mac's treatment of Jane was emotionally abusive and I was horrified that anyone would class this as romance. Dreadful.

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EXPOSED by Donna Kauffman
All Delilah Hudson wants is to get home for Christmas - too bad she's stranded on a train in the middle of a blizzard. As soon as photographer, Austin Morgan, spies Delilah he's interested in capturing her in more than just a shot. Perhaps they can heat up the holidays together.

This was a fairly bland story with characters I didn't empathise with, identify with or particularly care for. The sex within five minutes of meeting each other seemed seedy rather than sexy and the thought of a stranger taking naked pictures of me gave me the creeps rather than turned me on!

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PURE GINGER by E.C. Sheedy
Ginger Cameron is fed up with being judged solely on her looks. So she decides to change her look to something a little more dowdy. Cal Beaumann needs to hire Ginger to do PR work but he doesn't believe that this girl is as straight laced as she appears. So he sets out to uncover her secrets one by one.

Easily the best story of this anthology, I still couldn't identify much with Ginger. It was all a bit ridiculous and the silly conflict at the end of the story was a bit high school for my tastes. Still the best but still not so great.



This book has been sitting on my shelf for years waiting to be read. I'm actually beginning to wish I'd left it there to gather dust because I really didn't enjoy it. I've previously read other books in the 'Bad Boys' series and by these authors and enjoyed them so this book was a little bit of a waste. There are much (much) better romantic anthologies out there and I would recommend you give this one a miss and try one of them. 2 stars and the extra star is only for E.C. Sheedy's tale which wasn't too bad.

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384 pages

Sister-of-the-groom Bonnie Campbell is certainly no groupie. But when famous, drop-dead-hottie action star Drew Ericson films his latest flick at the wedding inn, she turns into his naughtiest fan....

Jazz Wilkes is rough, tough and totally in touch with her sexual appetite. No man can withstand her desires...except proper yet wildly sexy Blake Marshall! He'll give her a night to remember... but only if she'll give him the rest of her life!

Passion? Abby Bauer wants some! Her fiancé, Keith, just doesn't make her toes tingle. But the dashing masked man at the reception sure does....

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Following on from Kelly's Play with Me, we once again meet up with Amanda and Reese - this time at their wedding - where we get three stories about people attending their wedding and finding their own happily ever afters.


First Kiss
Bonnie Campbell is sick fed up with always being a good girl and even more so now that she realises everyone thinks of her as practically a virgin. So she's determined to make the most of the wedding reception and all the hot men. But first she has to tell off hot movie superstar, Drew Erikson, who has managed to snag the honeymoon suite.

This was a sweet and surprisingly believable story that I really enjoyed. Both Bonnie and Drew were likeable and non-stereotypical characters and I liked their happy ending.

--

Halfway There
Jocelyn "Jazz" Wilkes had never been shy and had left a string of broken hearts in her wake. But her colleague, Blake Marshall, didn't seem to be the same type as her normal guy. So why is he always in her thoughts? And why does he make her want to give up her single life and settle down. With him.

This was another great story that just oozed with chemistry between the main characters. I liked the fact that the characters had been dancing around each other for weeks and the wedding was the culmination of their feelings - even if they don't want to admit them to each other!

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Last Call
All Abby Bauer wants is a man who she can have a passionate relationship with. Unfortunately for her, despite how much she loves him, it seems that that man is not Keith Manning - her fiancé. Keith is astounded when Abby dumps him but he's determined not to let her get away and is determined to prove he's man enough for her.

I adored this story. It was a mixture of sweet and sexy with enough emotion packed in to make it really enjoyable. For me, I could have read this story over and over and never got bored. In fact, since reading this story the first time, I've gone back many a time to re-read this little gem.



Kelly did a similar thing with Overexposed and One Wild Wedding Night and it works just as well second time round. If you're looking for short, sexy snippets then I would recommend this as the perfect example of Blaze romance and one I really enjoyed. 5 stars.

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218 pages

Click to see other books by Leslie Kelly

Deck the halls with white-hot passion!

Naughty But Nice by Donna Kauffman
Businessman Griffin's never believed in luck...until sassy-sweet small-town baker Melody turns his world around. Except there's a catch: There's no way he'll be able to build his empire and hold on to her. His new "lucky charm" could destroy all his dreams... or make this Christmas better than he ever imagined possible...


 
All I Want for Christmas by Cynthia Eden
Good girl toy inventor Christie takes a walk on the naughty side when she sparks a no-strings fling with Santa--actually, sexy cop Jonas in a Santa suit. She loves her new "bad girl" persona, except as the holidays approach, she starts falling, and hard, for this known "love 'em and leave 'em" ladies man...


 
Tattoos and Mistletoe by Susan Fox
Charlie returns to her hometown to fix up her aunt's B&B, but she doesn't count on LJ handling the renovations. Nerdy LJ pined for her in school, but now he's grown into the town's hottest bachelor. Charlie's been burned before and won't let him get close. But LJ's determined to break down her walls and make her dearest Christmas wish come true.

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This is Brava's annual Christmas story anthology featuring three authors and three different stories all focussing on romance, heat and Christmas time.


NAUGHTY BUT NICE - Donna Kauffman
Irishman, Griff, is in small town Hamilton to head up a corporate town-wide makeover. Baker Melody has given up her high flying career and now simply wants a quiet life so the pair are bound to cause sparks when they meet up.

This must be part of a series by Kauffman and I remember having similar problems with another of her stories in a previous anthology. It was so bogged down in detail about other people and back story that I got very bored very quickly. And Griff's "Irish" accent was cringe-worthy in the extreme. Not good.

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ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS - Cynthia Eden
Christie Tate is fed up with always being the good girl. So at the office Christmas party she decides to ask Santa for what she really wants - a really good time. But that's before she realises that Santa is Jonas, her brother's best friend and the guy she's had a crush on since childhood.

This was a sweet, enjoyable and romantic story that's perfect for this kind of anthology. It's light and frothy with enough heat to keep you warm on a winter night. I liked both Jonas and Christie and it had a sweet happy ending.

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TATTOOS AND MISTLETOE - Susan Fox
Charlotte "Charlie" Coltrane is back in Whistler after promising herself she would never return. She's immediately captivated by hot contractor, LJ, and is surprised to discover he's the geeky kid she remembers from high school.

This was a sweet and slow paced story about a couple of misfits that find love. It wasn't earth shattering but I enjoyed it and was happy at the outcome.



This book had, for me, one great story, one good and one bad. It's a good read for a cold winter night or just for taking a break from things but nothing extraordinarily special or romantic. Only the middle story was the light, fluffy romance that I was expecting but the last story was still enjoyable while the first was just bad. Still, worth a look if you like Christmas romance despite the festive content being at a minimum. 3 stars.

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352 pages