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

Vibrant and multifaceted party organizer Candy Graham is looking to forget her dating past, even if it means joining a dating website. But creating four different e-profiles to suit her personality could land Candy in hot water...or better yet, in the arms of her scorchin'-hot neighbor!

Journalist Justin Case suspects he has the scoop of a lifetime¿women hired to lure men into online dating. Could Candy be part of some kind of e-romance scam? But try as he might, even he can't resist the temptation of sexy, sweet Candy...and one taste is definitely not enough! 

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This was an average romantic read and one that centres around Valentine's Day. Candy was, despite her name, a likeable character and one I was surprised I could like. Justin, too, was nice enough and I liked him and both as a pair. Neither were particularly memorable and I didn't feel huge chemistry between them so `nice' is the perfect word.

The plot was okay but I did feel it was a little bit silly and juvenile at times. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the characters and getting them to admit that they liked each other. I understand there was supposed to be distrust over each other's motives but it was nothing that a decent conversation wouldn't have sorted out.

Added to that was the fact that both characters, Candy in particular, were still caught up on their exes. There was so much boo hooing about losing the love of their lives that it had me rolling my eyes. I want to read about the romance of the couple, not about the people who have dumped them!

Overall, this is an average read that I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend. I finished it and enjoyed it for what it was but I can't give it more than 3 stars, I'm afraid.

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224 pages

Click to see other books by Isabel Sharpe

These Valentine's Day dates have all the markings of blind-date disaster! Or do they?


Skin Deep by Janelle Denison
Who says nice girls can't have fun? Jayne does¿dirty dancing and a lot more!¿with a hot bad boy one night. Still, it was a onetime thing. Really! But when she's set up on a blind date with her sexy stranger, she realizes Cupid must have other ideas...


Hold On by Leslie Kelly
Shy Sarah Holt has a bad case of unrequited lust. She's hopelessly enamored with a client¿sexy Steve Wilshire. So, when she gets the chance to impersonate the doctor's blind date, she takes it...and has the most torrid night of her life. But will Steve still be "holding on" when the truth comes out?


Ex Marks the Spot by Jo Leigh
Paige Callahan just got set up on a blind date¿arranged by her ex-boyfriend! But potential catastrophe turns into flirty fun - and then some! - when she meets sexy, very wealthy Noah Hastings. 

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This is Blaze's annual collection of stories for Valentine's Day all focusing on blind dates and what they can lead to.


SKIN DEEP by Janelle Denison
At a fancy dress party, good girl Jayne decides to give herself one night of craziness with a hot, bad boy. Jayne's never enjoyed sex so hot but it was a one-time thing. Or so she thinks. When Jayne gets set up on a blind date with Brian she realises the Cupid has other ideas.

I really enjoyed this story as it was sweet and cute with some good heat running through it. Definitely the best of the book.

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HOLD ON by Leslie Kelly
Shy Sarah Holt is enamoured with sexy Doctor Steve Wilshire but he doesn't know she exists. So when a twist of fate allows Sarah to step in as Steve's blind date she jumps at the chance and has the best night of her life. But will it last?

This was a good story if a little far-fetched. I liked the romance but I was surprised Steve wasn't a little more angry when it came out who Sarah actually was which made the conclusion a little unbelievable for me.

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EX MARKS THE SPOT by Jo Leigh
Paige Callahan has just lost a big break for her job so it's the icing on her crappy week when her ex-boyfriend sets her up for a blind date on Valentine's Day. But things start to look up when she meets sexy, wealthy, Noah.

I could barely finish this story as it was ridiculous - what ex-boyfriend, described as careless and thoughtless, would set his ex up on a Valentine's date and what girl would accept? It was also boring and the ending was forced and unbelievable.



Overall, there are two good stories in this anthology and one that didn't do it for me at all. Despite the bad story I'm still going to go with 4 stars as even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day this anthology is worth a read if you get the chance.

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218 pages

Dashing Lord Harry Traemore is perfectly content to live out his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he's named by the Prince regent as one of society's 'Impossible bachelors', Harry is drafted into a ribald romantic wager. The rules of engagement are scandalously simple: the bachelor whose mistress wins the title of 'Most Delectable Companion' gets to remain unmarried. 

Harry is utterly unconcerned about his status...until his latest lightskirt abandons him. Enter Lady Molly Fairbanks. Harry's childhood friend actually, 'foe' is more like it - is the most unlikely companion of all. She's attractive but hot-headed, and in no mood for games. Besides, what could the self-indulgent harry possible know about what makes a woman delectable? It's time for Molly to teach him a lesson once and for all...but will lead to happily ever after?

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I picked this book in spite of its gimmicky title and I should have paid more attention to that because that cutesy, silliness is a key feature of this book. It's very light and has a very unbelievable plot. That's not a problem if you're happy to suspend belief but if you're looking for historical accuracy then you'll be disappointed by this book.

The characters went from displaying some depth of emotion to being ridiculously flighty within the space of a sentence which frustrated me no end. I'm all for both seriousness and fun in a novel but it bounced around too much for my liking. There was also the inconsistencies and fickleness of any emotions from the characters, especially Molly. In one breath she liked Harry, then she despised him, then she loved him, then she could never love a man like him etc etc. It grew tiring quite quickly and made me unmoved by her as a character and of her 'love' for Harry.

Harry was also a little bit all over the place. He was the second son of a duke but also a rake. Fair enough but surely his gentlemanly instincts wouldn't have let Molly get into many of the situations that presented themselves during the house party.

I finished the book and was interested in where the story would go but I was ultimately disappointed. It was readable and I enjoyed the writing but the story and characters weren't engaging and as a result I don't feel I can recommend the book. 2 stars.

This is the first book in the Impossible Bachelors series.

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448 pages

Impossible Bachelors series:

           

Click to see other books by Kieran Kramer

He’s the man of her dreams – she invented him, after all – she just hasn’t met him yet.

What would you do if the fiancé you’d invented to stop the kindly but persistent questions from colleagues and family turned out to be a real man – pretty much as you described him? And what if that man turned out to need a made-up fiancée just as much as you?

Could you carry off the deception even after the hottest kiss of your life – and the scorching hot night that follows?

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This is one of the first books of a new Mills and Boon series (gone as quickly as it arrived, it seems!) and the first of the line that I've read. These books are billed as sparky and sassy and perfect for every kind of passionaista. I'm not sure if they all are but this book was set in Sydney.

I admit that it took me a couple of chapters to get into this story. The writing style was quite fast paced, choppy, light and took a little getting used to. Once the story got started I really got into it and found that by the end I was very much enjoying it.

Both Charlotte and Grey were likeable characters if perhaps not very relatable. They had good chemistry although neither their interactions nor the story as a whole had particular depth.

I would say that this kind of book appears to be a mix between the Modern and Blaze lines. It's a little bit more sexy than Modern but not as much as Blaze and has Blaze's typical feisty, sassy heroine.

Overall I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It was light and not without its faults but I'll probably be on the look out for other books in the Riva line in the future. 3 stars.

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189 pages

Click to see other books by Kelly Hunter

At the tycoon’s mercy! 

Perdita Boyd must save her family’s business and protect her ailing father. So what’s she to do when the only investor to step forward is Jared Dangerfield? Her estranged husband! Young and in love, Perdita married Jared in a secret ceremony against her father’s wishes.

But the marriage was never consummated as, on their wedding night, Perdita caught Jared in bed with another woman. Now Jared is back…to take the business, to take his revenge for being set up, and…to take his wife!

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I liked the premise for this book as I always like a `second chance at love' story. Being part of the Modern Mills & Boon line, I was expecting the strong, ruthless man and a woman perfect for him. However there were times that I thought that Perdita was a little too weak and almost pathetic compared to Jared. With his strong, domineering ways it would have been nice to see her match him rather than sometimes come across as bending to his will. It wasn't all the time but it irked me a little!

Overall the plot is quite basic but easy to understand and perfectly believable for the most part. It's not demanding and I enjoyed reading about Perdita and Jared and the evolving love story up to the inevitable conclusion. I would have liked the ending to be a little bit more fleshed out with perhaps an epilogue but it was satisfying nonetheless.

If you're looking for an enjoyable, readable Modern romance story that takes you away for a couple of hours then I would recommend this book to you. It's not earth shattering but I enjoyed it and it did the job. 3 stars.

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192 pages

Click to see other books by Lee Wilkinson