Review of The Personal Assistant by RaeLynn Blue with a giveaway

BLURB:

In the high stakes world of popular music, stardom and fame are commonplace. Superstar, Morgan Thomas, is a commodity to be bought and sold. Tyrone is her assistant, charged with making her insane life--manageable. But once Morgan goes missing, can Tyrone summon the courage to find her and take their relationship from platonic to passionate?

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Excerpt (PG-13)

Tyrone scanned the menu. It was dinnertime and the luxury hotel’s special was filet mignon with crab sauce. Morgan was allergic to seafood, so that was definitely out. He kept his cell phone in his right hand, just in case she called down to him.

God, I’m so trained! Sitting here with the freakin’ phone in my hand, waiting for my precious pop princess to dial down to her lowly servant.

He silently read the entrees on the menu, but mentally, he pictured Morgan. Tall as any model with a smooth complexion that resembled creamy mocha, she stood out in a crowd. Her mixed African blood had produced a stunning beauty. Brown, natural curly hair flowed down to her shoulders and blue eyes lit up her face. When she smiled, the whiteness of her teeth made her thick, bee stung lips look even pinker. She hated her lips. He couldn’t figure out why; her smile illuminated the dreariest of places.

At least to him.

She wasn't skinny like most women in the entertainment industry. With a long waist, full hips and ass, she put anyone of those cookie-cutter blondes of Beverly Hills to shame. Her ethnicity made her stand out; her beauty made her radiant

And she shined for him like the sun on a crisp, clear summer day.

He found her enchanting, and had since they were in high school. Yet, when she flirted with him—like the incident in the limo—it made him angry. She was simply toying with him, just like she did with many other men.

He didn’t want to be any other man to her; he wanted to be the man—her man.

Author Bio:

RaeLynn Blue is the author of numerous tales of erotic contemporary romance and speculative romance. With an imagination that's varied and diverse, her tales explores love in all its many shades, situations and scenarios. She fell into romance stories at the ripe age of eleven and has been writing stories ever since. A humble scribbler of tales, RaeLynn is actively writing another story of lust, love, and romance.

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My Thoughts:

I had a hard time getting into this book. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the book. It was a decent read.

I'm not sure, but I wonder if it was because the woman was the popular, rich person in the book instead of the man. I may just need a paranormal fix. All of these steamy books are starting to blend together for me. While this was good, for whatever reason, I just wasn't blown away. :-(

This book had romance and steam galore. ;-)


I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I thought The Personal Assistant was a decent read but not exceptional.




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Giveaway & Review ~ AGAINST THE CAGE, Book One in the Worth the Fight Series by Sidney Halston

Blurb

In her Loveswept debut, Sidney Halston turns up the heat as a sexy cage fighter shows a former bookworm how delicious a few rounds between the sheets can be.

For Chrissy Martin, returning to her Florida hometown always seems to bring bad luck. The day starts with a breakup text, followed by a jailhouse phone call from her troublemaker brother. Now a routine traffic stop has ended with her accidentally punching an officer . . . in a delicate place. Then Chrissy realizes that the hot cop on the receiving end of her right hook is none other than the man from her teenage fantasies.

Jack Daniels knows how to take a hit. After all, when he’s not chasing reckless drivers, he’s kicking ass in a mixed martial arts ring. So what takes his breath away isn’t the low blow, but the woman who dealt it: a gorgeous knockout with legs Jack wouldn’t mind being pinned under—who just so happens to be his best friend’s nerdy little sister, all grown up. Soon their instant chemistry leads to a sizzling affair, but Jack and Chrissy are fighting an uphill battle if they want to make love last beyond the final bell.

AGAINST THE CAGE 

Worth the Fight Series

Loveswept Contemporary Romance

Written by Sidney Halston

Releasing May 27, 2014

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Excerpt from Chapter 3

Chrissy felt the butterflies in her stomach kick into high gear. Jack moved his head lower and oh-so-slowly brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth. Automatically, her lips parted and a little gasp escaped. Traitorous lips! That was all the permission he needed; his mouth crushed down on hers and his forearms gave way. All his weight pushed against her towards the wall behind her. His body melded into hers. His hand slid down the contour of her body as her right leg hitched around his hip. Traitorous leg!

Her body parts were on cruise control; she didn’t seem to be in charge of them anymore and they were up to no good! His knee nudged between her thighs and as the kiss deepened so did her gyrations against him. Their hips now rocked together, Chrissy’s arms wrapped around his neck as she took the lead and deepened the kiss. It was a tug-of-war between their tongues. She nipped his lower lip and he groaned. He licked her upper lip and she moaned. Everything that made her inherently female was on high alert and his very prominent hard-on rubbed against her.

She sighed in pleasure. “Jack.”

“I got you babe.” He released her for a second, took half a step back, and peeled off his shirt. It took Chrissy a minute to stop gawking. She had been right; there were muscles on top of muscles. All she wanted to do was lap him up. She responded by grabbing the hem of her dress and pulling it over her head.

He took a step back to look at her. “Fuck,” he gasped when he saw her in just her itty bitty black panties and a matching bra. In a split second, he was on her again. His tongue plunged into her mouth and her mouth happily accepted it. This time, instead of wrapping her arm around him, she reached between them and started undoing the button on his jeans.

“Jack! Hurry. Help me take these off.”

Trying not to break contact with her mouth, he took his jeans off with one hand while swatting Drogo, who was jumping on his two hind legs and snarling, with the other. “Go away, Drogo!” Jack commanded.

From the corner of her eye Chrissy noticed something red. She pushed him away, still panting, and pointed to his hipbone. “What’s this?” She reached towards the waistband of his boxer shorts where a big square Band-Aid stuck out. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Just got hurt, is all. Don’t worry.” His jeans hit the floor and he looked ready to pounce, again, but she held her hand out, keeping him at arms length.

“Wait. It’s bleeding. Look, it started to seep through. Let me take a look at it. It must hurt.”

“Not as much as my dick is going to hurt if we stop now.”

She pointed to the couch. “Oh, don’t be a baby. Sit.”

Jack groaned, picked up the incessant dog and set him on his pillow, and then sat down, as instructed. Chrissy kneeled between his thighs. God, was she trying to kill him? Had he verbalized the nurse fantasy? Still mostly naked, she slowly began to take off the Band-Aid and gauze and he winced. “It hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess it does. But only a little. It’s no big deal.”

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to pretend with me.” Once she lowered the waistband of his boxers a little and carefully removed all the Band-Aids and gauze, she shook her head. “Shit Jack. It looks pretty deep. Who taped you up? They did a terrible job. You should have gotten stitches on this. Did they even clean it out? It looks ripe for infection. How’d this happen?” She was inspecting the wound but it didn’t go unnoticed how she was crouched down by his hip and directly in front of his hard-on, which was mere inches from her face.

“I taped it up myself. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” He jumped when she touched along the edges of the cut. “Son of a bitch!” Jack hissed.

“Go to my car and in the trunk is a black backpack. Luckily, I have some medical supplies in there from my recent trip. Bring it to me, please.”

“Chrissy? Can we just—“

“Just go,” she pointed towards the door. “This is not good Jack. You may need stitches and antibiotics. I need to boil some water to disinfect my supplies.”

***

Clad in just white boxer-briefs, Jack went outside, crossed his lawn and strode to her car with the biggest hard-on he’d ever had in his entire life. Disconcerted, yet wound up, he prayed that none of his neighbors saw him. But really, he didn’t care. His mind was elsewhere, specifically on the half naked vixen inside his house playing nurse. Actually, his mind and all the blood in his body were elsewhere—south.

He walked back in, startled to see her in his black t-shirt boiling water in his kitchen. She had to have been a late bloomer because when he’d last seen her, her breasts weren’t as full as they were now. She was small in stature, but voluptuous where it counted—breasts and ass. “I think that should be the official uniform for doctors. In fact, you aren’t welcomed back into my house unless you’re wearing one of my t-shirts, and nothing else.” She giggled as she continued working in the kitchen. There’s that giggle again. That giggle was going to be the death of him.

“Okay, go sit down.” She pointed towards a dining room chair and he obligingly sat down. Drogo followed. He looked at his owner, and it almost seemed as if he was concerned for Jack because his tiny head tilted to the side and he let out a little whimper. Either that, or the mutt was hungry. Probably the latter. Chrissy smiled at the pup and actually said: “excuse me,” and Drogo moved. The dog didn’t bark, didn’t bite, didn’t disobey. He simply gave Chrissy room to work. Jack looked at the silent exchange between the Drogo the devil dog and Chrissy the dog whisperer and couldn’t believe it. He knew she probably didn’t even realize she had just had a conversation with Drogo.

When Chrissy began to work on Jack’s wound, she was assertive and in control; she was all business. Any sign of the wanton vixen had been wiped away, regardless of her stimulating attire. She pulled out another chair and sat down, taking out tape, scissors, more gauze, a needle, and little bottles filled with different liquids from her bag. He couldn’t help himself, she was just so close. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her. She squealed, and he placed her down on her knees, between his parted thighs. “You want to work on me? Fine. But you do it right here. Between my legs.” He reached for her bag and slid it across the table so that it would be closer to her. She looked at him with those big sapphire eyes, and smiled. The wanting in her eyes returned. At some point, she had put her hair up into a tight bun. She looked like a librarian. One of those fantasy-librarians. As she prepared and worked on whatever she was doing, he reached under the hem of the shirt and rubbed her thighs, working his way up to her ass. She looked down at him through the top of her glasses.

“Never take those off. You’re a fantasy, you know that? This right here is a fantasy,” he said, pointing at her.

“Oh, you’re into the whole doctor thing aren’t you?” That made his imagination soar. Scratch the whole naughty librarian thing. She was a naughty doctor. He could certainly work with that. In the span of an hour, he had managed to conjure up all sorts of role-play scenarios: nurse, librarian, doctor. What the hell had gotten into him? She stopped what she was doing and moved closer to him, careful not to touch his lower abdomen where the wound was.

“No, baby, I’m into the whole sexy-Chrissy thing.” He pulled her small waist close to him and begun to plant open mouth kisses along her neck.

“I need to concentrate. You’re being a very bad patient,” she pouted and moved back a little, but with a little mischievous wink. Oh, she was playing his game and he was going to enjoy every second of it.

Author Info

Sidney Halston lives her life by one simple rule: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started” (Mark Twain). Or even simpler: “Just do it” (Nike). And that’s exactly what she did. At the age of thirty, having never written anything other than a legal brief, she picked up a pen for the first time to pursue her dream of becoming an author. That first stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Halston lives in South Florida with her husband and children.

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My Thoughts:

I was laughing within the first few pages and many times throughout the book. :D

This one was funny, romantic, Alpha male infused, exciting, and steamy. 

The pace moved along decently. 

The main characters, Chrissy and Jack, were both very likable even if her brother, Slade, was a donkey's behind most of the time. :P  I loved the dog, Drago. He liked to torment Slade.

I would recommend this book to those of you who like your romance with a side of witty humor.

I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I enjoyed it immensely and I won't hesitate to read the next book in the series.


    

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Review ~ Léopold’s Wicked Embrace by Kym Grosso with a giveaway

An erotic paranormal romance...

Seductive and lethal vampire, Léopold Devereoux, returns to the Big Easy to find a killer. His search leads him to a beautiful and mysterious woman, who awakens desires and emotions that he’s long fought to keep buried. After centuries of self-imposed solitude, the billionaire philanthropist struggles to restrain his growing thirst for the intriguing, lovely female who’s captured his attention.

Laryssa Theriot, an antiques proprietor in the Vieux Carré, agrees to help the commanding yet debonair stranger, who seeks her assistance. She withholds her secret abilities, afraid to trust the man who threatens to unleash her darkest fantasies. All the while, Léopold consumes her thoughts, testing her limits and bringing her to new levels of ecstasy. As the menacing force that has stalked Laryssa for years finally catches up to her, she submits, putting her life into the hands of the dominant vampire who offers his protection.

Deep in the heart of New Orleans, they embark on a perilous adventure, forced to search for an ancient sacrificial relic that they hope will save their lives. As they face formidable challenges, Léopold and Laryssa surrender to the passionate intimacy that possesses them. After hundreds of years of denying himself love, will Léopold bond to the woman who has begun to crack the impenetrable shell around his heart? As evil draws near, will Laryssa survive the demon that has come to take her soul?

Warning: This book contains several erotic love scenes and is intended for adult readers only.

Léopold’s Wicked Embrace

Immortals of New Orleans, Bk 5

Kym Grosso

Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Independent – MT Carvin Publishing, LLC

Date of Publication: April 5, 2014

ISBN-13: 978-1497312449

ISBN-10: 1497312442

ASIN: B00JHNAWQS

Number of pages: 412 print

Word Count: 100,045

Cover Artist: Cora Graphics

Purchase Links: Amazon US * Amazon UK * Amazon CA * B&N * ARe * Smashwords

Excerpt:

Laryssa had heard the customer behind her, but the damn mirror wire wouldn’t seem to catch right. It kept slipping and she cursed under her breath, hoping she wouldn’t drop it. If she could just hold it up a minute longer, she could get it to hang squarely on the wall. She fingered the hook that she’d just renailed into the wall and then moved her thumb over to the thin metal string. With a final shove upward, she attempted to flick it into place. But as the wire caught, it sliced into her flesh. A sharp sting threw her off balance, and her pumps began to waver. Shit. Not again.

“Oh my God!” Laryssa squeaked as she fell backwards, fully expecting to crack her head open on one of the many sharp-edged desks that sat adjacent to where she’d been working. As she felt strong male hands slide up under her ribcage, grazing her breasts, she gasped. She wasn’t sure whether to thank the stranger or call the police, but as she turned her face to try to see him, she immediately recognized her rescuer.

“It’s you,” she stammered, clutching his arms. Laryssa giggled nervously, realizing how once again she’d foolishly fallen in front of the sexy vampire. And like last night, he’d caught her. She couldn’t believe how clumsy she’d all of a sudden become. She tried to relax and find her footing, but her heart was beating so fast that she could barely think. What is he doing here in my shop? How did he find me?

Like a story book flipping pages, her mind whirled until she remembered what she’d done last night at the club. She’d fought off the asshole who’d grabbed her at the bar. The feel of his hands around her throat had forced her fear into overdrive. The knife had only been a few inches away, but still too far. Desperation had taken over as her power surged, calling the blade to her fingertips. Jamming it into his neck was as instinctive as breathing. Kill or be killed, she’d always choose the former. She’d run into the alley, refusing to discuss it with management. The only one who knew her was Avery and there was no way her friend would have divulged her identity to the vampire. She’d be more likely to turn him into a three horned sheep before she’d squeal. The only way the vampire could have found her would have been if he’d followed her home.

A brush to her breast reminded her that she was still being held upright by him, and Laryssa felt her face grow red. Arousal licked over her skin. Cautiously, she rooted her shoes on the floor and turned around, steeling her nerves.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“My pleasure, mademoiselle, but I suggest you avoid heights in the future.”

Surreptitiously, she stole a glance at him, which reminded her how incredibly handsome he was. His short dark hair was perfectly coiffed. His white dress shirt hung casually over the waistband of his jeans. Laryssa forced herself to look away, trying not to stare at the masculine features of his face. Straight nose, square jaw and perfectly kissable lips… lips that were smooth talking and way too articulate, teasing her with every word he spoke. Beads of sweat broke out across her forehead. It felt as if someone had turned up the heat, her skin was on fire. She noticed his eyes were no longer on hers and had dropped to her chest. They lingered only a second, and then he met her gaze and smiled. She looked downward and noticed that several buttons had come undone in her fall, revealing the edges of her white lace bra. Could this day get any more embarrassing? Laryssa’s fingers shook as she buttoned her sweater.

“I’m so sorry. I just…you just…I just…” Great, first I’m a klutz and now I can’t speak. She bit her lip, paused and then took a deep breath before starting again. “Thank you for catching me.”

“Again.” Léopold watched her as she adjusted her clothes, wishing to rip the rest of the pearly buttons from their fragile seams. But he refused to let the beast within take what it wanted. No, he’d find out what the hell she was before showing her his true nature. “Yes, thank you…again.” She smoothed down her skirt, trying to pretend she hadn’t just fallen into his arms and let him feel her up in the process. Business, think business. Her pulse slowed and she willed herself to appear nonchalant.

“We met last night, remember?” he pressed. Léopold smiled and ran his hand over the colorful marquetry in rosewood that scrolled through a seventeenth century secretaire. Interesting that she could deliberately control the flow of her blood. It further piqued his concern about her species. What was she?

Laryssa’s eyes met his, widening at the confirmation that he knew exactly who she was.

“Yes, yes I do. But I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name.” Vampire. Big bad vampire. Laryssa watched intently as he fingered the furniture, trailing his thumb over the symmetrical scenes as if he was caressing a lover.

“Lovely.” Léopold flashed his eyes to hers.

“What?” Laryssa realized that he was toying with her, purposefully trying to make her nervous.

“I said, it’s lovely. The neoclassical architectural structures. The white marble top. Doré bronze mounts.”

“Is there something specific I can help you with?”

“You get directly to the point?” Léopold had intended to play with her a bit, throw her off her game. Yet his little rabbit wasn’t frozen in the field like he’d anticipated. No, she rebounded nicely, and now stood confidently like a wildcat, poised to attack.

“I don’t really have time to waste. So yeah, I’d like to know why you followed me from the club. And I really want to know what you are doing in my shop.”

Léopold merely laughed and crossed the room to admire a chair and matching settee.

“Circa 1775?”

Laryssa walked over and placed her hand on the elegant Louis XVI chair. “Yes. How did you know? It’s a very special piece. It has the mark of Versailles Palace on it.”

“Indeed.” Léopold sat in the chair, wrapping his fingers around its arms. “Nothing but the best. Fit for a king.”

“And I suspect you’d like being a king.” She put her hands on her hips, waiting for him to respond.

“Ah, a king I never was. But I’ve dined with kings, and I can assure you that while they enjoy the extravagances of the rich, they often lose their heads. Easy come, easy go.”

“Why are you here?” Laryssa brushed her hair back, attempting to regain her composure. “Are you looking for something specific?”

“Oui, pet. But not an antique. While I do enjoy shopping, this is hardly the time.” Léopold lost the smile, allowing his eyes to pierce hers. “So I shall get to the point. What are you?”

Laryssa lost her ability to rein in her pulse and her heart began to fiercely pump hot blood through her veins. Her lips tightened, and she clenched her jaw. How dare he ask about her? What the hell did he want from her anyway? Dear God, she had enough issues with the darkness on her tail and now he was asking about her origins.

“What do you mean, ‘what am I?’ I’m the owner of this store. Does that answer your question?” Laryssa asked, her voice growing louder. “Who are you?”

“Léopold Devereoux. That’s who I am. I can be your angel or nightmare, depending on the day. So listen up. What. Are. You?” Léopold didn’t make a move. He sat completely still, anticipating her answer.

Kym Grosso is the author of the bestselling erotic paranormal romance series, The Immortals of New Orleans. The series currently includes Kade's Dark Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 1), Luca's Magic Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 2), Tristan's Lyceum Wolves (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 3), Logan’s Acadian Wolves (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 4) and Léopold’s Wicked Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans, Book 5).

In addition to romance, Kym has written and published several articles about autism, and is passionate about autism advocacy. She also is a contributing essay author in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Raising Kids on the Spectrum.

Kym lives with her husband, two children, dog and cat. Her hobbies include autism advocacy, reading, tennis, zumba, traveling and spending time with her husband and children. New Orleans, with its rich culture, history and unique cuisine, is one of her favorite places to visit. Also, she loves traveling just about anywhere that has a beach or snow-covered mountains. On any given night, when not writing her own books, Kym can be found reading her Kindle, which is filled with hundreds of romances.

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Other books in the series are:

Purchase Links:

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Amazon UK  

Amazon CA   

Smashwords

BN * ARe   

iTunes

Purchase Links:

Amazon US  

Amazon UK  

Amazon CA

Smashwords     

BN  * ARe   

iTunes

Purchase Links:

Amazon US   

Amazon UK  

Amazon CA

Smashwords    

BN * ARe * iTunes

Purchase Links:

Amazon US      

Amazon UK      

Amazon CA  

Smashwords     

BN * ARe * iTunes

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My Thoughts:

First let me say that I love the cover. This is the fifth book in the Immortals of New Orleans. However, this book stands alone really well. Each book in this series has been that way. The characters from the previous books make an appearance too which you know I love!

In Kym's typical style, this book is fun and flirty, sexy and hot, steamy and romantic, as well as shrouded in mystery, suspense, and action. In a word ~ phenomenal!
 
Léopold and Laryssa are great together. Smoldering hot! Léopold is a charming and suave vampire and Laryssa is something else. I won't ruin the surprise. You can find out for yourself when you read it.

I am hoping that Dimitri (a werewolf) will have his story told next.

If you like supes, awesome writing, and charismatic characters, you need to read this book and the series in general!

I received an ecopy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly, it was another top notch addition to this fabulous series. It was one of my favorite picks out of this series so far.



Don't forget to enter the Comment Incentive Giveaway. It is a great chance to win a book you'd like to have! The link can be found at the top of the page.