Review: IOU, Sex by Calista Fox

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

I requested this book because the synopsis had two of my favorite elements, friends to lovers and scorned lover seeking revenge. I enjoyed it a lot, because it is a novella the story is quite short and straightforward, there’s no drama and you know how it will end, but it had great characters and it was well written. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I really didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised.

Fiona Carlisle needs a date for her sister’s enjoyment party. Since the fiancé used to be Fiona’s fiancé until she caught him having sex with her sister, she really wants to make an impression, not because she still has feelings but because she wants everyone to know that she is better off. The person she has in mind to be that date is Michael Houston. Michael is one of Fiona’s best friends and was her rebound guy after you broke up with the cheating boyfriend. They had a couple of weeks full of hot monkey sex but when she realized that she could love him (and this guy is the definition of love ‘em and leave ‘em) she got scared because she didn’t want her heart broken again. Michael agrees to be her date on one condition: she has to spend the weekend with him, on his bed.

Review: Turn It Up by Inez Kelley

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

Inez Kelley’s books are among some of the best books I have read this year. The first one I read was Sweet as Sin and finding that book was the reader’s equivalent of love at first sight. After that, I have read and enjoyed almost everything she has written so when I saw this book on NetGalley I was very happy; in fact, I was so excited that I bought the book about five minutes before NetGalley approved me because I couldn’t wait.

Turn It Up is a friends-to-lovers story. Bastian and Charlie have been best friends for years, they have been there for one another during good times and bad times and have the easy camaraderie and trust that only comes after years of being together. They also work together as cohost of a radio show about sex.

Review: Tigers and Devils by Sean Kennedy

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

I don’t know how this book managed to fly under my radar. I was browsing through Netgalley looking for an interesting m/m and this one caught my eye. After requesting it I googled it and it turns out that it was a very popular book and it had great reviews. Needless to say the reviews were spot on, after reading it I can honestly tell you that this is one of the best romances I have read all year.

When Simon Murray’s best friends dragged him to a party he had no idea that his life would change forever. As a huge Australian Rules football fan he finds himself defending (and kind of insulting at the same time) the game's biggest star from a group of people who were talking crap about him. The surprise comes when he realizes that said football star was also at the party and heard everything. Declan Tyler has been suffering from a serious case of bad luck in the game. Plagued by injuries he has to deal with the criticism and blame from the fans that once adored him, so when he hears Simon defending him but also treating him like a regular guy he feels fascinated by him. They develop a relationship but there are huge obstacles in their way, the main one being that Declan is closeted. The book is about two people falling in love and learning to deal with everything life throws at them, but it’s also a tale of friendship, growing up, and the sacrifices that come with that.

Follow My Book Blog Friday! (08/05 to 08/12)

Today’s featured blogger is Bonnie from Hands and Home. Remember to stop by and follow!

This week’s question is:

Q. Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?).

I've been reading my whole life, but the first “adult” book I read was Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder (that book isn’t adult at all, I think kids and teenagers should read it an they would probably enjoyed it more than an adult). That book sealed the deal, first of all it was the longest book I had read in my life and I spend years considering majoring in philosophy (I ended up studying anthropology though).

Jude Deveraux’s Velvet Angel was the first romance novel I read, and since I’m obviously a huge fan of romance novels, then I think I have to mention that book as well.

That’s it. I have read tons of fantastic books, both fiction and non-fiction, I have read classics and best-sellers like The Da Vinci Code, I have enjoyed most of them, other I have regretted buying, but I wouldn’t have read any of those books had I not read Sophie’s World first.

Review: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

I came across this book when it kept showing up on Amazon’s recommended reads, and I was curious because it had great reviews and the plot was very appealing. But the price was high for a Kindle book and I wasn't familiar with the author, so I was apprehensive about buying it. A couple of weeks ago Dear Author did a review of the book and I saw it like a signal from the Gods, so I bought it high price be damned. I’m so happy I got it because this book is worth its weight in gold.

Beth and Jennifer are best friends and co-workers. They e-mail each other constantly even though they know that their e-mails are being monitored for inappropriate work behavior (this goes from gossiping to watching porn, basically anything non work related gets flagged). The person in charge of reading the flagged e-mails is Lincoln. He did managed to warn Beth and Jennifer once, but every time he reads one of the e-mails he finds himself more and more involved because you see, he not only likes them, he is starting to feel attracted to Beth. Things get worse once Lincoln realizes that the cute guy Beth keeps talking about is actually him. Now he is in deep trouble because if and when Beth finds out about everything there is no way in hell for him to not look like a creepy jerk. 

Review: The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

Source: we received an e-ARC of the book through NetGalley for review purposes.

I’m a huge fan of Julie Garwood; in fact, she is my all-time favorite historical romance author. I have also enjoyed her suspense novels, specially the whole Buchanan series. Her latest books have been a bit of a hit and miss for me, but because I have loved almost everything she’s written I was very happy to see this book available on NetGalley.

The heroine of The Ideal Man is Dr. Ellie Sullivan. While jogging in a park close to the hospital where she works, she witnesses a shooting. The victim turns out to be an FBI agent who was working on a case trying to catch a very famous couple of criminals. Because every single potential witness against these two criminals has ended up either dead or missing, Ellie gets placed under the custody of the FBI. The agent in charge is Max Daniels, there is an instant attraction between them but they have some things to resolve first, one of those things is that Ellie needs to attend her sister’s wedding while being targeted by the dangerous villains of the story.

Interview: Thea Harrison

Thea Harrison took the blogging world by storm when reviews of her new book, Dragon Bound, started showing up online earlier this year. Then, once the book was released, she took everybody else by storm with the fantastic world that she showed us. I honestly can’t stop talking about Dragon Bound and if you haven’t read it I think you should. Have you heard the phrase sexy beast? Well, that phrase takes on a whole new meaning once you read about the Wyrs.

As you can see I’m a huge fan, which is why I’m very happy to be doing this interview today. Please give a warm welcome to the wonderful Thea Harrison and remember that Storm’s Heart comes out tomorrow!