Big Rock, by Lauren Blakely

Format: e-book, 244 pages

Publisher: Lauren Blakely Books

Published: January 6, 2016

ISBN: 9780692572030

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Back cover blurb: It’s not just the motion of the ocean, ladies. It’s definitely the SIZE of the boat too.

And I’ve got both firing on all cylinders. In fact, I have ALL the right assets. Looks, brains, my own money, and a big c*&k.

You might think I’m an a*&hole. I sound like one, don’t I? I’m hot as sin, rich as heaven, smart as hell and hung like a horse.

Guess what? You haven’t heard my story before. Sure, I might be a playboy, like the NY gossip rags call me. But I’m the playboy who’s actually a great guy. Which makes me one of a kind.

The only trouble is, my dad needs me to cool it for a bit. With conservative investors in town wanting to buy his flagship Fifth Avenue jewelry store, he needs me not only to zip it up, but to look the part of the committed guy. Fine. I can do this for Dad. After all, I’ve got him to thank for the family jewels. So I ask my best friend and business partner to be my fiancée for the next week. Charlotte’s up for it. She has her own reasons for saying yes to wearing this big rock.

And pretty soon all this playing pretend in public leads to no pretending whatsoever in the bedroom, because she just can’t fake the kind of toe-curling, window-shattering orgasmic cries she makes as I take her to new heights between the sheets.

But I can’t seem to fake that I might be feeling something real for her.

What the fuck have I gotten myself into with this…big rock?

BIG ROCK is a standalone, dirty romance novel written from the guy’s POV by NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely…

My review: Okay, sure, I bought this solely for the cover. And the fact that the clever title font totally makes that R look like a C… oh, or is that just me? But in any case, I kept reading for the fun, witty banter and the spot-on male POV. I’m not normally a fan of the “pretend engagement/marriage” trope, but Spencer and Charlotte are such great characters they make it work so well. This is my first Lauren Blakely book but I’ll certainly read more by her. Can’t wait for Harper and Nick’s book!

My rating: 5/5

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Take the Storm (Rising Storm #6), by Rebecca Zanetti

Format: e-ARC, 91 pages

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc

Published: October 29, 2015

ASIN: B014XJ05RQ

Genre: Romance

Back cover blurb: Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

Marisol Moreno has spent her youth taking care of her younger siblings. Now, with her sister, Ginny, in crisis, and her brother in the throes of his first real relationship, she doesn’t have time for anything else. Especially not the overtures of the incredibly compelling Patrick Murphy.  

My review: Everything just ticks along in this installment, in which we get to see more of the existing couples and Marisol and Patrick. I was quite frustrated by their storyline and hope that gets resolved in a better way in a subsequent story. Nothing shocking happened here, so I guess I will have to read on to see if the remaining authors can tie it all up. Ms Zanetti is another new author for me, and while the story wasn’t the best in the series so far, her writing is very good. 

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 3/5

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Calm Before the Storm (Rising Storm #5), by Larissa Ione

Format: e-ARC, 106 pages

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc

Published: October 22, 2015

ASIN: B014XJ05OO

Genre: Romance

Back cover blurb: Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

Marcus Alvarez fled Storm when his father’s drinking drove him over the edge. With his mother and sisters in crisis, Marcus is forced to return to the town he thought he’d left behind. But it is his attraction to a very grown up Brittany Rush that just might be enough to guarantee that he stays. 

My review: Ooh, yes! Things are starting to heat up again in the intrigue department. This episode by the great Larissa Ione focuses on newly returned Marcus Alvarez and Brittany Rush – clearly the nicest member of the Rush family – and their burgeoning relationship which I totally ship. The Rush family, though, have a few things up their sleeve, and I can’t wait to read on and see what happens.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 5/5

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Dance in the Wind (Rising Storm #4), by Jennifer Probst

Format: e-ARC, 93 pages

Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc

Published: October 15, 2015

ASIN: B014XJKFJE

Genre: Romance

Back cover blurb: Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

During his time in Afghanistan, Logan Murphy has endured the unthinkable, but reentering civilian life in Storm is harder than he imagined. But when he is reacquainted with Ginny Moreno, a woman who has survived terrors of her own, he feels the first stirrings of hope. 

My review: More happens here than with the previous installment, and we reconnect with what seems like all the families in Storm. Key to the drama this time is Logan Murphy, newly returned soldier, who takes a shine to pregnant Ginny Moreno. The already established storylines continue, and there is a new love triangle developing involving the town vet. Of course, as with the last book, this episode ends in typical soap opera fashion. Looking forward to the next one!

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 4.5/5

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