Predator's Kiss by Rosanna Leo

Bear shifter Ryland Snow just wants peace. The peace and quiet afforded him at his woodsy retreat, the Ursa Fishing Lodge. As owner of the lodge, Ryland enjoys the tranquil life he’s created among his fellow shifters. He lives to maintain a safe haven for them, away from meddlesome human eyes.

When his rock star brother arrives, bringing trouble in the form of a possible hitman, Ryland is incensed. He’s been cleaning up Soren’s messes as long as he can remember, and is tired of his brother’s lecherous exploits.

Things go from bad to worse when Lia Goodblood stumbles upon Ryland and his lodge. Yes, the reclusive erotica author is easy on the eyes, but the human woman is more trouble than she’s worth. To say nothing of her bizarre fear of furry creatures.

Ryland determines to rid himself of her presence. But when he learns she’s on the run from a crazed fan, Ryland’s protective bear instincts flare. And the bear won’t be denied.

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**Warning: Mild spoiler included regarding a notable bedroom scene**

This was a wonderful, sweet story and I enjoyed it from beginning to end. There's not a whole lot of setup to things, but instead it gets right down to business, introducing us to the characters and their problems. The problems seem realistic enough, and their responses in how they deal with the stresses reflect thier characters well, I just wish there had been a bit more sense of real danger here, because for the most part the mood throughout is more comical than anything (though yes, some parts are quite steamy).

One Knight's Bargain by Alexandra O'Hurley

Sybille de Campion has been raising her three youngest brothers after her family abandons them for Paris. She has her hands full with trying to hold the floundering castle together with only two doddering knights and a rheumy cook to aid her. When a knight with a violent reputation rides to the gates with his men, claiming to have bought the castle and all its contents, she fears for their very lives.

Sir Eustache of Rouen has spent the last three years trying to raise the funds to buy Sybille’s hand, only to stumble across her penniless father on his return to Paris. He buys the castle and all its contents, including the beautiful Sybille, the woman he’s longed for. But she knows of his bastardly reputation and he soon realizes he must show her his softer side if he’s to win her heart. Hopefully, he can find it.



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A fairly short tale that is decently well written, though a bit lacking in substance perhaps. The characters are developed fairly well though, such that you actually care about them before long, the heroine a bit more than the hero since most of it is told from her POV. I had expected something more erotic, and though there is heat between them, there is only on actual sex scene, and while it is nice, it's not totally scorching hot. Still, for the price (free), you can't really go wrong with this little story, provided you like historical romance set in medieval times.

• One Knight's Bargain on Goodreads
• Alexandra O'Hurley's website

Curves for Two by Christa Wick

Thick as thieves since childhood, Chase and Roman have been to hell and back together. Returning from their second tour in Afghanistan, they intend to settle down. There's only one small problem -- they have to convince plus-size beauty Grace Michaels to share their future. First, they need to get her into bed.



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A short, hot story about a BBW woman hooking up with her two best friends from childhood. There's enough plot here to make you feel like you read a story and not just a few sex scenes, and the characters are engaging. It's easy to feel the connection between the three of them, and the heat when they get together is smoking hot. All in all, not a bad story to kill 30 minutes or an hour with.

• Curves for Two on Goodreads
• Christa Wick's website

The Pharaoh and the Curator by Sophia Jones

Unlucky in love museum curator Michelle Beaumont finds herself in Egypt where she contributes to god Amon Ra's resurrection. His burning heat soon has her throwing caution to the desert winds, but a lurking danger threatens both of their souls.

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Given the subject matter, and all of the glowing reviews on this one, I really wanted to like it. I went into it expecting and hoping to read one of those short story gems that makes you marvel at how much the author accomplished in very few pages. Unfortunately, I was kind of disappointed with what I found, for everything moved so fast in the story that I never really got to know any of the characters or get any real sense of why I should care about them.

Warlock's Pawn by Tara Quan

Foreseeing the warlock’s destiny, Alia saves the man her sister plotted to kill. He returns five years later to conquer her city. A pawn in a battle for desert waters, Alia resigns herself to a political marriage and an empty bed. But when Duncan demands more than just her name, she chances losing her heart along with her freedom.

Determined to reclaim her kingdom, Anora parlays her body to remain at Duncan’s side. From within the Helicon court she spins her web, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Alia is all that stands between her and the throne. Her sister must cease to breathe before the warlock’s affection wanes.

A master tactician, Duncan has no qualms about making Anora his courtesan and Alia his queen. But it is Alia’s eyes that haunt his dreams, and she soon becomes his only weakness. With the perils that haunt the Helicon court, caring for the fey is absolute folly. A warlock’s love is a fatal curse, and Alia’s death will be his undoing.

Inspired by The Arabian Nights, Warlock’s Pawn is a romantic suspense replete with political intrigue, magic, and a sword-wielding alpha male.

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Right from the start of this book you're made aware that Alia is not a heroine that's going to need someone to save her. She'll save herself and her man, thank you very much. Though she's also not your typical kick-ass female warrior fantasy character, for she's really very self-effacing, a bit shy, and more than content to leave the spotlight to those who want it. Given her choice, she'd prefer to stay in her temple, doing her work as a priestess and healer and not get involved in the politics of the realm at all. Even though events force her to take a part in them, she still sits back and lets things unfold around her for the most part, only taking action when she must. That she is not afraid to take action when necessary, and does not hesitate to do so when the time comes, shows her strength of character.

Waves of Change by Nulli Para Ora

Water gives life, but under the control of a secret race of people, the most abundant element on earth can be a powerful weapon. The Leuk Ahnal have a unique connection to water—they can manipulate it, use it for communication, or even use it to take over another person’s body.

The five kingdoms of the Leuk Ahnal have remained hidden from mankind for millennia. A secret war has been raging between two of these kingdoms, the Ver-Rist Tokos and the Pa lel. The Ver-Rist Tokos king has his eyes set on taking over all the Leuk Ahnal, but the Pa lel stand in his way.

Hot on the trail of his enemy, a Pa lel enforcer discovers the love of his life. But there's a problem. The Ver-Rist Tokos have an unexplained interest in her.

Water is power when two kingdoms fight for control. Is one man’s love enough to protect his woman from the threat beneath the surface?

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Liquid Silver Books
 

"I need to get her wet" - This book starts out with one of the best opening lines ever, and somewhat sets the tone for all that follows. A sweet and sexy romance, it's refreshing to see that even though Alicia and Daniel are highly attracted to one another right from the outset, they don't rush into bed with one another, but take it slow and get to know one another first before they take that step and make it a physical relationship as well. Granted, this is more because of Alicia's inexperience (yes, she's a virgin at the start) and her hesitance to agree to having sex before she knows him, but it speaks well of Daniel's character that he's willing to take it slow and wait for her to be ready for it. In fact, it's Daniel that puts a halt to things between them a couple times because he can tell she's not really ready yet and is just caught up in the moment.