~Review~Team Player: A Sports Romance Anthology~

 

Title: Team Player
Authors: L.J. Shen, Sara Ney, Ella Fox, Charleigh Rose, Adriana Locke, Mandi Beck, Kate Stewart, Meghan Quinn, Kennedy Ryan, Rochelle Paige, Emma Scott
Genre(s): Sports Romance, Anthology
Release Date: December 14, 2017
Reviewer: ~Wendy~
Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

Hot jocks. We love them all. 
Sexy baseball players. Intense footballers. Sweaty MMA fighters, and sizzling hockey hotties. Score!
The good news? Eleven bestselling authors have gathered to give you a set of stories focused on the men we love most—sports heroes. We bet you’ll love this thick … book. 
The bad news? The men in these novellas don’t actually exist. 
Enjoy this naughty Christmas treat!*
*This anthology does not contain calories, just eleven original, never-before-seen stories by the following authors: Adriana Locke, Mandi Beck, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, LJ Shen, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, Ella Fox, Kate Stewart, Emma Scott, and Sara Ney. We aren’t responsible for melted devices.

Team Player:

• Adriana Locke (Cross) 
• Charleigh Rose (Yard Sale)
• Ella Fox (Out of Formation)
• Emma Scott (One Good Man)
• Kate Stewart (Sweeping the Series)
• Kennedy Ryan (Full Court Press)
• L.J. Shen (The End Zone)
• Mandi Beck (Sin Bin)
• Meghan Quinn (Back in the Game)
• Rochelle Paige (Slapped Into Love)
• Sara Ney (Switch Hitter)

---

  

---

---

  *This anthology* contains eleven original, never-before-seen stories by the following authors:

Adriana Locke, Mandi Beck, Charleigh Rose, Kennedy Ryan, LJ Shen, Meghan Quinn, Rochelle Paige, Ella Fox, Kate Stewart, Emma Scott, and Sara Ney.

I never ever read anthologies and to be honest, I didn’t even know this was one when I signed up for it. All I knew, was that L.J. Shen wrote “The End Zone”, and I just had to read it!!

---

~Review~An Exaltation of Larks (Venery #1) by Suanne Laqueur~

 

Title: An Exaltation of Larks
Author: Suanne Laqueur
Series: Venery #1
Page Count: 499 pages
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 22, 2016
Guest Reviewer: ~Judith~
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

~Synopsis~

“We’re so alike, you and I. It’s no wonder we kept finding each other.”

September 11, 1973: Eleven-year-old Alejandro Penda watches from his apartment window as Santiago, Chile falls to a military coup, destroying his family and his childhood. Arriving alone in America, he’s taken in by the Larks: a prominent family in the town of Guelisten. Though burdened by unresolved grief for his disappeared parents, he becomes fiercely loyal to the Larks, eventually marrying one of their daughters, Valerie.
September 11, 2001: Javier Landes watches from his apartment window as New York City falls to terrorism. As one of Manhattan’s top-paid male escorts, this professional lover has never lacked for company and is loyal only to himself. But in the wake of 9/11, Jav is named guardian for an orphaned nephew in Guelisten and must open his carefully-guarded heart to pain he’s long suppressed.
Alex, Valerie, and Jav meet first in their twenties, with a sudden attraction each finds strange and compelling. When they meet again in their forties, they discover not only is their bond still strong, but their life experiences are strangely similar. All have been shaped by separate 9/11’s, and their unfinished business from the past will change everything they know about love, loyalty, and friendship.
“Life has rules. You cannot come in the middle of the night and take what we agreed isn’t yours.”
Across three decades and two continents, Suanne Laqueur’s fifth novel explores the unpredictability of sexual attraction, how family ties are forged, torn and mended, and how love’s downfall can turn to exaltation.

---

   

---

 

---

Straight on my favorite shelf.One of my top two reads this year! ❤

This book is special, I mean really special…I loved everything about it and just didn’t want it to end…This Author’s writing is stunning. Her words, her storytelling, her characters…to say I was blown away is an understatement.

The story follows the lives of three characters, Alex, Val, and Jav.

Introduced when they are young and spanning over three decades it’s a truly amazing story of how their lives cross paths.

---

~Release Day Review~Small Change (Small Change #1) by Roan Parrish~

 

Title: Small Change
Author: Roan Parrish
Series: Small Change #1
Publisher: Monster Press
Page Count: 258 pages
Release Date: June 1, 2017
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Reviewer: ~Judith~
Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

~Blurb~

Ginger Holtzman has fought for everything she’s ever had—the success of her tattoo shop, respect in the industry, her upcoming art show. Tough and independent, she has taking-no-crap down to an art form. Good thing too, since keeping her shop afloat, taking care of her friends, and scrambling to finish her paintings doesn’t leave time for anything else. Which … is for the best, because then she doesn’t notice how lonely she is. She’ll get through it all on her own, just like she always does.

Christopher Lucen opened a coffee and sandwich joint in South Philly because he wanted to be part of a community after years of running from place to place, searching for something he could never quite name. Now, he relishes the familiarity of knowing what his customers want, and giving it to them. But what he really wants now is love.

When they meet, Christopher is smitten, but Ginger … isn’t quite so sure. Christopher’s gorgeous, and kind, and their opposites-attract chemistry is off the charts. But hot sex is one thing—truly falling for someone? Terrifying. When her world starts to crumble around her, Ginger has to face the fact that this fight can only be won by being vulnerable—this fight, she can’t win on her own.

Small Change is the first book in a series that will include M/F and M/M romances.

---

Small Change (Small Change #1) by Roan Parrish

****4 Stars****

---

Ginger is Daniel’s best friend from In the Middle of Somewhere and this book, kind of, runs parallel with that one.However, this is a standalone and the first book in a new series by Roan Parrish that will also include MM stories.

Ginger Holtzman is a tough independent woman.

She’s had to work hard to get where she is and she’s not about to relinquish her independence any time soon.The owner of a Tattoo shop and currently working on an upcoming art show,s he knows how hard it is for a woman in this industry.

---

Christopher Lucen is the owner of a coffee shop in the same area.

One of the good guys, He’s patient, caring, steady, and is always there for people…oh, and he’s just a bit hot!

Christopher is instantly smitten with Ginger…but is she ready to let someone into her life permanently? She’s very open about her sexuality…she’s bi sexual but has never really had any kind of long-term relationship before.

“What if, with Christopher, I could burn the world down when I needed to, and he could extinguish a spot for us in the center of it, carve out a safe place for us while the fire raged outside.”

---

What I loved about this book…Christopher (happy sigh )…I want one of my own.If ever there was a description of a perfect man, this is him, I absolutely loved him and he’s a huge factor in this book working for me.All he wants is to be loved…

“Christopher wants to be loved(…)And he wants to be needed.It’s what he’s always wanted(…)”

-A slow build up.Both characters are in their thirties and there’s no insta lust and falling into bed.The sex scenes are perfectly placed in the story.

-A secondary character….Faron.Hello, if ever I was intrigued by someone it’s most definitely him.

The story is told, primarily, from  Ginger’s pov but we do get an insight into Christopher’s thoughts by way of emails to his brother, Jude.

On that note, Jude is gay and I’m so excited to get his story and I’ve got high hopes for him and a certain character.

A bit of drama and angst towards the end and I definitely got annoyed with Ginger, but overall I really enjoyed this.

A recommended read!

---

  

---

~Review~Jagged Pill (Broken Lives #3) by Marita A. Hansen~

 

Title: Jagged Pill
Author: Marita A. Hansen
Series: Broken Lives #3
Page Count: 333 pages
Release Date: April 29, 2017
Genre(s): Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Reviewer: ~Judith~
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

~Blurb~

What was happening couldn’t be real. I couldn’t be on the run from the police and gang members. I was, or had been, a strait-laced high school teacher.

Nor could I be sitting next to one of my students, a boy from my English class. And he definitely couldn’t be the love of my life, since I was married.

But it was all very real.

I was in love with Dante Rata, a teenage gang member from the wrong side of town. I’d ruined my marriage for him. Destroyed my career for him. Left my safe middle-class world behind, risking my freedom, and even my life, just to be with him.

And despite all of that, I was living my happily-ever…

For now.

Because when the after part came, I would lose everything.

Including Dante.

---

Jagged Pill (Broken Lives #3) by Marita A. Hansen

*****5 Stars*****

---

Loved it!…One of my top reads this year!

“Life was hard.It had no smooth edges, only rough ones, like a jagged pill.It cut our throats on the way down, making us bleed out one moment, then soar to the heavens the next.It was a paradox, something we either swallowed down or choked on.”

This is the third book in the series and definitely my favorite.This series just gets better and better.I’m keeping this review deliberately vague, plot-wise…because you really don’t want any indication of what’s going to happen…trust me.

Told from three Pov’s…Clara, Dante, and Tane (yes, Tane…more of him later ), the story picks up straight from where book two ended.Dante and Clara find themselves on the run and are forced to go into hiding after their relationship became public knowledge while Tane is faced with dealing with the aftermath of events from the previous book.

---

I didn’t really like Clara much in book two but I’ve done a massive U-turn here.Yes, her actions might have been wrong but I really felt for her here.It’s a bit like watching a head-on collision in slow motion…you can see what is going to happen but you can’t quite believe it.

While this story/series is primarily about Dante and Clara we also get an insight into Tane’s life and to say I was happy about this is an understatement.
Tane…happy sigh, I mean a really happy sigh.Every time I saw a chapter was from his Pov I’m sure I had a huge smile on my face… 😀

He is unapologetic, manwhore, sex god, I honestly couldn’t get enough of the man.As we know, from previous books Killer has got quite a thing for him even breaking into his house to watch him sleep.

But Tane’s as straight as an arrow….right??

“Either way, Killer had no interest in the bitches eye -fucking him, since the shithead was too busy eye-fucking me. I clenched my hands, white-knuckling it, annoyed with my thoughts more than him. Because I wanted to fuck the shit out of the hot sonofabitch. I didn’t understand why, since I was completely straight. Up until meeting Killer, I’d never been attracted to a bloke before. He was the first and only dude to ever make my prick stand to attention. I just wasn’t willing to do anything about it.(…)”

“I didn’t answer, his amazing body short-circuiting my brain. Fuck! He was hot. Lean, all muscle, not one ounce of fat on him. I didn’t even fucking care he had a massive package in his briefs because that body could tempt the straightest guy, and I was fucking straight as an arrow.”

Believe me, I’d LOVE to say more about these two men but I’m not. 😀

---

Marita A. Hansen has created a truly compelling series here.The writing is gritty, the characters are wonderfully flawed and I just can’t get enough of this story.

A highly recommended series!!!

---

   

---

 

Shattered Poetry by Marita A. Hansen

~Review by ~Judith~

Shattered Poetry by Marita A. Hansen(Broken Lives #2)

Expected publication: December 8th, 2016

****4 Stars****

---

“He was the sweet taste of honey before the bee stung,the apple from Eden-so delicious,yet morally wrong.”

This one picks up straight after book one where Clara and Dante must face the consequences of their actions.
I’m not going to go into the story in too much detail but bearing in mind the timescale here is very short a lot happens.

---

I have to say my comments/thoughts about Clara didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this book,after all, some of the best books have a character you don’t like.

Clara really should be the one taking responsibility here,she knows she’s crossed a dangerous line but seems unable to give Dante up.I found her very self-absorbed for the majority of the book.

---

I loved Dante in book one and actually liked him more here.Having said that,for some reason,I was a lot more aware of his age here.He’s getting pulled in every direction trying to make sense of everything.He’s confused about how Clara feels for him and on top of that he’s trying to keep a lid on Jasper’s volatile behavior.

---

I really enjoyed the introduction of Phelia’s pov.I thought this was actually quite important to the story.And I really felt for her,she’s hopelessly in love with Dante and,as a result,finds herself caught up between two rival gangs.

This is extremely fast paced,talk about a page turner….I simply couldn’t put it down.The sex scenes are not very explicit but I actually thought they worked here.Despite the strong physical attraction Clara and Dante have for each other I could feel that their relationship was becoming more than just sex.

The writing is superb.The Author gives us characters that are deeply flawed but I’m so invested in this story.I think the eventual outcome of their story will be epic.

ARC of Shattered Poetry was kindly provided  by the author, in exchange for an honest review.

---

           

---

~Review~ Broken English by Marita A. Hansen

~Review by ~Judith~   

Broken English (Broken Lives #1)by Marita A. Hansen

5 + Stars……Amazing!!

---

“I glanced back at the teacher,thinking she was hot as fuck.”

Dante….student…15

            

This book took me completely by surprise.It grabbed hold of me and would not let go.I read it in just over 24hours,I couldn’t put it down.

From the blurb, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a sexy Teacher/Student book but it’s so much more than that.For a start it’s a role reversal to similar books,Clara is the teacher and Dante is the student.

---

Clara….teacher….married, early twenties

 

Clara is happily married,in her early twenties.For the past few years, she’s been working as a Teaching Assistant in England but has returned to New Zealand and has taken a job as an English teacher at a High School in a rough area.Her husband is following on in a few weeks.

 

 

---

Dante is 15 and to say he’s had a troubled past is an understatement.A lot of books feature a character with a troubled past,sometimes they work,sometimes they don’t….this is definitely the exception.

Dante’s character was real.The Author’s portrayal of his past and how it has shaped his young life was so believable.
The boy is gorgeous,highly sexual and looks and behaves a lot older than he is.
He oozes sex and just about every girl wants a piece of him.He puts on an arrogant front but deep down wants someone to see past his devastating good looks.

 

 

---

So what happens when the Student and Teacher meet??
Sparks definitely fly but this isn’t a hot for teacher book,there’s a lot more depth to it.
Clara tries so hard to resist her attraction to Dante,she knows her feelings are all kind of wrong.

“He lowered his head to mine,looking like he was going to kiss me.I could feel his breath on my lips,a tickle across my flesh,so close I could almost taste him.”

---

I’m not giving any indication of what does or doesn’t happen between them.I really had no idea which direction the story would go.
The writing is brilliant and apart from the two main characters there are some great secondary ones…not always likable but very well developed.
Flawed Teachers
Flawed Students
And the high school setting was very well done.

This book blew me away and it’s down to Jan’s review (still couldn’t work out how to post a link to her review…but check it out )

Highly,highly recommended!!!!

ARC of Broken English was kindly provided  by the author, in exchange for an honest review.

---

       

---