With Good Behavior (Conduct #1) by Jennifer Lane

In a world gripped by organized crime, family dysfunction, and dim hopes of redemption, can true love persevere? For Sophie Taylor, a beautiful psychologist who lost everything when she violated an ethical boundary, and Grant Madsen, a handsome naval officer who sacrificed everything to protect a loved one, finding that love may carry an unbearable cost. Starting their lives over in Chicago, both are fighting influences from their family and running as fast as they can to escape the past. When their paths cross outside the parole officer's door, the attraction is instantaneous. But a hidden connection may not only shatter their fledgling love, but prove deadly to them both.

 4.0 - 4.5 Stars

An entertaining, engaging read!

I've been eyeing this series for a while now. I was intrigued with the summary, and was curious to find out how a relationship between two convicts who meet outside their parole officer's door would fare. Well, I'm glad to say that With Good Behavior was absolutely entertaining for me!

Meet Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen. Both are good people who made seriously bad decisions that landed them each in prison. Each served their time and now must try to move on with their lives. They meet while meeting with their parole officer, and the story really picks up from there!

With a cast of rich, likable, and well-developed characters, With Good Behavior is way more than a story of organized crime. Grant is charming, honorable, protective, and was raised to be a good man. However, unfortunate circumstances and influences keep him tied to the mafia family that he wants nothing to do with. Through flashbacks, Jennifer Lane does a fantastic job at setting up the back story. It is tragic and abusive. She explores various types of dysfunctional family relationships. For instance, she fleshes out the relationships between father-son, father-daughter and brother-brother all while creating a plot that is thoroughly emotional and engaging. You'll root for Sophie and Grant right from the beginning, both individually and as a couple.

One of the things I really enjoyed was the setting of Chicago! Ms. Lane paints an enticing picture of The Windy City from the beautiful buildings to even the Cubs/Sox rivalry. Who knew taking an architectural cruise down the river would be so exciting! I truly appreciated all these details.

This is my first time reading anything from Jennifer Lane. For the most part, I found With Good Behavior to be a solid 4 stars. I found her writing to flow smoothly, and she knows how to keep the plot moving, even splashing humor here and there. Really, I couldn't tear myself away from the story. It was quite a page-turner for me! I think that earns an extra half star. I'm really glad I took the time to read book 1 of the Conduct series.

 Reading Order

With Good Behavior

 Bad Behavior

On Best Behavior (releases September 24, 2013)

Beats (Hard Rock Harlots #2) by Kendall Grey

Book 2 in the Hard Rock Harlots Series

WARNING: BEATS is specially formulated for horn dogs, porn oglers, smut peddlers, BDSM junkies, M/M and M/M/F addicts, DP dabblers, and lovers of A2M backdoor sexy times. If you don’t fall into these categories, can’t stomach hot man-on-man action, or if you have no idea what the above acronyms mean, please back away from BEATS now. This isn’t the book you’re looking for. Failure to heed this warning could inadvertently throw unauthorized users into a persistent vegetative state, or at the very least, require administration of a defibrillator to the chest and/or groin area. Nobody wants that.

For months, shy drummer Jinx Hardwick has been silently crushing on her tall, dark, and scary bandmate, Toombs Badcock. Drawn to his frightening ink and scars, she yearns to uncover the shadowy secrets lurking behind his silver eyes, but Jinx is too intimidated to even look at him, let alone talk to him. When she stumbles upon Toombs and their manipulative lead guitarist Rax in a compromising position, Jinx realizes her chances of winning Toombs’s heart aren’t just a long shot—they’re nonexistent. To make matters worse, Jinx’s family needs her at home. She’s about to back away from it all—Toombs, the band, her dreams of fame and fortune—when Rax makes her an offer she can’t refuse: a no-holds-barred night alone with Toombs. There’s one small catch. She has to go through Rax to get it.

3.75-4 Stars

“Anybody can have sex. It’s a primitive bodily function. Hey, cock, meet pussy. Insert, agitate, release. Love is completely different, much more complicated animal. Love is like music. You have to work at it. Love is ugly and dirty and painful sometimes. But it can also be pretty fucking awesome once you figure out how to play the right notes to the right rhythm.” 

I absolutely loved Strings, book one of this Hard Rock Harlots series. I loved the bluntness, the dirtiness and the overall crude humor of it all. So when this came out, I just had to have it. However, fans of Strings should be aware up front that this is NOT Strings. Letty is her own entity in that story, do not expect Jinx to be the same way. 

Letty pinches my cheek. “You’re so fuckin’ cute, Jinx. I’ll tell you what I think, percussionist. You’re happiest when you’re beating on shit. So why don’t you get it over with and beat Toomb’s meat?” 

Jinx is her own person, almost the complete opposite of Letty. She’s shy and isn’t the in-your-face type. She has loved her band mate, Toombs, since she first laid eyes on him. At one time, it seemed that Toombs was into her as well, but their connection took a slight detour when Jinx saw Toombs in a compromising situation with their other band mate, Rax. Things were definitely strained between Toombs and Jinx, especially when Rax is in the picture. Things definitely get a lot more complicated.

What an ironic clusterfuck. Toombs loves Rax, Rax loves me, and I love Toombs. And none of us has enough sense to run away from the burning building before the flaming rafters crush us all. 

Wow. This story just got more interesting when Rax was thrown in the mix. Interesting in both a good and a bad way. Toombs and Rax have been friends for a long time. Toombs has certain needs,needs that Rax can fulfill and has always fulfilled. His connection to Toombs is strong, but Jinx’s pull on him is slowly weaving its way into his flesh as well. When Rax sees this connection between the two, he attempts to use it to his advantage. Will Rax ever allow Toombs to have Jinx? Can Jinx share Toombs with Rax? Can they make their relationship work?

“Goddamn it, Gianna.” Another stripe drenches my clit. I slide my finger through it and suck him off. “Goddamn you for making me love you so fucking hard.” 

I fucking LOVE Toombs. His sexy-tortured-tattooed soul just grabbed a hold of me and I never wanted to let him go. He was hard man to crack; I just couldn’t figure him out, but once I did, I loved him even more. As for Jinx, I admired her. She is a strong heroine, but her masochistic side was a little tough pill to swallow. I respected that she never gave up on Toombs, no matter how strong his bond to Rax was. She fought the fight and I couldn’t help but love her for it. 

As for Rax, well the jury is still out on that one. I’m a bit torn about his behavior, but I’m hoping he’ll redeem himself in the next book. At least I’m hoping the next book will be about him. It will be, right?!

*Photo courtesy of Annie Gabor, found on Rockers & Harlots FB page

Maybe Baby Lite (Baby Series Lite #1) by Andrea Smith

Baby Series Lite is the anniversary edition of last summer’s Baby Series. These Lite editions have been condensed from the originals to accommodate those readers who prefer a shorter read. The essence of the story is the same, but its length has been edited and bonus chapters added on Book 2 and 3! 

This anniversary edition of 'Maybe Baby’ has been condensed from the original book to accommodate those readers who prefer a shorter read. Since the original book was released without fanfare, many readers weren't aware of this wonderful story and the continuation of it in the rest of the Baby Series Lite!

When college student Tylar Preston goes to work for the wealthy Sinclair family stables the summer of her senior year, she quickly meets with unexpected events and the disturbing unraveling of her past. Is her past destined to taint her future?

Pulling Tylar from unspeakable danger, Trey Sinclair, an arrogant high-powered attorney makes it his mission to protect the innocent and unworldly young woman from the dreams that haunt her. Spirited and independent, Tylar proves to be a challenge to the stubborn and unyielding young lawyer. Together their often bumpy journey weaves itself mysteriously, comically, passionately and erotically down a path that promises to engage and move the reader in this emotionally stirring story.

For anyone who has ever been in love or in lust, 'Maybe Baby Lite' will stir those forgotten feelings of passion and emotion within you; making you ageless as you travel the romantic and erotic journey with Tylar and Trey unraveling the secrets of their past.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

Three Strong Stars

I’m fucked up, that’s why! I smother her, I fucking smother her. I can’t help it…I love her. 

I came across this book a lot, but was never in the right mood for it. Plus, I was a bit leery considering the original book was six hundred plus pages. Whoa, right? But after my friend, SueBee, told me that the story was being cut down (practically half in length), it definitely moved up on my TBR. However, when I received the opportunity to read an ARC of the ‘shortened’ version, I couldn’t resist. 

This story is about Tylar & Trey. Tylar is a twenty-year-old equine studies student. She starts her summer by working for Sinclair Stables. There she meets Trey Sinclair. He’s older than Tylar and the sparks fly when they first meet. Even throughout their initial banter, it was apparent that these two had massive chemistry. Though I really wouldn’t categorize this as insta-love, I can totally see it being perceived that way.

Anyway, as we get to know Tylar, we find out that her past is pretty traumatizing. Her mother? OMG! I can’t even call her that. She is a vile and selfish character. I couldn’t believe half the things she did to Tylar. She was not a mother; she was cruel, selfish and her behavior was just deplorable; she seriously disgusts me. No wonder Tylar’s memories are a bit hazy. I would be having nightmares too. Needless to say, Tylar is slightly damaged, but just slightly. 

Tylar is a likeable character for the most part, but what I didn’t get was why Trey was so into her. I couldn’t see what was so special about her; I couldn’t feel their connection, like at all. Like I said, Tylar is likeable, but there were a lot of times where she rubbed me the wrong way. I was all like, “Geezus, Trey, what do you see in this girl? She is not worth all this trouble.” True story. 

As for Trey, well what I can say? I really liked him. I LOVED the fact that he was all Alpha and super possessive (yea, I know I have issues lol). But I just couldn’t understand his attraction to Tylar. I think that is why I couldn’t really give the story more than three stars. I liked the fact that it had a bit of suspense, and the scenes with Trey and Tylar: H-O-T., but I just couldn’t connect with Tylar and Trey’s relationship. 

But please do not let my lack of connection deter you from reading this. It has gotten a lot of wonderful reviews, and I can understand why. It has a lot of things readers of romance love in their stories: Alpha Hero, young innocent heroine, a little bit of mystery, lots of bantering and flirting between the H/h, which ultimately leads to some very smexy scenes :)

Thank you Andrea Smith for providing this ARC for an honest review 

Debra Anastasia eBook Giveaways & Return to Poughkeepsie teaser!!

Have you read Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia yet?  Today we've got a very HOT teaser from her upcoming release Return to Poughkeepsie! 

Plus chances to win e-book copies of her books:  Poughkeepsie, Crushed Seraphim, and Bittersweet Seraphim.

A huge THANK YOU to Debra Anastasia for generously donating the e-book prizes.

He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day.

Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe.

When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it’s not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives.

Blake’s heart beats for Livia’s, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right?

In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.

 How does a foul-mouthed angel end up as the last hope for all of Heaven and Earth?

When Seraph Emma is maimed and tossed from Heaven by a rogue angel who's taken charge, she fears she'll never be allowed to return. Tasked with the impossible job of showing the self-loathing (and not even human!) Jason his worth, Emma is sure she's doomed to fail.

Meanwhile, having wormed his way into Heaven, the corrupt Everett has trapped God in Hell and has designs on unleashing evil everywhere. Fortunately, if there's one thing Emma can't do (in addition to minding her language), it's give up. Determined to save Jason and get back to Heaven-even if it means going to Hell-Emma's plan is simple yet impossible: trick the Devil to save God.

What she doesn't count on is the devotion and, well, humanity she finds in Jason; the spirit, hidden compassion, and raw sex appeal within the Devil; and the vulnerability of her own heart. With the help of two unlikely allies, she'll wage the battle for Heaven. But will Emma be sidetracked by a new sort of heaven along the way?

What's truly more dangerous?

Falling from Heaven, or falling in love?
Read Grace's Crushed Seraphim review 

 Suffering is worst when you’re doing it alone. But Emma’s taking Hell like an angel—even though her languishing began with having her seraph wings torn from her back. Now her worst enemy lords his body and his evil desires over her while she tries desperately to remember the words to her favorite prayer.

As Devil, Jack used to have Hell and its women humming like well-oiled machines. Too bad he’s nowhere near the place now. Stuck on Earth as a human, he must work with a ragtag team of exiled minions and half-breeds to save the angel who’s become all that matters.

Rescuing a seraph is the plan, but breaking into Hell means letting evil things out. Once they collide, minions and angels converge in the battle of the ages: good versus evil. But which side is which? Will Jack destroy the world as he fights to save Emma, his true and timeless love, from a damnation he designed?

An action-packed sequel to Crushed Seraphim, this tale reveals—time and again—what happens when the heart’s deepest desires break free. With a story both sizzling and sensual, emotional and enigmatic, Debra Anastasia invites readers to join a battle with nothing less than love on the line.
Read Grace's Bittersweet Seraphim review

Return to Poughkeepsie

 Series: Poughkeepsie #2

Expected release date: December 31, 2013

Publisher: Omnific Publishing

Beckett Taylor is a murderer. Destruction and intimidation are his calling, his craft —whether he wants it that way now or not. He left Poughkeepsie to keep his brothers safe, to keep Eve safe. Set up with happy lives to live, they’re better off without him, right?
But all his willpower crumbles when he hears his brother Blake’s frantic voice on the phone. Mob forces have moved in on his old territory, and Livia’s been taken. In an instant, Beckett knows it will take an attack only he and Eve can execute to bring her back safely. All his self-imposed embargoes are torn to shreds, along with the new man he’s struggled to become.
“Brother, call Eve. I’ll be there soon.”
In this emotional and action-packed sequel to Poughkeepsie, Debra Anastasia conjures a tale of love at its most raw and ragged. With Beckett and Eve, how could we expect anything less? But even when it’s messy, not magical, true love perseveres. Real love finds a way—for better or worse until death does part.

Teaser 

 Eve set her fuck-hot red hooker heels on his bare chest.

The danger in her face was an alarm to any man who dared get this close. She could easily slam a pointy heel between his eyes.

He pulled her heels off. Declawing the tiger.

Her ridiculously tight denim shorts were in the way.

Beckett retrieved the knife from the headboard, silently cursing her for how deeply it was lodged.

She had not moved. The door hung open, jagged, from its hinges. Pounding bass from the club vibrated the floor beneath their feet.

He returned to his spot between her legs. “You want this. You want me here. Say it, Eve. ’Cause I’m the only motherfucker with the balls to do this to you. Fucking say it.”

Her voice was raw. “Do it.”

Beckett used the knife to cut away the fabric, sawing so close to her pussy that she gritted her teeth. He watched her face as he cut her loose. His knuckles were wet from brushing against her. She was so hot inside, she could probably melt the knife into a silver puddle.

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Cover Reveal & Book Trailer: Return to Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

Summary

Beckett Taylor is a murderer. Destruction and intimidation are his calling, his craft— whether he wants it that way now or not.

He left Poughkeepsie to keep his brothers safe, to keep Eve safe. Set up with happy lives to live, they’re better off without him, right?

But all his willpower crumbles when he hears his brother Blake’s frantic voice on the phone. Mob forces have moved in on his old territory, and Livia’s been taken. In an instant, Beckett knows it will take an attack only he and Eve can execute to bring her back safely. All his self-imposed embargoes are torn to shreds, along with the new man he’s struggled to become.

“Brother, call Eve. I’ll be there soon.”

In this emotional and action-packed sequel to Poughkeepsie, Debra Anastasia conjures a tale of love at its most raw and ragged. With Beckett and Eve, how could we expect anything less? But even when it’s messy, not magical, true love perseveres.
Real love finds a way—for better or worse until death does part.

Series: Poughkeepsie #2
Expected release date: December 31, 2013
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Add Return to Poughkeepsie on Goodreads

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   We just adore Debra Anastasia to pieces here at Sweet Spot Book Blog and LOVE her book, Poughkeepsie!

Thessa's Review 
Grace's Review 

 The excitement continues!
Return to Poughkeepsie book trailer

*** Tomorrow we will have a very sexy teaser to share with you! ***

Author Bio
Debra Anastasia is busy, just like every other mom. There's dinner, the dogs, the kids, and their homework. The laundry pile turns into a big, heaping monster. When the clothes finally make it into the washer, it gets unbalanced and puts on an elaborate show before it cuts out. This crazy job that never ends is her first love and her crowning achievement.
 Her writing started a decent handful of years ago when along with the dogs, cat, kids, and husband, the voices of characters started whispering stories in Debra's ear. Insomnia was the gateway for the plots that wouldn't give up, wouldn't let go. In the shower, a twist would take hold and--dripping and frenzied--she'd find somewhere, anywhere to write it down.
 Debra grew up in New York and got a bachelor's degree in political science at SUNY New Paltz. At the start of her marriage, she moved to southern Maryland with her husband. She still doesn't trust crabs and all their legs, though everyone else in her family thinks they're delicious. Her favorite hobbies include knitting, painting furniture and wall murals, and slapping clowns.