Breaking the Boss's Rules by Nina Milne

Reviewed by Desere


Joe McIntyre has three rules when it comes to dating:

1. Never mix business with pleasure
2. One night only!
3 Never look back.

Imogen Lorrimer knows that her temporary boss is completely way far off base and totally wrong for her so why does the man insist one appearing in her dreams.. naked! ? Perhaps it's time for Imo to try out his infamous dating rules herself, she'll either enjoy it or hate it, what's the worse that could happen?

One business trip to Paris later and they kiss goodbye rule number one, then Imo agrees to be Joe's plus one at a wedding, and right here is where sticking to rule number two and three becomes really hard, so very, very hard.

Any woman who has ever had a hotter than hot boss will tell you , it's really difficult to concentrate on work and if he shows up in your dreams naked ah heck it's even worse. So that idea alone as a plot in this book was absolutely brilliant! Well done Nina !

I really liked Mr I don't break the rules Joe, smart, fun and had that really nice charmer attitude going for him, even though I thought he was a bit too out there at times, he was still a nice guy. The whole vibe between these two characters was fresh and funky but also had that certain out there flair that left me in awe of just how amazing this author's writing is. I laughed out load so many times I recon those around me thought I was mad, had there been someone the room that is, so thankfully I have not been dragged off to an institution for bursting out laughing too loudly in public, all though that would be fine too, I could read Nina's books all day!

I highly recommend this read for all fans of fresh, fun, funky crazy sexy reads out there, Nina brings her A game and it's a total slam dunk of romantic epicness!

5/5 star review
" One , two, three whoops no more rules left  ! " 

The Honeymoon Arrangement by Joss Wood

Reviewed by Desere

Travel journalist Finn Banning has bagged the honeymoon trip of  lifetime, three weeks, loads of expensive all stops pulled out experiences. It's just the deal he needs to make headlines in his travel - writing career. The problem? His fiancee has just walked out on him , and well showing up at the honeymoon destinations alone won't look all that good now will it?!

By a twist of fate, he comes across the bubbly and total flirt Callie again, when he met her few months ago, he thought her sexy and trouble with a capital T , but he was happily engaged and left it as a flirt to pass the time experience.

Seeing her again not only get's his hormones hitting the red lines of passion and attraction but also sparks an idea, she will be the perfect fake wife!

Callie doesn't like the idea of playing fake wife to super sexy Finn, but the arrival of her painful past sends her grabbing hold of the opportunity with both hands! Enjoy the getaway and bonus have some fun between the sheets and get lost in the magical kisses of Finn. He doesn't want a relationship, neither does she, it's perfect, let lose,  have great sex and then cut loose. Easy right?

I very much enjoyed this read, the little spark of conflict here and there was great entertainment. I adored the passionate attraction between Finn and Callie, it was like reading about firecrackers going up in the air, exploding and then suddenly re-exploding all over again, super hot!

The character of Callie was really fun and made the read very lively. Her sparkling, go with the flow, make the best of every situation attitude had me in stitches the one minute but breaking my heart the next, because I knew it was only a form of defense against hurt.  I loved that the author showed how we all have different ways of coping, but that at some point no matter what form of coping mechanism we use it simply falls flat.

The character of Finn, was awesome! I loved his free spirited persona. I really enjoyed him trying not to fester on the past and his relationship failure, and instead try to be more like Callie by just going with the flow and enjoying the moment. What really got to me was how the author let him push Callie to talk about her past, but still keep it light and simple enough to make it still sound all about sex and nothing more, not the perfect scenario for any woman, but it totally worked because it kept the read fun and added that certain level of sexiness with a twist all the while entertaining me as the author only here and there hinted into his past and what would ultimately get him to reveal all to Callie.

The backdrop settings were described with exquisite detail and I could actually hear the lions roaring and felt the cool night air touch my skin.  I am taking away a message of when it comes to any relationship , one that's just for sexual fun or a very real this is us in it for the long haul one, you always need to lay out all your cards on the table, if you don't you will never win.  There will always be another winner, another game but if you don't give it all up, you will always walk away as the looser.

I recommend this read for all fans that love a romance with a fun and crazy plot , terrific characters, great emotion and fabulous hot passion. Mrs Wood has once again proven her magical South African charm and wit deliverers a romance filled with sassy, sexy , very much romantic hanky-spanky fun!

4 star review
" Hot sex, wine and the night's stars, it's just a fake honeymoon, right? " 

Dressed to Thrill by Bella Frances

 

Reviewed by Desere

Being a model I am positive involves a lot of " I need to always look my best", " Should I be eating that?", " Oh heck no I can't wear this, what if the paps are around!"  But that's just the model, what about the person on the other side of the model, yep the one standing there tinkering with the last minute details of the outfit the model is about to make headlines with?

What do they with their less than perfect bodies feel like? Intimidated? Jealous? Thinking about what if I do this or that will I then look like this ? I like to think it's all of those but of course as with everything else in life one needs to stand strong and simply take a no care attitude, you're good at something else so who cares if you don't look picture perfect enough to wear something that someone else is able to make look fabulous!

Of course that is so much easier said then done and even if you are able to have that no care attitude at some point it simply boils down to , you always having to fake it, the real you never escapes from it's bonds.

In this debut from Bella Frances this is the precise attitude fashion designer Tara Devine has, she's no model but she's really good at what she does and just like she wows the fashion world with her designs and she also wows our hero in this read, Mr- I -make-the-rules Michael Cruz. But his arrival has the opposite effect on her, she's not about to be like all the other woman who have had the unfortunate drama of being Miss-Want-to -be -Cruz . No way, and she let's him know it too, " She's every bit as much the bad girl as he is the bad boy, but soon their personalities hit a tidal wave of epic proportions.

And one wild night later Tara realizes that Michael 's bed is the only place she hasn't faked it. And it's ready, set go for the battle is about to start , because Michael might have gotten under her clothes but has he gotten to her heart? Not likely , right?

The back and forth insults flying across the pages of this read was phenomenal , as every reader knows that 's what gives way to that one in a million explosive romance everyone craves. Tara dished it out every bit as good as Michael delivered.

Both characters were fighters , life having dished out enough heartache and sorrow to push them to always fight back no matter what, this I adored! I loved them both constantly standing their ground and not backing down. Of course as we all know there is always more that what meets the eye , and this my dear reading friends is where this read really took off. The author did an absolutely phenomenal job showing just what really lies behind the characters bravado.

Through the character of Tara she showed that we all try to be something we simply are not, think of the woman that wears black leather to try and look bad ass, but in actual fact she's an angel with a really sweet and caring personality, but because she's been burned before she protects herself with an image of being everything she 's not.

Through the character of Michael the author showed, we are never meant to control everything or everyone, yes we seem to think it's okay because what we do or say is only because we are trying to protect them, but is it really them or us we are trying to shield from misery?  Lighten up and let other's find their own path, stay focused on your own if don't you will take the wrong turn off and end up resenting the chances you never took.

I am taking away a message of life has many up's and down's we all know this already and we all know we are meant to do things differently in order to end up with some form of the result we wanted or needed. But when the chance comes around to be different and simply be you, the most important part to remember is to not fight it.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romances with a kick. It was passionate, sexy, smart and extremely entertaining and had a stunning message of breaking free from the bonds of the past. Bella Frances welcome to the world of romance!

5/5 star review
" The battle is about to start, but who will be the " boss" when it all comes to an lights-flashing- world watching end?" 

Enemies With Benefits by Louisa George

Reviewed by TashNz
5 stars

Enemies With Benefits
by Louisa George

Enemies with Benefits is by Louise George and is a November 2014 Mills and Boon new release.  It's also part of the continuance series "The Flat in Notting Hill". 

I loved Enemies with Benefits.  It's an absolutely delightful story about Poppy and Isaac who have known each other forever.  Set during the festive season we happen across Poppy at home alone, determined not to feel sorry for herself while everyone is out all love-coupled up.  Having dragged out the beaten up Christmas tree, with a few vodkas and red wines under her belt Isaac walks in to find Poppy decked out with baubles and tinsel singing at the top of her voice she's happy to be all alone! Hilarious!  

Not sure what's driving her, whether it's the alcohol or whether she's just had enough of her boring life Poppy finally looks at Isaac for what he is, what she's been trying to ignore for a long time - a really REALLY good looking guy, a successful businessman who works extremely hard and who makes her zing in places that haven't zinged in a long time; someone who is always up for a good time, not a long time; the perfect someone who can show her what she's missed out on over the last 8 years during her self imposed celibacy.

The problem is Isaac is Poppy's brother's best friend.  They've all grown up together and for a while attended boarding school together.  Now Isaac happens to be one of Poppy's current flatties in her Notting Hill Flat so he's still going to be there in the morning.  They also have history.  Isaac has seen Poppy at her worst and has kept her mortifying teenage secret.  He thinks Poppy is just beautiful, but she's his best friend's little sister. That's the first of a million reasons he tells himself why he shouldn't go there but mice and fate have other things in mind for Poppy and Isaac and Enemies with Benefits is their refreshing, delightful, witty and often hilarious story of them finding each other and love.

Set in Notting Hill during the festive season, Poppy and Isaac are one of the four couples the series follows. This was my first introduction to the series and I'll be looking up the others. Poppy's friends are a great addition to the story and are weaved perfectly through out the story.  
Isaac is extremely likeable.  He is a very successful bar owner and is slowly building up his worldwide empire.  He is absolutely gorgeous but has just enough rogue in him to make him interesting and likeable and just plain gorgeous.  His point of view is a welcome addition and quite realistic in my opinion.  

Poppy may have ruled out a personal life for herself but that hasn't stopped her from becoming a successful obstetrics registrar.  The two complement each other quite nicely.  While Isaac sees grit and sleet, Poppy helps him sees magical snowflakes.  While Poppy see's mortification and embarrassment when everyone realises what has happened between the two, Isaac helps her see she's guilty of nothing but having fun.  The conversation between the two is brilliant! It was witty and hilarious as well as intense and heart thumping.  I turned the pages as fast as I could soaking up every single word.

How long can the fun last tho? What happens when Isaac is about to jet off to Europe? How do they end up working together and what on earth does mice have to do with anything?  Why did I laugh and laugh and why was I hooked on every enjoyable word?  Why did I feel like I was right there with Isaac and Poppy during their white-Christmas  when I'm actually sitting here in New Zealand on a beautiful and sunny and summery December day?  Read Enemies with Benefits and you will be sure to find out.

I gave Enemies with Benefits 5 stars because I didn't want to put it down, I felt a billion emotions, I enjoyed every word,  I thought it was the perfect Christmas read, I believed in the characters (I love Louisa George's characters) and I would definitely read it again and I would recommend it to all.  I sincerely hope anyone else who picks this up finds it as funny and refreshing and just as gorgeous as I did - I'm still smiling!

Reviewed by Nas

ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS by author Louisa George is a November 2014 release by Mills & Boon Modern Tempted.

Poppy Spencer was not too happy when flatmate Isaac Blair crashed her Christmas decorating and her drinking spree. She expected to be alone. Now with Isaac there and her intoxicated, there was no saying what could happen. But did something happen?

She had history with Isaac as he knew her secret. Her most vulnerable state and he had been there. But the shimmering chemistry between them is turning these enemies to something more!

ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS is a sensual romance with high emotional intensity. It is a sizzling tale of unexpected passions. I loved the action packed, fast-paced story with all the shimmering emotions. Author Louisa George will once again hook her readers with her mesmerizing story telling.

Highly recommended for all readers of romance.

The Million-Dollar Qestionn by Kimberly Lang

Reviewed by Desere

Evan Lawford has come a long way from being the no good frat boy he use to be. He pours all his energy into building his company, and dealing with the occasional break-up's.

The one thing that has remained the same is his feelings for pretty ballerina Olivia Madison.

Years ago, the took her to heaven and then sent her to hell, when he broke her heart by letting her think she was just another hot one night stand. Now Olivia is back and she 's even more tempting then she use to be, and just like the first time he's not able to resist her, the difference this time?

He's not so sure he can let her go again, if only her family was not in the way, again. Olivia knows she should not fall for Evan's charm again, after the first time it hurt bad enough, but one look and he sends her heart into a spin more fancy than any she 's attempted on stage. But what will he do when he discovers the real reason she has for making contact with him after so many years ?

This was a super fun and funky read, a great storyline with a nice even flow of events. I adored the character of Olivia. I really enjoyed her push till you reach the top attitude, it gave the read that really cool upbeat feeling.

Evan was such a heartbreaking character it tore at my heartstrings and I could not wait for the author to step in and rescue this sweetheart of a man, and when she did the man himself was even more sweet than before!

Fabulous setting descriptions, gorgeous romance with a stunning message of love can overcome it all, if you are brave enough to step out onto the stage of love and risk your heart.

I recommend this read for all Kimberly Lang fans, it was fun, sweet, sassy and funky with just the prefect dose of emotion to make it a great afternoon escape into romance.

4.5 star review
" She's always had his heart, but will her ambition tear it apart?" 

Your Bed or Mine? by Joss Wood

Reviewed by Desere


Tori Phillips is one of those woman who has the worst possible luck with men. You know the kind that dates men everyone can see is a royal class jerk, but because she likes having a man around Tori goes with the flow.

But each and every time it does end and she goes back to living with her two best friends, after the last fiasco she imposes a man ban and heads back home, only this time her room for darn sure is not how she left it, she has to share with hotter than hot new roommate Matt.

Matt knows from experience how much trouble love can cause so he's steering clear of forever. But one night with sex bomb Tori can't hurt.

After all this is just a fling and no one ever said anything about forever. The hardest decision they have to make is his bed or hers, right?

This was a great read with lots of nice hot passion tension and a awesome plot. The opening lines of the read were well written and started off with a really great attention grabbing scene.

It was one of those you know theses two are so perfect for each other, yet so wrong too kind romances , that had me in stitches most of the time, both of the humor and saddening kind. Joss Wood has again proven just why she can take two characters that both seem hopeless beyond comprehension and turn them into a couple you can't help but root for.

I am taking away a message of life has a way of showing us the wrong turns we have to take or in this case the wrong people we have to date, in order to prepare us to hold on to the perfect one when it comes knocking or as in Tori's case move in to our bedrooms!

I recommend this read for fans of fast paced sexy and humorous reads.

4.5 star review
" She's about to fall yet again, will he catch or simply let go ?" 

If Only..... by Tanya Wright

Reviewed by Desere 

Everyone knows when you lose someone it hurts, but it is even worse if it's unexpected. In this debut release from Tanya Wright she tells the story of Micha O'Shea. Ten years ago she was planning spending the rest of her life with boyfriend Drew, dreaming of picket fences, children and the perfect happy ever after. Then suddenly it was all brought to a screeching halt when Drew was tragically killed in an accident.

It is a hard blow for all of Drew's friends but of course more of a blow for Micha. As their friends move on with life and once a year celebrate the life that was Drew, Micha falls deeper and deeper into a world of depression, binge ice-cream eating and hiding from the world.  That is until one night she joins them in the annual celebration and ends up having one too many shots of tequila and kissing her best friend, sexy and delicious firefighter Josh Taylor.

Josh has been Micha's rock ever since Drew's death, he takes care of her on every friendship level possible, after all he did promise Drew he would. But the soul searing kiss Micha lays on him sends his senses into overdrive, and keeping his distance and not dreaming up erotic dreams of Micha is darn near impossible and not as easy as it has been for the last ten years. As for Micha, the kiss as her seeing Josh in a new light and as she floats between dreams of Drew and her having their happy ever after and X-rated dreams of Josh , she is soon forced into having to decide if she wants to continue to live in the past or say "What if I took a chance?"

This was such a stunning read and from the very first page had me in tears. I bawled my eyes out for the pain Micha goes through, I wanted to give her a big hug and tell her she will get over Drew somehow, someday. Of course when one is standing on the outside and Micha's loss is not something you have gone through it's very easy to say that they will get over it. So right at the moment I wanted to tell Micha it will work out somehow , I also came to a sudden halt and started thinking, what if this was me, would I want to get over it, would I too go into a state of depression, or would I tell everyone am fine and totally actually be fine? And with this realization it hit me, that until you have been through such events there is no way you can say how you will react, and you can listen to the advise of others around you but in the end it's up to you to find a way back to the land of the living.

The character of Josh was a treat to read, fun loving, sexy, a little bit crazy fun and a whole lot of  always rock solid pillar strength. I fell head over heals with this hero long before Micha did! But any woman out there would agree that a guy who is always there for you, and goes to the extremes to try and make you smile is perfect and any woman would easily fall in love with him, so this little personality trait is not what truly attracted me to his character. It was the soul searching the poor guy has to go through, and finding the reasons to truly look deep inside the meaning behind is promise. Being in love with Micha for so long and never acting on his feelings because of a promise to his best friend showed him as loyal as they come. Loyalty is always a unique and sadly not found very often personality trait. Through this character the author showed that being loyal and keeping our promises are one of the most valuable and attractive traits any one person can show. Of course just as any romance reader would, I shouted out more than once for him to forget the darn promise and take hold of Micha already, but yes the nagging little voice of reason was with me all the way. Through these set of emotions the author reminded me that a promise is a promise and loyalty is a stunning quality but what if we can see our promise in a different light?

From this read am taking away a range of messages. Holding onto the past will only cause you to never really step into the future life has planned for you, never decide for someone when they are ready to let go they need to do so in their own time, and never take a promise at face value, yes you made the promise but what exactly did you promise?

I highly recommend this read for each and every single romance fan out there. The book had serious depth, a stunning life lesson and a beautiful forever to be remembered romance.  A word to the wise, make sure you pull out the tissues for this one, trust me you'll be needing it!

5/5 star review
" One too many shots leads to the kiss of a lifetime, and suddenly the past seems so far away" 

Only the brave try ballet by Stefanie London

Reviewed by Desere

Imagine being a big time professional football star, sustaining an injury and then to bring yourself back in the game you need to take ballet lessons! Yeah, your over the top manly team members are for darn sure going to have a field day with that one, not to mention the stuff the paparazzi will come up with.

This is exactly what sex on legs football star Grant Farley has to endure, but worse than any girly jab any one can come up with or slush that the press can dream up, is the strong attraction he feels for his ballet instructor Miss Prim and Proper Jasmine.

Grant knows he shouldn't tease her but it's just so much fun he can't help himself, and in the process he will get this lessons to get flexible again over and done with, so it should all work out okay. That is if he can manage to not let the teasing go any further than the classroom, that's the plan anyway, but who knows maybe a fling is just what he needs to bring his full head on A-game again.

Jasmine has enough issues of her own to deal with , she's in this lesson thing for the money it's as simple as that, or at least that's what she tells herself. The flaming hot attraction towards Grant can be filed away with a little discipline and dedication, right? Discipline and dedication is what dancers do best, but that only works when it's related to dancing and other areas in life and soon Jasmine and Grant find themselves trapped in a world of secrets being revealed, an explosive passion and a life changing decision that will either bring them together or shatter both their hearts.

I really, really, really loved this book! It was fun and sexy, humorous and had so much fantastic flair that it blended into a perfect romantic escape that I did not want to see end. I wanted to remain in this author's world that was simply magical and blew my mind!

Both main characters were written very well and so very realistic. They both have injury related issues but of course both have to find their own way of dealing with it and the impact if has on their careers. Seeing how the author let them be completely different but the same on so many levels was really awesome.

I very much enjoyed the level of turmoil and anguish they both have to run through to try and get over the hard blows life has dealt them. And yes I will be the first to say it sounds weird that I enjoyed anguish and turmoil because anyone who knows me knows I want everyone to be happy , but when I say I enjoyed the anguish and turmoil I mean that the author tugged at my heartstrings so badly it not only had me in tears but most importantly reminded me that every single one of us has different ways of dealing with pain. The author brought the reality of it all into play with such vivid detail it completely overwhelmed me, major tissue alert!

I loved all the ballet and football terms, I am not a big fan of either but I very much enjoyed learning about both through the eyes of the author and her characters. Some books that relate a lot of information to the characters careers do so only halfway and I feel lost and irritated and most of the time I need to go and give old Google a good search to try and understand what the author is saying, not the case in this read. The author 's very detailed descriptions put me front and center with all the information I needed to create the scenes and get them playing out in my mind.

I felt the heartache and disappointment of both characters, I felt the adrenalin rush as they push themselves to reach the top and I felt each and every moment of joy as they journeyed to the perfect ending.  I will say that the book starts out just a little slow, but this tied in with the realistic part of it all, most reads of this nature has the couple meeting , dancing around each other and by chapter three they jump into bed together. In real life it does sometimes work that way but for the most part people do actually take the time to wait and get to know each other first. So the little slow buildup in this read is totally worth it, because when it hits that explosive moment you just know that this is the way real love is meant to play out.

Through the character of Grant and his up and leave 'em past I learned that it is always good to pursue our dreams but leaving behind our loved ones it never meant to be apart of the deal. Yes, our loved ones are not always going to support us in what we do, but always remember to be the better person and try and make them understand why you are following the dream., but never let your dream overshadow the love you know will always be there from the ones that mean the world.

Through the character of Jasmine I learned that life has all kinds of terrible twists and turns but it's just the way it is. When it seems too much, running away from it , will only let you end up with regret at never taking a chance, give it your all and push away the insecurities and fears and push forward and go with the flow.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance reads. The read had loads of crazy sexy fun mixed with a good dose of old fashioned realistic emotion. Stefanie London brought her own very unique style-anality to this read and I will be eagerly awaiting her next book. Passionate, sexy as all heck and the perfect read to let you know life has pitfalls but there is always a way to get back up.  Watch out world Stefanie London has arrived !!

5/5 star review
" He sends her tutu into a flutter, she sends his heart back into the past" 

How to Bag a Billionaire by Nina Milne

Reviewed by Desere

Adam Masterson has it all, he's ridiculously good looking, rich, powerful and famous. The one thing he does not have is the luxury of avoiding the bag-a-billionaire woman that have suddenly appeared in droves, with only one aim, to drag him off to the altar.

But he does his very best, so when he spots a super sexy strawberry blonde climbing through a restroom window on the night of one of his events he is dead set on getting rid of her asap, surely she is just another gold-digger!

But the jolt of sexual attraction that hits him the moment he looks into her eyes has him wanting to drag her off to his bed instead of throwing her out into the cold. All Olivia wants is for Adam to tell her where she can find his father, and then she'll be on her merry little way.

But Adam sees Olivia as a chance to send the bag-a-billionaire woman running back to their not so rich boyfriends, and along the way he might as well enjoy Olivia's body in his bed, but Olivia is not about to turn out to be the average woman and Adam is in for the ride of his life!

This read was one of the best debut's I have read in a long time. It was pure reading magic from start to finish! Crazy, hot, wild, super funny and so unbelievably sexy !! I honestly did not want this book to end , I wanted to stay in the romantic, sensual wild and crazy world this author created. I laughed out loud, I felt the anger during confrontational moments, and I cried my eyes out for the sadness both main characters had to deal with.

The character of Adam was one of the sexiest, sweetest, most delicious hero's I have ever read. I wanted this man all to myself, and yes I was totally jealous of Olivia! I loved his careful consideration streak whilst still having that little bit of a impulsive moment here are there. Most of the billionaire hero's in these reads are just impulsive without stopping to think what the heroine is feeling, Adam was impulsive but he also kept thinking about how Olivia would be feeling and relating it back to her past. His past was a real humdinger! I wanted to grab his father and smack him over the head and then bury his sorry butt in the sand for the sea turtles to carry off to a land where no one would ever find him again. The way Adam handles everything in life including his terrible very sad past was really unique, through this character the author showed that our past has so much influence on our future and it does teach us one thing but has our hearts wishing for something else, to what extent we allow it to influence our future decisions is what will separate us from the rest of the crowd.

The character of Olivia was awesome in so many ways. I loved her fun and spunky outlook on life, even though she is a bit of a bore here and there, and by that I mean she 's not really the party it up kind of girl and instead sees fun in life as something completely different, rather doing little things to make life fun like shopping instead of doing anything impulsive.  Her appreciation of landscapes, food and everything beautiful really made her pop from the pages, I wanted to be like her and be addicted to everything in life. Yet at the same time I kept feeling this overwhelming sadness because she only halfway embraces life because of her past and linking it back to the type of woman Adam is usually seen with. Her determination to meet with Adam's father really tore at my heartstrings, I loved her for it the one minute and the next I wanted to tell he to abandon the plan all together because I felt every single moment of possible rejection and anger with her during the buildup to the meeting. Through this character the author showed that life is full of risks, if we don't take the risk to discover what we desperately need to know we will always wonder, yes there is the chance that it will all fall flat and feel like it was for nothing, but at least we will know we gave it our all.

I am taking away many powerful messages from this read , life is about having fun, living it up a little every now and then, learning to see yourself through the eyes of another, letting go of the past and walking towards new future. The message that stood out the most is that even the most broken of people deserve to be happy, the trick is to not be in love with the idea of being happy but to be in love with the people around you that will help you make your ideas a reality and then you will for darn sure always be happy.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance reads! It had spunk, a crazy sexy plot, stunning backdrops, a hilarious and emotional dialogue , passionate pizzazz, and characters that will forever remain in my heart! I will be first in line for this author's next release.

5/5 star review
" He sees her sparkle, she sees him as the ultimate heartache"  

More than a Fling by Joss Wood

Reviewed by Desere

Imagine hearing the words " I will consider doing the campaign - seriously consider it- if you sleep with me." Most woman of today would either slap the guy so hard he won't remember his last name, or slap him with a sexual harassment claim so fast he won't know which way to run.

But this is so not the case when it comes to Ally Jones, she's tougher than she looks and ready to rumble when it comes to Mr Sleep With Me or No Deal Ross Bennett.  Only she has a little game plan of her own,  she 'll teach this utterly irresistible take me I am your's man and teach him a lesson or two. First lesson ? Everything comes to those who wait.

This read was so super funny and utterly amazing it cracked me up from page one! I could not get enough of the delicious humor and sexual tension between Ross and Ally. I had tears streaming down my cheeks so many times re-applying make up was useless and trying to tell people am giggling like a school girl out loud in public places because of a excellent funny book was pointless after chapter three, because non readers just don't get it.

It was fun, sexy , flirty and sinfully hot, everything you would expect from the Harlequin Kiss line. This author is known for creating characters that don't want to leave one's mind and linger for many many years letting readers want to re-read them again and again and again.

And this time around it was no different. The character of Ross packs quite the punch, he's arrogant, domineering, relentless in pursuing a good rumble in bed with Ally, but the author also every now and then let's his caring side show which totally melted my heart. He is the type of guy that makes you want to whack him with a good ass whipping one minute and the next you want to just kiss him senseless, I absolutely LOVED every single minute of it.

Ally was super awesome!! I loved this woman to absolute bits. Yes at first when she says yes to Ross's outrageous proposal I was a little shocked and thought " Oh man no, not a sleep her way to the top heroine!" but I was pleasantly surprised to discover once again that the author had something delicious and mind blowing up her sleeves when she took me into Ally's mind.

The backdrop settings were fun and sexy all around, the dialogue hot and spicy, just the absolute perfect balance of sexy flirty romance meets the world of a fantastic author. The read also includes a too cute for words dog that stole my heart.

I am taking away a message of when we dare to step out of our comfort zone we tend to find some new adventures we never knew existed. It's scary at first and can even be downright mind blowing, but the old saying applies time and time again " Those who do not dare, will never conquer".

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance with sexy, fun, flirty, crazy come get me if you can heat! Joss Wood is a master story teller who creates more than just characters with crazy out of control lives, she creates characters that will forever remain in your heart and stories that will let you believe in love over and over again!

5/5 star review
" Jones vs Bennett, there can be only one winner, right?" 

Flirting with the Forbidden by Joss Wood

Reviewed by Desere

Everyone that knows me, knows that I am a big, big, big fan of Joss Wood's books. I have read them all, fallen in love each and every time and been amazed and in awe of how stunning the stories are that she creates.  Each book just as lovely as the one before.

In Flirting with the Forbidden she again gave me the kind of characters you want to hug to make it better, she gave me beautiful backdrops that blew me away, and had me wishing I could be right there to experience it all.

But the most important thing she gave me this time around, was a totally kick ass awesome story! And those kind are the very best and my addiction!  The kind that leaves you breathless, begging for more, not wanting the book to end and with every page it just keeps getting better and better.

The book tells of Morgan, princess to the world of diamonds. Her life comes under threat and who better to protect her than sexy, sexy, sexy bad ass protect-me-all-night-long Noah Fraser. Of course both Morgan and Noah are so attracted to each other that all the water in the ocean cannot douse the flames, but Noah is a professional and he never gets involved with his clients, Morgan on the other hand wants him and won't back down till she has him.

As I have already said this story was AMAZING, the author created the perfect balance of super sexy heat and completely drained me emotionally. I was heartbroken for Morgan and Noah both, and I could not get enough of the way the author let me in to both their minds. I hung onto each and every word and yes my both was gaping open quite a number of times, which I can tell you had the people around me staring like I was a complete idiot, I did not care one bit, I was only too happy to get lost in the world of Noah , Morgan and the beautiful mind of Joss Wood.

I am not as per usual going to go into detail on each character because I really want each and every reader to read this book. I will say this, the message I took from this book was a common one that all of us are know all too well, but the author's reminder was just what we all need to bring us back down to earth. Don't bottle up your feelings, or hide from your problems. The longer you hide the worse it will get, face up to it and if there is a chance for someone to support you no matter what the issues are you face, grab it with both hands because it for darn sure won't come along every day.

I highly recommend this book for all fans of romance. It was super sexy, loads of crazy fun and all wrapped up perfectly with this author's signature blend of romance meets reality. Thank you Joss Wood for letting me into that beautiful, creative mind of your's.

PS Our secondary characters James and Riley were just as hot as main characters Noah and Morgan and I cannot wait for the author to bring us their story!

5/5 star review
" Bad ass soldier gets tempted by the world's most valuable diamond" 

Lessons in rule breaking by Christy McKellen

Reviewed by Desere

We have all had some form of unpleasant encounter with those "always stick to the rules" kind of people in life. They are so focused on doing exactly what the rules of others say or making sure their own rules are followed, that it never makes for any fun at all

The person appears too strict and just down right boring, and for me I always want to shout out " Live a little!". We all know rules are good, in one's personal life and in a professional setting, so never think that rules are not necessary but when rules are all it's about and you start looking like that " No one wants to be around me" person it's is a sure sign you need something or someone to ruffle up your feathers.

In the new read from Christy McKellen this is the life of Jess, she always sticks to the rules, and if the rules are not followed she even goes as far as making a little add on to the rules to get the rules to work. That is until she meets "I want to strip you naked and make your body known to the whole world Xander. 

Xander is a man like no other, he is not only a super talented artist but so scorching hot he makes all of Jess's rule-alarm-bells go up in smoke. His charm is endless and Jess has to fight all her natural in-stinks to not succumb to him,  but the lure of an escape from all the rules in her life has her falling into his arms at a rapid pace and daring to live even if it is just for a few days. But when he starts to peel away her clothes she is not only lost to the magic of his talented hands but becomes addicted in wanting to peel away the canvas of his soul,  if he'll let her is a whole other story and a stroke of artistic genius is all that might save them both. 

I really loved this read, it was so deeply emotional it made me cry and ache so badly I had a constant supply of tissues with me. The author dug so extremely deep into the souls of both main characters it was as if she was stripping a piece of art into it's basic form before putting it all back together again to resemble a stunning artistic masterpiece. 

The character of Xander was so amazingly written that I could feel his hurt, anger and pain. I felt him going into his mad artist genius world each and every time, and I wanted to be Jess in order to just be close enough to yell at him or hit him with paint ( yes paint , no jokes, read the book and you will see what I mean) just to see if I could draw him out from his world and into the real world. Through this character the author showed that we all have a goal in life but when we allow our goals to overshadow all the emotions in life that make us human we will at the end of the day be an empty shell, stuck in our own world, and when reality comes crashing into our lives we will have no idea how to deal with it because we are only use to our own world that we created. 

The character of Jess was in one way awesome and in another way her and her rules drove me nuts! I wanted to see her shaken up to her very core and she her break her rules in order to feel the " I lived for once" feeling. Lucky for me the author did it for me! I laughed out loud with total glee , and yes most likely sounded mad to those around me, when Jess gets her feathers good and ruffled up by Xander. I shouted out " YES! That's it make her break those stupid rules!" and I absolutely loved every single minute of seeing Jess knocked from her pedestal. Through this character the author showed me that when we break the rules a little every now and then we not only learn something new about ourselves but the true person we are inside is revealed and instead of just being another person in the world we become something special to someone that can see beyond what we reveal on the outside.

I am taking away a message of life has many layers, some we prefer to keep hidden and others we let shine bright, but when the ones we share with the world are as fake as can be the hidden ones that show the true us will eventually wither and die, leaving us as nothing but a unfinished piece of art, let go, show the real you and you will find you are far more valuable than any other master creation in the world.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of romance reads combined with an artistic flare, the author created the perfect escape in to a world or passion, romance and a look into the world of art so real I could smell the paints, touch the pure emotion poured into the artist's creations and envision the end results with vivid clarity. 

5/5 star review 

" Life is a open canvas, you just need to add color and have the right artist to stroke you into a masterpiece" 

Beach Bar Baby by Heidi Rice

Reviewed by Desere 

Going on a solo vacation to fun filled Bermuda sounds like a dream come true. However once there every one will tell you that the more you see of the couples holding hands, making out on the beach and get into the wet and wild side of things whilst playing in the ocean waves, the more you get the message that you're there all alone and none of the action will be coming your way.

That is unless you are the heroine in a Heidi Rice book. Beach Bar Baby tells the very long awaited story of Ella. I first met Ella in the super hot Cupcakes and Killer Heals many moons ago, and back then she was just a glimmer of "I wonder what her story is?" fading into the background.

I was delighted to hear the author had finally penned down all the details of Ella's story. Now as I mentioned Ella is pretty much feeling very sorry for herself as she sits and watches couples get smooch up to each other and she is getting none of the action.

That is until the very sexy, very tanned, very ripped and more than willing to make all her sexual fantasies come true Cooper shows up. After a couple of drinks and getting to know all you can to know about the person you're about to sleep with  they spend one sinful night together and the next morning Ella 's gone.

Cooper and his go get 'em attitude does not let this stop him from finding her again only when he does he notices a difference. She's still pretty and still very much tuns him one faster than a potent mix of rum and cocktails goes to you head, but she is also a heck of a lot more curvier than he remembers and once she drops the reason why Cooper is for darn sure that this is the one and only time in his life he has ever regretted taking a beautiful woman to bed.

I loved this read from start to finish. It was so much crazy fun to read I had bouts of laughter and people close by staring at me like I was some kind of crazy loon, it is not every day you find me bursting out in uncontrollable fits of laughter when reading solo in a corner, not the mention me snorting my coffee all over!

The character of Cooper was a bit of a ass at first, and all I wanted to do was bash his head in to see if that would snap him out of his utter blindness at Ella's feelings.

Ella's character was really nice to read, I liked that she was so very scared of everything happening yet she still pushed forward to try and make any valid point that she knew was needed.

The author did a brilliant job at taking a everyday occurrence, and yes also commonly found in romance books, and letting it play out with wild crazy humor and sweet sexy passion. Usually reads of this nature have a lot more of the emotional happening and none of the fun stuff in between such as jokes and laughing together. It was if I was reading about a couple expecting first child after the fairy-tale wedding ,yet I knew better because the relationship of Ella and Cooper is everything but the happy couple playing house.

I recommend this read for all fans of fun romantic reads. It is the perfect afternoon pick me up read!

5/5 star review
" It happened one night at the beach bar and now they're both screwed" 

The Plus-One Agreement by Charlotte Phillips

Reviewed by Desere

All woman will tell you that attending an event of any kind alone is always embarrassing. You feel every one staring at you, and in the end for most of the time you don't even attend at all if you cannot find that vital piece of arm-candy.

For Emma this is so not the case, she has an arrangement with the very hotter than hot Dan. He's her hero whenever she needs him to be, perfect ! But lusting after him in secret was never part of the plan yet she goes with the flow and just let's it be.

Dan has always been cool with the arrangement, it's all for fun, but then suddenly Emma calls off the arrangement and he feels just a little more than annoyed.

So when she begs him for one last time to be her knight in shining armor or rather the drowned moron that needs to slick off without the girl,  he decides he has to grab the chance to prove to Emma he is worth keeping around.

I loved, loved, loved this book! It was heartfelt, emotional and so awesome. The characters had fire and passion that made the read so intense it completely blew me away. The character of Dan was yes a bit of an ass, but with good reason. He can see Emma is hiding in the shadows but cannot get her to crawl out from it, and this of course drives him mad.

It reminded me that in real life we all do the very same, we think we are out in the open for all the world to see and when we see someone not taking the chance to act on something we want to tell them how to do it. But we don't stop to think that the person has a very good reason for what they are doing. This makes us mad but also completely blind and let's us look past our own failures in life.

The character of Emma was super fun to read ! I enjoyed her nutty family and her always acting as best she can to "hide " them and their antics. I loved how the author used Dan to bring out the real Emma from the shadows and let's her blossom into this stunning real woman.

I am taking away a message of when we find a person who challenges us to be the real person you know you can be, don't push them away. It will be a long and hard road to happiness but it will be worth it.

I recommend this read for all fans of the HK line. The read was fun, romantic and so very sexy!

5/5 star review
" An ordinary agreement suddenly becomes very complicated"