From the shelf: Best man with Benefits (Wedding Dare #4)

Title: Best man with Benefits (Wedding Dare #4)

Author: Samanthe Beck

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 11, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

How far can one favor go…

Logan McCade arrives at his best friend’s wedding overworked and in desperate need of a vacation, only to discover his best man duties have been…expanded. He must coax Colton’s sister out of her shell, or risk her hiding in her room all week. Logan figures he can handle one introverted bridesmaid, but he’s not expecting how much he enjoys “handling” Sophie…or how much she enjoys being handled. 

Socializing has never been web designer Sophie Brooks’s strong suit, but she’s determined to shed her wallflower image and embrace the “New Sophie”—a feat made easier with the supremely sexy Logan McCade tempting her to explore all her forbidden fantasies. If she’s not careful, she just might fall for the best man.

Sophie’s sweet, sexy, and delectably awkward demeanor brings much-needed calm to Logan’s hectic life. With the nuptials only days away, Logan is forced to face the possibility that his favor to a friend might have become something else entirely…and that he’s not willing to let Sophie go. Ever.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Wedding Dares series: Falling for the Groomsman, Baiting the Maid of Honor, Seducing the Bridesmaid

Just when I thought I resigned myself in concluding that amount the books written in the Wedding Dare series, Christine and Tyler's story is my favorite, I was wrong. This story would be in 2nd place or even tie with the first book. Logan and Sophie has sort of a parallel story as per the fourth book, both books has one character who were siblings with the bride or groom and both main characters' history go way back. The difference is rather having that secret in Mexico, this was an unrequited love which spanned from puberty till now. Sophie is an introverted web designer who has her sights to a workaholic CEO that is Logan since she saw him as her brother's college roommate. I liked the fact that the chemistry was there and the evolution of treating Sophie like a little sister to wanting her as a woman. There was this funny scene in which Sophie was trying to be dominant referring to a certain novel with the red room in which Logan was amused and her struggling to do it. My favorite scene was that conference call when Logan thought he was on mute, that made me laugh out loud. I loved the fact that with this book the holes in which the scenes in the other 3 books in the series were filled out. All four books amazingly took place in the same week the wedding was held and I like the fact that all 4 authors coordinated well. The epilogue was also the conclusion of the prior 3 epilogues of the earlier books, where everything and everyone came together.

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From the shelf: Seducing the Bridesmaid (Wedding Dare #3)

Title: Seducing the Bridesmaid (Wedding Dare #3)

Author: Katee Robert

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 7-8, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

She has a plan. He’s about to change it.

Regan Wakefield is a headhunter in both name and personality: driven, motivated, and unafraid to pursue what—and who—she wants. Naturally, she’s thrilled when her friend's wedding offers her an opportunity to score Logan McCade, the practically perfect best man. Unfortunately, groomsman Brock McNeil keeps getting in her way, riling her up in the most delicious of ways. But Brock’s smooth southern charm isn't part of the plan...so how exactly did they end up having searing-hot sex?

Regan may pretend the erotic electricity sparking between them is merely a distraction, but Brock knows better. She refuses to see beyond the devil-may-care façade he presents to the world, while he sees straight through hers. Changing her mind—and getting under her skin—is a challenge he can’t resist. And when he wins, Brock will do whatever it takes to convince Regan that the best man for her is him.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Wedding Dare series: Falling for the Groomsman, Baiting the Maid of Honor

So I started this all wrong. I started at book 3 but I think its okay since even though the books take place in the same wedding they could be treated as stand alone. The story centers around hardworking head hunter control freak Regan and southern wealthy Brock who were both in as bridesmaid and groomsman. Regan who has her life all planned out like seducing Logan, someone she thought she should be with, but Brock ruins all her plans and it frustrates her. This series features different authors writhing for one setting which is cool. I like Brock's charm and although I like her assertiveness, I sometimes get annoyed at how uptight Regan is.

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From the shelf: Baiting the Maid of Honor (Wedding Dare #2)

Title: Baiting the Maid of Honor (Wedding Dare #2)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 10, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆  (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

He’ll own her from the very first touch.

Julie Piper and Reed Lawson have nothing in common. She’s a people-pleasing sorority girl hiding behind her perfect mask. He’s a take-no-prisoners SWAT commander who isolates himself from the world. But when they’re forced together at their friends’ posh destination wedding, one thing is clear—Reed wants Julie more than he wants his next breath. Which is why he’s not about to stand by when she’s dared to seduce another man. 

Julie wants neat, tidy sex, so she could get back to what she does best—making everybody else happy. She never expected to slip into a dark bedroom and have her mind blown by rough, demanding hands, and a sinfully filthy mouth—neither of which belong to the best man.

One night should have been all Reed needed to get the blond temptress out of his system, but when one taste is nowhere near enough, he’ll be forced confront the effects of his hellish past. One that may push Julie away forever... just when he realizes he can't live without her. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Wedding Dare series: Falling for the Groomsman

The second book of the wedding dare series and it's about the maid of honor Southern Julie and that Mr. Dangerous Reed. Julie is a wealthy child who took over her older sister's responsibilities in the family after she died abruptly. Reed on the other hand is a SWAT team commander with a dark past. Both at the far ends of the spectrum are attracted with one another. They have the chemistry (still no surprises there) and that push-pull game going on. Both are very challenging for one another since both of them are pure opposites from one another. Its nice to see everything coming into place and having that common scene on all the books so far: the bar scene, the dance rehearsal, and the scavenger hunt. The only difference is the POV of the main characters of the book. This gets interesting.

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From the shelf: Falling for the Groomsman (Wedding Dare #1)

Title: Falling for the Groomsman (Wedding Dare #1)

Author: Jen McLaughlin writing as Diane Alberts

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 9-10, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★  (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

She’s the one that got away. He’s the one she can’t forget.

Photojournalist Christine Forsythe is ready to tackle her naughty little to-do list, and who better to tap for the job than a hot groomsman? But when she crashes into her best friend’s older brother, Christine realizes her list needs updating. And fast. Tyler Dresco took her virginity during the best night of her life, then bolted. Now that they’re trapped together at a destination wedding, she’s going to get her revenge.

Tyler has never forgiven himself for how completely he lost control all those years ago. Being in Christine’s arms had felt right…until he realized what he’d taken from her in the hallway of a cheap motel. And oh, how she’s making him pay for it now. The insatiable heat between them has only grown stronger, but every time things heat up, Christine walks away.

With every encounter, things go a little bit further until Christine’s caught in her own trap of seduction. And before their time’s up, Tyler’s not the only one wanting more…

My Review: (also in goodreads)

This was the real start of the Wedding Dare series, although all books could be read stand alone, it was best if I read it in order (I started with Seducing the Bridesmaid). This book centers around the bride's big brother Tyler and Christine, one of her best friends, Though both of them have known each other for so long since Tyler is Kady's older brother, the two have shared a secret history unknown to all in Mexico. I loved this book way better than the third one because it had so much more than the (no surprise there) cliche sexual chemistry and impalpable tension radiating between them. They both share a history together and that is what I like about some stories, the ability to explore other things rather than the characters getting to know each other...the sense of familiarity. Tyler and Christine equally both have that tension and that silly banter. There were many parts where I laughed out loud at the silliness of the situation. I like how the author portrayed the characters, none of it was forced and that they get to revisit and confront their past and move on from it. Maybe I could also read more novels from this author...maybe.

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From the shelf: Staking His Claim (Line of Duty #5)

Title: Staking His Claim (Line of Duty #5)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 7, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆  (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

He wants her. All of her.

NYPD sniper Matt Donovan is in Hell. Instead of driving his best friend’s little sister home from college, he’s stuck with her roommate—a fresh-faced ray-of-sunshine with a body that makes grown men weep. There’s no way he’ll allow himself to taint the little vixen, no matter how hard she tries to tempt him, so he resigns himself to the longest—and hardest—drive of his life.

Matt’s obvious attraction suits grad student Lucy Mason just fine. She had no idea her brother’s best friend was so deliciously hot. Knowing he’d never have his wicked way with his buddy’s sister, she lies about her identity and seduces him. But Matt’s no fumbling college boy. His desires run deep—and dark—and he wants to teach Lucy what wicked really means.

Matt’s demanding appetites only make Lucy want more. But when her cover's blown, he’s furious—even as his hunger for her becomes insatiable. Matt can’t trust anyone, least of all himself. And he knows all too well that darkness always destroys the light

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Line of Duty series: Protecting What's His, His Risk to Take, Officer Off-limits, Asking for Trouble

This would kind of conclude (?) the line of duty series. As expected, everyone is connected and inter-related one way or another. This story centers around the last ESU single friend, stoic Matt and Brent's daredevil sister Lucy who just came back from graduate school. As Daniel and Story, Brent and Hayden were preparing for their wedding, Matt got close with Lucy. I think this is the perfect end to the guys being coupled over one by one. Though I prefer Daniel or Brent over Matt, he somehow also has his moments. Though among the 3 of them, I like his profession more: a sniper. Although all of them have the same old sexual tension kind of formula, the books are similar yet different from one another. By this time, everyone have made their own progress. Especially Hayden and Brent.

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From the shelf: Asking for Trouble (Line of Duty #4)

Title: Asking for Trouble (Line of Duty #4)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 6-7, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

The fighting was just foreplay...

Brent Mason and Hayden Winstead can't stand each other. She plans exclusive parties for her rich familys charities. He's a rough and tumble cop who rigs explosives for a living. Could two people be any less suited for conversation? They think not and prefer to keep it that way. 

Unfortunately, their two best friends are deeply, disgustingly in love. Forced together, the mutual attraction simmering beneath the surface of Brent and Hayden's non-relationship grows with every argument until it explodes into a scintillating night of mind-blowing sex. And it wont be the last, as far as Brent's concerned. 

Hayden has a secret, though. Her father's company is relying on a merger to save them from financial ruin, and only Hayden's marriage to the CEOs wealthy son can secure the deal. If she's to protect her family, she'll have to forget Brent. And he has no intention of being forgotten. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Line of Duty series: Protecting What's His, His Risk to Take, Officer Off-limits

This story is like a spin-off of the last book in the Line of Duty series. It centers around Story and Daniel's best friends: Brent and Hayden. This was one of your typical hate turned into attraction and more. Hayden is the rich girl who unwillingly becomes friends with 2 of Daniel's best friends Brent and Matt. Although she somewhat have this sense of friendship in Matt she hated and got intrigued by the explosives expert Brent. They got to pass the hurdle of having a difference in social statuses and turning their attraction and sexual tension into something more. Once again, the formula is there though what I liked in this book is that Brent-Hayden banter going on. New nicknames are coming up: Duchess and Florence though the latter got me laughing especially the 'singing the Beaches theme song part'. So I guess the next book of the series is about Matt, the third of the group.

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From the shelf: Officer Off-limits (Line of Duty #3)

Title: Officer Off-limits (Line of Duty #3)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 5, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

His need to possess her is non-negotiable. 

Story Brooks’ fiancé just called off their wedding two weeks before the happy day. As if that isn't bad enough, her semi-estranged father, an infamous NYPD hostage negotiator, has suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to examine her lack of emotion over the broken engagement, she hops on a plane to reconnect with her father before it’s too late.

Playboy hostage negotiator Daniel Chase has never, not once, been refused by a woman, so when a debate over hospital snack foods with a delectable kindergarten teacher ends in flat-out rejection, he makes it his mission to seduce her. His only obstacle? She’s the daughter of his mentor who implicitly forbade Daniel from pursuing her.

Despite her father’s warnings and Daniel’s troubled past, Daniel and Story can’t resist their intense attraction to one another. But when the reason for her fiancé’s abrupt wedding cancellation comes to light, can Story and Daniel's already forbidden relationship survive?

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Line of Duty series: Protecting What's His, His Risk to Take

Despite yes, having that dirty sex talk this romance novel would definitely have that formula. I love the witty banter between Daniel and Story. This book centers around Story, a jilted bride to be who runs over from California to New York to aid her father from a heart attach where she meets Daniel, a hostage negotiator and her father's protege. Of course sparks fly and the sexual tension could cut through glass (no surprises there). Her dad warned Daniel to stay away from his daughter but he couldn't keep his hands off (still no surprises there) though there was this one scene where I was momentarily surprised because of that twist but sort of anticipating it. So far out of the books in the line of duty series, Daniel is my favorite so far. The pet names Sunshine and Trail Mix amuses me to no end. And I get the feeling that I know who would be the protagonists for the next book.

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From the shelf: His Risk to Take (Line of Duty #2)

Title: His Risk to Take (Line of Duty #2)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 7, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

The greater the risk, the hotter the reward…

Homicide cop Troy Bennett had a reputation on the Chicago PD for being fearless and in control—until the night his daredevil partner is killed during a raid. From that moment on, he swears he’ll never again be responsible for the loss of a loved one. To escape his demons, Troy transfers to the NYPD, bringing him up close and personal with Ruby Elliott, a beautiful, street-savvy pool hustler.

Reckless and stubbornly independent, Ruby embodies everything Troy’s avoiding, but when she walks into O’Hanlon’s Pub and blows his carefully laid plans to hell, Troy knows he has to have her—risks be damned. But there’s a connection between Ruby’s shadowed past and a case Troy’s working involving a notorious Brooklyn felon, throwing her safety into jeopardy. Confronted with his biggest fear, will Troy push Ruby away to keep her safe or fight to keep her in his arms where she belongs? 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Line of Duty series: Protecting What's His

I read this after finishing the 3 ESU couple stories which was wrong. I should've read this first, after all this is just a novella. The novella takes place long before Daniel, Brent and Matt meets Story, Hayden and Lucy. This is the story between Troy and Ruby one of the staple character friends in the 3 books. This is the connection between Chicago (Derek and Ginger) and the New York stories. Troy is an officer who was under Derek and wanted to escape from the death of his partner which he has guilt from. There he meets Ruby, hustler and things start from there. I liked how this is the connection between Chicago and New York though I have wanted to see Derek and Ginger's character more...especially Willa.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Protecting What's His (Line of Duty #1)

Title: Protecting What's His (Line of Duty #1)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 5, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

She’s running from the law, and the law wants her bad.

The opportunity was just too damn delicious for Ginger Peet to pass up. The purse full of money she finds—$50,000 to be exact—could give her and her teen sister the new start they need. So she grabs the cash, her gothy sibling, and their life-sized statue of Dolly Parton, and blows outta Nashville in a cloud of dust. Chicago, here we come...

Turns out, Chicago has some pretty hot cops. Hot, intense, naughty-lookin’ cops like Derek Tyler, who looks like he could eat a girl up and leave her begging for more. And more. Tempting as he is, getting involved with the sexy homicide lieutenant next door poses a teensy problem for a gal who’s on the lam. But one thing is certain—Derek’s onto her, and he wants more than just a taste. 

And as far as he’s concerned, possession is nine-tenths of the law.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

This is the third book that I read of Tessa Bailey and the 1st of her Line of Duty series. In more ways than one, this book made me widen my eyes with all those dirty talk. Well, I should get used to it if I want to try and finish this series. Ginger is a southern native who ran out of Nashville with her Dolly Parton statue to escape the harsh reality and have a fresh start while protecting her sister Willa. She got the opportunity and the means to get out of there and she did to Chicago. There she meets a ruggedly handsome lieutenant named Derek. Like all stories of this genre the sexual tension and the attraction is definitely there. I liked parts here and there and there was this one scene at the hospital about a gunshot scare and I kind of predicted how it flows. I love Willa's character thought, her spunk and her witty remarks.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Need Me (Broke and Beautiful #2)

Title: Need Me (Broke and Beautiful #2)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Date read: August 4, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

When Honey Perribow traded in her cowboy boots for stilettos and left her small Kentucky town to attend Columbia University, she never expected to find a dirt-cheap apartment or two new best friends. No stranger to hard work, Honey is completely focused on her medical degree … until she sees newly minted professor Ben Dawson, and her concentration is hijacked. Honey is fascinated by her gorgeous young English professor and vows to find a crack in his tweed-wearing, glasses-clad exterior.
At an off-campus party, an accident lands Ben in a dark, locked closet with a sexy-sounding Southern belle … and their chemistry is explosive. But when he discovers that the girl in his arms is the same beautiful student he can't stop thinking about, he is stunned. Student-teacher relationships are strictly forbidden … yet no matter how hard he tries, Ben can't stay away from Honey.

And when his attempt to fight their attraction nearly ruins the best thing that ever happened to him, Ben will do anything to prove how much he needs her. 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Broke and Beautiful series: Chase Me

Once again this was one of those romance series that everyone related to after the first main characters were paired off with each other. This time its about Roxy's friend Honey who in the first book said was preparing to seduce a certain professor and no surprise there, the certain professor is Louis' friend Ben. I liked that sense of familiarity in which the author would not explain the main characters most of the time because they have already been established at the first book. This time, as opposed to Louis, it was Ben's turn. Ben the English professor, that balance between physical attractiveness and intellect is the perfect set (at least for me). Any man who appreciates reading for fun and substantially gets intelligent because of it is sexy. I liked this more than the first book mainly because I'm leaning towards Ben's character.

Till the next read...