Author: lizellyn

J. Kenner – On My Knees (Stark International Trilogy #2)

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Everyone knows that make-up sex is hot.  Well, Sylvia and Jackson argue, disagree, and have miscommunications throughout this book.  The passion that they share when reconnecting is scorching.  It doesn’t matter if they’re in public or in private, nothing keeps them from stripping and claiming each other.  “This isn’t about sex or love or even passion.  It’s about need.  It’s about release.”  While the they repeat this pattern, each scene is uniquely descriptive, provocative, and mind-racinlgy naughty.

I love that the BDSM relationship that Sylvia and Jackson have established isn’t based soley on kink.  Rather, it is based on a deep connection.  “Now, though, they could fight their demons together.  Yin and yang.  Control and submission.  Pleasure and pain.  And on and on and on until they sent each other spiraling over that invisible line where it all became the same.  Where pain gave way to pleasure, and control revealed itself to be nothing more than surrender.”

On my knees

Bottom line, J. Kenner’s talent is awesome.

See Related Posts:

J. Kenner – Say My Name

J. Kenner – Tame Me

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Abbi Glines – When You’re Back (Rosemary Beach #12)

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Rosemary Beach books are serious page turners.  I pick one up and can’t put it down.  If you haven’t read this series, you should give it a chance.  They’re true romances with happily ever afters that are sure to lift the reader’s spirit.

This book is a continuation of the story in When I’m Gone.  Reese and Mase’s relationship is going strong down in Texas on his ranch.  Mase is clearly over-the-moon for Reese.  When seeing Reese after she had been gone for a 22 days, he thinks to himself, “The guy in me wanted to strip her naked and fuck her against the door.  But the man who knew what she needed was going to hold her and love her a little while first.”  Mase’s desire for Reese is unwavering and palpable throughout the entire story.   But all relationships are vulnerable to outside threats.  Both Reese and Mase have to fight to ensure that those outside forces don’t come between the two of them.  However, thoughtfulness from an outsider can sometimes be more alarming than outright flirtation.  While some of the story line is predictable, when Reese meets a young boy I was completely overcome with emotion.  That is precisely what I look for in a book.  Thus, I fully recommend reading this series.

See Other Rosemary Beach Posts:

Abbi Glines – When I’m Gone

Abbi Glines – Kiro’s Emily

Abbi Glines – “You Were Mine”

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Fourth of July – A Family Thing

lizellyn Sweets

Fourth of July Cake

After multiple requests from my daughter, I decided to attempt a flag cake.  Well, I learned a few things during the process.  First, don’t take short cuts.  I bought cheap cake mixes to make the red cake part (trying to save time and a bit of my sanity).  It crumbled when I cut it and therefore I couldn’t make as many layers from each 8 inch round.  Also, I should have chilled each layer of cake before slicing it to make clean cut layers.  Perhaps making all the cake the evening before would have worked better.  Second, the white chocolate chips for stars was a failure.  The chips simply melted into the cake.  While that added to the taste of the cake, it failed to give the appearance of stars in the blue section.  In the end, it was festive.  But no, I would not repeat this cake.

I wouldn’t call this project a complete bust.  I had a ton of cake left over from all the trimmings.  I decided to turn it into cake balls.  For me, the best part of this project was that both of my kids got involved in it.  It has been years since my son has wanted to “play” in the kitchen.  To see both my son and daughter at the kitchen table rolling dough into tie dye bundles was a bigger treat for me than any sugary dessert.  Fourth of July is a great opportunity for a bit of family time.  Having both my kids in the kitchen with me made this the best Fourth of July that I can remember.

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My daughter and I decided that these cake balls were too pretty to coat with white chocolate and decided to leave them chocolate-less.

Check on my post on cake balls for directions on how to make these little bite size dream balls.

Cake Balls

HAPPY BAKING!

Kelly Jamieson – Slammed (San Amaro Singles, Book 3)

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After reading With Strings Attached, I felt Dylan’s pain of being cast aside in his threesome with his best friend, Matt, and Matt’s semi-girlfriend, Corey.  Although Matt didn’t suffer from lack of sexual companionship.  In the one year since his break-up he’s developed quite the reputation for being sexually indulgent.  The story opens with Brooke, a representative from his main money-making sponsor, walking in on him engaging in a threesome with two girls.  Quite a way to meet for the first time.

Brooke and Dylan end up mixing a lot of pleasure with their business.  It’s easy to understand how the two hooked up.  Dylan’s got an insatiable appetite and incessantly flirtatious.  And more notably, he’s got a delicious, perfectly sculpted, pro surfer ass.  Add a little massage oil and things easily slipped from business to pleasure.

All in all, this is a great series.  It’s easy to get attached to the main characters and the author does a great job of tying the minor characters throughout the story lines.

See Related Posts:

Kelly Jamieson – With Strings Attached (Book 1)

Kelly Jamieson – How to Love (Book 2)

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Kelly Jamieson – How to Love (San Amaro Singles, Book 2)

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Good things come to those that wait.  When I finished reading the first in this series, With Strings Attached, I was so sad for Dylan.  I was miffed that the 2nd book in the series didn’t continue with Dylan’s story.  But this book was so amazing that I quickly forgot my irritation and was fully engaged in the story.

This was a unique threesome book in the sense that it began with two bisexual men looking to add a woman to their relationship.   They’re not just looking for a wild one-nighter.  They want the real relationship, but that’s not easy.  Mike worries about pushing Jules too quickly into a relationship.  Jules fears all relationships.  And Carlos is afraid to hope that a relationship is possible.

Despite all of the characters’ individual fears about relationships, there’s no holding back in the bedroom.  There’s no hesitation and is 100% HOT.

The book delivers everything it promises on the back of the book:

“Warning: The book features two hot men brave enough to climb cliffs, strip naked for erotic photographs, have sex in a portrait studio and on a cliff, and who have the courage to teach a commitment-phobic woman how to love.”

See Related Posts:

Kelly Jamieson – With Strings Attached (Book 1)

Kelly Jamieson – Slammed (Book 3)

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J. Kenner – Tame Me

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Holy Cow this short book packs a powerful punch.  In general, I’m not usually a fan of novellas.  I prefer to get deeply lost in a character and that just can’t happen in a short story.   This book is the exception.

There is a lot frustratingly fun drama.  There’s even a touch of deep seriousness.  Ryan states, “No matter how much we love them, we all grow up surrounded by our parents’ shit.  You’ll either be buried in it and suffocate, or use it for fertilizer and thrive.”  Most importantly, the heat factor in this book is off the charts.  This is the kind of book I’ll leave on the nightstand because I’m certain to be re-reading it on a cold evening.  A girl needs to stay warm.

Also, I enjoyed the story because it was satisfying to see Jamie Archer, best friend to Nikki – newly married to Damien Stark, finally get her happily ever after.

See Related Post:

J. Kenner – Say My Name

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E L James – Grey

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Yes, I am a fan of Fifty Shades Grey.  If you’re not a fan of FSOG, don’t bother reading this review and please don’t write any comments.

Did I think FSOG was perfect?  No, but I don’t really know of any book that I would say is perfect.

Now I take a deep breath. I fear writing about what seems to be such a controversial book/series.  It’s not that I fear arguing my points – I did become an attorney.  But rather, for me, reading is supposed to be fun.  It’s not something that warrants arguing my position.  If I enjoy a book, I like to share my thoughts.  If I don’t like the book I simply don’t waste my time writing about it.

All that being said, if you liked Fifty Shades of Grey, I recommend reading Grey.  Christian is certainly an interesting character and is worthy of his POV story.  I loved the way in which he questions his own feelings and is certainly trying to better himself.  Of course, his continued inability to sense how others are concerned about him was a bit sad.  I was surprised by how little he opened up to Elena.  Most importantly, I liked learning how his relationship with Anastasia eased his troubled psyche.

In the end, I think I preferred Grey to Fifty Shades of Grey.  Except, I don’t like books that end cliff hangers.  Frustrating, right?  At least in this case, the reader knows the ultimate outcome.  I wouldn’t mind a little more Christian in future POV books.

774284cd058e37e423f00370c03ed77f image from Pinterest

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Lauren Dane – Back To You (Hurley Boys #3)

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I’m a huge fan of this spin-off series. It originally started with the Brown Family then transitioned to the Delicous Series and culminated in this Hurley Boys series.  I have read the other series numerous times and loved all of the books.  I admit that I’m one of those people that must finish a series and I’m happy that I read this book.  I needed to read Kelly’s and Vaughn’s happily ever after.  However, this one did not pack as powerful of a punch as her other books, which was a disappointing way to end the series.  The steamy scenes lacked heat (in comparison to her other books) and the conflicts weren’t as explosive as I would have expected.  One thing that I did like about the character Kelly was how she learned to own her anger.  If you’re like me and loved the rest of the series, then consider reading this one, too.

While there has been no mentioned of another book, I would love to read a story about Jeremy, the Hurleys and Adrien’s manager.  He deserves his HEA, too.

See Related Posts:

Lauren Dane – The Best Kind of Trouble (Hurley Boys #1)

Lauren Dane – Broken Open (Hurley Boys #2)

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Samantha Cole – His Angel (Trident Security #2)

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Okay, it’s official – I’ve fallen in love with this series.  If you’re a fan of Shayla Black’s books, I’m sure you will enjoy this series, too.

Let’s talk heat … the Trident men are both owners and employees of a security company as well as owners and members of a sex club.  The steamy scenes are deliciously descriptive and original.  I needed a cold shower after reading some of the them. But at the same time, the scenes include some humor.  I laughed when Ian said, “I want to thank then kill the bastard who taught you how to give a blow job, cause you’re so fucking good at it.  But I don’t want to imagine you doing this to anyone else but me.”

I love the intensity of the story.  The kidnapping suspense portion of the book fit within the romance story very well.  The characters’ personalities remained evident but adjusted nicely in the stressful situation.  In the middle of an escape, Ian pauses to confront Angie but insists that he’s going to hold her to their D/s contract as long as possible.

The extended cast of characters adds a lot to the story.  I enjoyed how Ian’s friends poke fun and embarrass Angie about her escapades.  I found myself actually blushing just as the character in the story.

Beyond the bedroom fun and killers on a mission, the relationships felt very real.  Ian is distraught over a failed previous engagement and fears “forever” relationships.  His hesitancy doesn’t feel false or indicative of a simple male stereotype.  In addition, Angie’s close relationship with her best friend, Jimmy, serves as a barometer to Ian and Angie’s relationship.  The interactions between the two men cements the status of the relationships nicely.  Finally, I liked how the author slips in relationship-oriented notions about D/s commitments.  Ian points out to Angie that he isn’t able to read her mind.  Communication is important in any relationship and that doesn’t go away in a D/s one.

I can’t wait to read the next in the series!

See Related Post

Samantha Cole – Leather and Lace (Trident Security Book 1)

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Anna Bayes – Through His Lens

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Quick and hot, with meaning in the mix.  A recently divorced woman poses for a photographer.  He doesn’t want wham bam thank you ‘mam.  The way in which he sees more in her than just her physical beauty is romance at its best.  He wants her to belong to him and beg him.  He knows how to work the situation to get her to fall completely for him.  He burrows deeper and states, “I want to make you miss me in every detail of your life because there’s me in all of them.”

Slight spoiler alert …  We all know that a romance book always ends with a happily ever after, so I don’t really think this is a true spoiler.  This was one of the best last lines of a book that I’ve read lately.  It’s simply and succinctly meaningful.

“We are together, inspiring each other, and making each other happy.  We are lucky.”

Nathan is great at seduction.  It made me question how this story would be different if it were a man just recently divorced and the photographer was a woman.  Oh well, that’s a completely different story.  Probably one lacking any teeth.

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