Monday, January 2, 2017

Wrapping up 2016 Mini-Reviews - 10 Free or Cheap E-books (New Adult/Adult/Erotica)

Okay, I think I saw Nicole over at Feed Your Fiction Addiction doing something like this, and I'd kind of thought about doing it myself.  Other than a few review books I'm waiting to review till closer to their actual publishing date, I have a lot of books I read in 2016 that still need reviews.  I  kind of would like to start 2017 without all that hanging over my head.  I think I wasn't even anywhere near dealing with this last year at this time, so this has been something that got started over the past year at getting me behind.  So today I'm going to most of the ebooks I need to review.

Dry Spell by Vi Keeland:
My rating:  3 stars
This was a very short story, with not a ton of background.  But basically Ava is the main character and she goes to surprise the guy she is dating by wearing only a trench coat and lace lingerie. But when she walks into his apartment, and finds him in the shower, and he's not alone.  So she runs out, after both Ethan and the woman have seen her, and she forgets her coat. When she gets into the elevator there is a man in there.  And she realizes she's basically naked.  The man offers her his sweatshirt, and invites her back to his place to get something else to wear home.  She learns his name is Smith, and spills the whole story out to him.  She leaves after having a laugh at the whole situation with him, and soon has to decide if she wants to go back and try to spend more time with Smith.  It's a very sexy story for sure!  This was my first from this author and I got it free for signing up for her newsletter.

More Than Exes (Chasing the Dream #0.5) by Elizabeth Briggs:
My rating:  5 stars
This was a very good, short, sweet story, and it definitely made me intrigued enough to want to read more of this series.  First book for me by this author, and it was free for signing up for her newsletter as well. The first book in the series was free or very cheap, and I've got it downloaded to read soon.  Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

He wants to win. She wants to win him back.

Keyboardist Kyle Cross may look like a bad boy with his tattoos and piercings, but he’s really the good guy who’s always stuck fixing his band’s problems and never gets the girl. His band is competing in a Battle of the Bands, but when their bassist doesn't show, Kyle must track her down with the help of the person he least expects: his ex-girlfriend Alexis Monroe.

Kyle hasn’t seen Alexis since she dumped him in high school, and she’s dropped her preppy image for fiery red hair and a bold new attitude to match. With only hours before his band goes on stage, Kyle has to be a little bad if he wants to win both the Battle and the girl he's never gotten over. But when their old problems resurface, the good guy might just get his heart broken all over again.

A stand-alone prequel novella that launches the Chasing The Dream series.


Stuffed:  A Thanksgiving Romance by Jessica Gadziala:
My rating:  5 stars
This was a cute, short, steamy read, and it was perfect timing for me to read it right during Thanksgiving week.  Another new author for me, and I'd probably read more.

I haven't been home for Thanksgiving in six years. A couple days before I leave to head home, I am informed that my brother's best friend, and also my huge, obnoxious adolescent crush, will be there as well.

So among a shaky work situation, a newfound potato chip addiction, and the usual stress of heading home for the holidays, I have a sudden urge to prove that I was no longer the mumbling, bumbling girl in Hogwarts robes and her nose in a book.

Not that anything was going to happen between us. Those hopes had died around the time I headed off to college.

But maybe....
 

Christmas Candy by Celia Aaron:
My rating:  5 stars
A sweet and sexy holiday story, definitely read at the same time as well.  My first for this author as well.  Will definitely read more by her!

A Christmas novella where everyone gets their just desserts.
Olive had a major crush on Hank in high school. She was the too-smart, slightly chubby girl who gawked as Hank ran track and made all the cheerleaders swoon. After high school, the two went their separate ways. Olive opened a yoga studio and swore off sweets while Hank traveled the world. No problem, right? At least there wasn’t a problem until Hank moved back to town and opened a candy shop across the street from Olive’s studio. Now, Olive will do everything she can to shut her old crush down. But Hank has other plans, and all of them end with an Olive sundae.
  

Forget Me Not (Flowering #1) by Sarah Daltry:
My rating:  4 stars
this is a book that I've had a free e-copy of for a long time I think.  I finally got around to it, and it was pretty good for the most part.  I will probably read on in the series.

Lily had a crush on her brother's best friend, Derek, for years - which led to their steamy night ten months ago in her bedroom. Now, she's off to college and she and Derek are still going strong. However, when school starts, Lily realizes it's hard to maintain a relationship, while also trying to live her own life. She and Derek find themselves falling apart and she has no idea where to turn.

Enter Jack. Everything about him is wrong for Lily and she knows it, but she can't stop herself from being attracted to him. When things implode with Derek, it's Jack who's there to pick up the pieces - and to show Lily an entirely new set of experiences she didn't know she was missing.
Of course, Jack has his own problems and once Lily gets to know him better, she starts to wonder if she can handle all of Jack.

When Derek reappears on the scene, Lily is forced to decide between two guys and herself. Can she find herself without losing the people who matter in the process?
 

Blind Taste Test by Anne Lange:
My rating:  4 stars
This was a very hot book. But it definitely  had some of the issues you see with self-published books.  Editing issues that I'm surprised someone would want to put their name on it as editor?  But who knows. For a hot read, this is it.  It just had one part that is something I have no desire to do ever that kept it from being a 5 for me along with the editing issues.

An erotic romance author who needs to inject more realism into her sex scenes finds herself in the middle of a blind taste test in which she’s the dish for a double helping of dessert.

Content Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content and coarse language which is only suitable for mature readers over the age of 18, including an M/F/M ménage scene and light bondage.

Author's Note: This is a short story, approximately 12,000 words, intially published as part of Just Desserts: A Multi-Author Collection of Bite-Sized Delights from Secret Hungers Publishing in June of 2015.   


Blind Date (Steamy Interludes #1) by Morgan Kay:
My rating:  2.5-3 stars
Really, most of the very steamy parts were left out.  It was a very short, quick read.  Had some of usual self-publishing type of issues.  Not horrible, but not that great either.

A mysterious man gives Darla the weekend of her life.


Darla never had time for love. Even though she worked in the perfume industry that epitomizes romance. No appropriate male ever wandered into the picture. Maybe that’s why she accepted her friend’s suggestion to fix up her up. Desperation and a desire to make sure she even remembered how to act like a woman as opposed to a corporate warrior.


Too bad, her arranged date fell on the eve before her meeting with some hot shot Italian nobleman she needed to sign for her company’s continued success. Even more ironic, her blind date Alex besides being the poster child for all things delicious had a sexy Italian accent. The accent alone should have reminded her of the need to prepare for her meeting. Instead charmed by his old world manners and animal magnetism she allows him to take charge and forgets about business. Two things she’s never done before.  


Return (Coming Home #1) by Meli Raine:
My rating:  4 stars
This was definitely a bit of an addictive story.  Once I would start, I would have trouble stopping or finding a stopping place because each bit made me eager to read and see what would happen in the very next scene.  It was steamy in parts, but we didn't get quite where we wanted, but that all feeds into the story.  The ending was a total cliffhanger, and I'm a bit confused about who the bad guys are and what they want exactly, but it is in a way that I will want to read on in the series.

MY HEART WANTS A KIND OF JUSTICE THE LAW CAN'T GIVE

On a dark, rainy night I drove my overstuffed junker car back to a town I never expected to see again.

And when I needed a rescue by the side of the road, a six-foot tall piece of hot, unfinished business named Mark was what the universe sent me.

Three years earlier I'd fled town (and Mark) to follow my wrongly-convicted father to his federal prison, working crappy jobs to stay afloat and visit him every second I could. But now Dad's dead and I'm mysteriously offered the best job of my life at the college where his life blew up when he was accused of a crime he didn't commit.

Someone wants me here. Desperately.

I'm hoping it's Mark.

Because if it's not, I'm in more danger than I ever imagined.

And if it is?

Mark may be the most dangerous choice of all.
  

Santa Baby, I Want a Bad Boy for Christmas by Justine Elvira:
My rating:  3 stars
A good quick read, definitely had the steamy bits, some twists that were okay.  And definitely a good read for the holiday.

Morgan is having a miserable week. She broke up with her boyfriend, can't afford to go home to spend the holidays with her family, and has to work every day leading up to Christmas.

Enter mall Santa.

When Morgan is forced to tell Santa what she wants for Christmas, she doesn't hold back. She wants a bad boy for Christmas. He must have chiseled arms, smoldering eyes, and a panty-melting smile.

Will Santa send Morgan her perfect bad boy?


Say You Want Me by Corinne Michaels:
My rating:  4 stars
This book I won from a giveaway on Facebook, and when I got to pick what book I wanted, I had to pick this one because I'd been seeing so much about it.  I definitely wasn't disappointed.  It was my first book by this author, but definitely won't be my last.  I'm not the biggest fan of the pregnancy stories like this one, but the characters were likeable enough along with the story that it worked for me.

There’s no way I’ll fall for Wyatt Hennington.

He can keep his Southern drawl, irresistible smile, and those pick-up lines all to himself. I made the mistake of sleeping with him not once, but twice. I’m not stupid enough to give him round three, especially after he left me in the middle of the night so I could see myself out. I vow to return to Philadelphia and forget him.

It proves easier said than done.

When the doctor informs me I’m the winner of door prize number two, I put my life on hold and head back to Bell Buckle. Three months and if we can’t make this work, I’m gone.

The problem is—when the cards are stacked against us, and I can’t bring myself to leave him, I’ll finally know if he truly loves me or if all my fears were real . . .


While you're here, make sure you go enter my Book of Choice Giveaway that ends on January 15th, 2017.