Review: The Virgin

The Virgin
Tiffany Reisz
The Original Sinners:White Years/Book 3
Erotic
Harlequin - MIRA/March 31, 2015

For years, Kingsley Edge warned Eleanor the day would come when she, the mistress of a well-respected Catholic priest, would have to run and hide. She always imagined if that day came she'd be running away with Søren. But instead, she's running from him.

Knowing Søren and Kingsley will their use their influence to bring her back, Eleanor alone, penniless and scared takes refuge at the one place the men in her life cannot follow: the abbey where her mother has taken orders. Behind the cloistered gates of the convent, Eleanor hides from the man she loves and hates in equal measure.

She cannot, however, hide from her true nature. When Eleanor befriends a young virginal nun, she faces a startling sexual awakening. But Eleanor can't stay forever, and the lure of her real life beckons beyond the locked gates. But to follow her fate means to leave Kyrie behind, a sacrifice Eleanor refuses to make.

The lure of the forbidden. The temptation to sin. The price of passion has never been higher, and Eleanor will have to pay it if she ever wants to go home again.

If you're like me and have not read this series, you mind be a little lost at the beginning if you start with The Virgin. I felt like I stepped into the middle of a mystery and all the clue had already been revealed. As the story progresses, we find out how the characters came to be where they are now. This helped tremendously in filling out the characters and what made them tick.

The three main characters are also lovers. Elle, Søren and Kingsley have known each other for years and are comfortable with where their relationship is. But it hasn't always been that way. The author does well in showing how the dynamics of this unique relationship work. Not only are they lovers but they also have serious relationships with other lovers. To put it one way, the beds are busy and always occupied!

As the story begins, Elle, Søren and Kingsley are in Scotland for a wedding. As they prepare for the celebration, talk comes up about something that happened years ago. It's a sensitive subject and one that was never discussed but long overdue. It's Elle and Kingsley who tell the story of what happened twelve years ago. Both went through hell, finding themselves at loose ends with not idea how to get back to their lives or if they even want to go back.

I did feel a little let down when we find out why Elle ran away. She is presented as a strong character but she lets the men in her life push her around and I didn't like that about her. She does seem to have changed as she has aged but it ultimately comes back to putting her needs after Søren and Kingsley's.

Søren and Kingsley are both interesting characters with Kingsley playing a larger role in the story. We didn't see much of Søren so I don't feel I know him as well. He's a Jesuit priest and a sadist with numerous lovers. Yeah, that about says it all.

The two main story lines held my interest if only to see how they end. There was some dragging of the plot and I would have liked more participation from Søren. He was the catalyst for what happened but afterwards almost incidental to the story.

I don't see myself going back and reading the previous books or continuing with the series. While the writing is good, I was not left with any desire to know the rest of the stories.

*This is hardcore BDSM and it gets very intense at times. If you're looking for light BDSM or a traditional romance, you won't find it here.

Rating: C

The Original Sinners Series ~

The Siren
The Angel
The Prince
The Mistress
The Saint
The King
The Virgin
The Queen

Review: Blindfolded Innocence

Blindfolded Innocence
Alessandra Torre
Contemporary Erotic
Innocence Series/Book 1
Harlequin HQN/January 28, 2014
(First Published July 19, 2012)

Brad De Luca is incorrigible. The premier divorce attorney in town, he is a forty-year old walking hunk of sex, bedding half the town, including his own clients. Brad is used to getting whatever, and whomever, he wants, and when the newest intern arrives - Julia Campbell, a pre-law student fresh off a failed engagement - he embraces the challenge. Only, happy in her new independence, the last thing Julia wants, or needs, is an older man who could destroy her job prospects, and possibly her innocence.

Julia is confident in her sexuality, and her effect on men. But she is far out of her league. Before she knows it, Brad is stretching her boundaries and opening up a forbidden world of sensual and sexual exploration.

This isn't a romance so much as an exploration of a young woman's boundaries and how an older man's experience pushes her into wanting to explore past those boundaries.  It wasn't an easy story for me to get into, but instead took some time before I felt that need to know what happens to these two characters.  Still, it was more about what was physically happening between them than their emotional changes.  Part of the problem was, I just didn't care much about Julia and didn't like Brad.  She should have stayed away from him.

The only good thing I can say about Brad in regards to his sex life is he never makes promises or leads women on.  He is very blunt with what he is willing to give to women.  He tells Julia he is not boyfriend material and if that's what she is looking for, he's not it.  But he also sends her mixed signals by giving the impression that if he can't have her, no one else can either.  I never warmed up to him and if Julia had been my friend I would have told her to stay clear of him unless all she wanted was sex, no strings attached.  The problem was, Julia was getting attached, quickly.

Julia is working as an intern at the law office where Brad is one of the partners.  She isn't his intern but he is still one of the partners and in a position of power.  I'm not in favor of office romances when there is such an inequality of power.  But this isn't exactly a romance so there is some gray area there.  Julia tries not let Brad dominate her and does a pretty good job but eventually gives in to his assertiveness.  She goes back and forth between thinking he's an ass and wanting to jump into bed with him.  This is why it was difficult to sympathise with her situation.

The word man-whore is a good fit for Brad De Luca.  He has a well earned reputation and has been warned by the other partners to keep his dick in his pants when it comes to the interns.  Does Brad listen?  Not when it comes to Julia.  I didn't like Brad for the simple reason is that he thinks he knows what Julia wants and is determined to give it to her.  Which was annoying because Brad didn't really know what he wanted.  He thought he wanted to continue his man-whoring ways but not all of his actions reflected that.

The story is explicit and goes way beyond vanilla so if you're not into that, walk away.  I found it interesting how Julia reacted to what Brad exposed her to.  The alcohol consumed definitely influence Julia's reactions and when she got away from him, she saw things in a different light at least for a little while.

The point when I knew I wouldn't continue with this series was when Brad revealed his dark sexual secret.  Not a fan of his particular fetish.  I think it's the romantic in me.  

Rating: C+

Innocence Series ~

Blindfolded Innocence
The Diary of Brad De Luca novella
Masked Innocence
End of the Innocence

Review: Romani Armada

Romani Armada
Tracy Cooper-Posey
Erotic/MMF/UF/Futuristic/TimeTravel
Beloved Bloody Time/Book 3
Patchwork Press/September 6, 2013

Justin Edward Kelly, vampire and Chronologic Touring Agency member, hates time traveling and prefers to pretend he’s human. Deonne Rinaldi is human and arm-twisted the Agency into the deal of a life-time: They make her a vampire if she pulls off the PR campaign of her career and make humans like vampires. Everyone was stunned when the mismatched pair became lovers, including Deonne and Justin and neither of them will admit even to themselves how well the relationship works.

While Deonne is tucked away in history to protect her from Gabriel’s psi-file army ravages, Justin gets a time-delayed letter from her telling him their affair is over. She is in love with Adán Xavier Santiago, a Romani vampire from ancient Spain who will turn her. Despite the massive dangers screwing with time this way can cause, Justin travels back to China to confront Deonne, but when he arrives there is no Adán and Deonne knows nothing about the letter. Justin, not used to time traveling, figures he’s averted a personal disaster until Deonne meets a sexy Spaniard who introduces himself as Adán….

WARNING: This book contains two hot, sexy alpha heroes, frequent, explicit and frank sex scenes and sexual language. It includes heart-stopping sexual scenes between the aforementioned sexy heroes, menage scenes, and anal sex. No vampires were harmed in the making of this novel.

Oh, my.  Take the warning to head, this is a very sexy, hot romance.  This is the third book in the series and I do wish I had read the first two.  I think it would have help get into the story and characters had I read the previous books.  But once I did feel like I was caught up, it was easy to become involved in the characters and their lives.

Time travel is now an option for some and vampires are the ones who make it possible.  Imagine going back in time to watch a famous battle or visit a historical site.  Now imagine taking that journey with a sexy vampire.  The author has created a interesting world where humans and vampires coexist although not all humans are happy about sharing their world with vampires nor do they trust them.  I really enjoyed the politics of the story and how they continued to develop throughout the storyline.

The romance is a mix of drama, tension and out-right sexiness.  I liked the tension between Deonne and Justin.  They fit well together making it easy to see them as a couple.  When Adán joined in it wasn't as easy to shake off the vision of Deonne and Justine as a couple.  Adán didn't feel as developed as a character as the other two.  Maybe that's why it was more difficult to have him become part of the romance.

The strength of the story was the world building.  It's a fully envisioned world of political strife, tension, courage and love with the added excitement of time travel.  I look forward to reading more set in this unique world.

Rating:  B+

Beloved Bloody Time Series ~

Bannockburn Binding
Byzantine Heartbreak
Romani Armada

Review: Giving Chase

Giving Chase
Lauren Dane
Contemporary Erotic Romance
Chase Brothers/Book 1
Samhain/September 1, 2006

From Goodreads ~

Together they find a special love-can it survive the threat stalking her? Some small towns grow really good looking men! This is the case with the four Chase brothers. The home grown hotties are on the wishlist of every single woman in town and Maggie Wright is no exception. Maggie has finally had it with the men she's been dating but a spilled plate of chili cheese fries drops Shane Chase right into her lap. The sheriff is hot stuff but was burned by a former fiance and is quite happy to play the field.

After Shane's skittishness sends him out the door, Maggie realizes that Kyle Chase has had his eye on her from the start. Now that Shane has messed up, Kyle has no intention of letting anything stop him from wooing her right into his bed. Despite Maggie's happiness and growing love with Kyle, a dark shadow threatens everything-she's got a stalker and he's not happy at all. In the end, Maggie will need her wits, strength and the love of her man to get her out alive.

After reading Lauren Dane's futuristic romances, I decided to give her contemporary series a try. The setting of small town Petal, Georgia also pulled me in, filling my mood for a steamy small town romance. The town and it's residence definitely give off that good 'ol boy feel of friendly neighbors who look out for each other. That intrusiveness can sometimes be a hindrance to the romance but this time it felt like it belonged.

Maggie is a teacher at the local high school and she looks the part. After a makeover from her best friend, Maggie gets noticed by the notorious Chase brothers. Maggie is a nice woman with some serious image issues. She's been downplaying her looks and now that she's gaining more confidence, she feels like she can handle one of the Chase brothers. I liked how Maggie dealt with her problems stemming from her bitch of a mother and her equally bitch of a sister. They both demoralized Maggie, criticizing her looks and belittling any achievements. Thankfully, Maggie finally stood up to them and the Chase family backed her up. Love that about them!

Shane Chase is the stand-in hero. He screws up with Maggie so Kyle can step in and give her a hero she deserves. Kyle was so cool about his attraction to Maggie while Shane was dating her. Kyle is a decent guy and didn't want to compete with his brother. But once Shane dumps Maggie (he's such an ass), Kyle steps in and boy does he fall fast. It felt a little too fast but he's very clear on what he wants and that's a serious relationship with Maggie. Kyle is almost too good to be true and a little too smothering regarding Maggie.

This is a family affair with the Chase clan welcoming Maggie with open arms. She gets far better treatment from them than she ever did from her mother and sister. It was sweet and sad to see Maggie overwhelmed by the love and affection showered on her by the Chases. She had a hard time believing she deserved it thanks to the number her mom and sister did on her.

Maggie and Kyle's romance moves quickly and the added threat of a stalker only pushes them closer together. There may be a stalker lurking about but that doesn't stop Maggie and Kyle from steaming up the windows! This is erotic and Dane knows how to write it. I would have liked to see more of Kyle and Maggie developing their relationship and less of the stalker sub-plot. It felt that both Maggie and Kyle fell into lust/love too fast. I got that they liked each other but the love felt like it was do more to gratitude on Maggie's part than a deep, lasting love.

Even with the issues I had, Giving Chase was a pleasant way to spend a few hours and meet some new characters I hope to read more of. Three more Chase brothers to look forward to!

Rating: B

Books in this series ~

Giving Chase
Taking Chase
Chased
Making Chase

Review: Willing Victim

Willing Victim
Cara McKenna
Erotic
Ellora's Cave/August 2010

From the publisher's website ~

For the past couple of years Laurel's been coasting, hiding in the backseat while her life drifts off course. Then one summer afternoon a tall, built bruiser named Flynn strides in and steers her straight into an infatuation she never saw coming.

Flynn introduces Laurel to things she's never imagined - to the violent but exciting realm of the underground boxing circuit, to rough sex and even rougher role-playing, and to an attraction she craves even as it intimidates her. As Flynn invites her deeper into his world and his life, Laurel has to make a choice - let fear keep her holed up where it's safe, or take a chance and fight for the man who makes her feel more alive than she'd dreamed possible.

Reader Advisory: Although all sex acts are 100-percent consensual, Willing Victim contains role-playing scenarios that may upset some readers who are sensitive about rape, even in a simulated capacity.

First off, please head the advisory above. I found Willing Victim to be a well written story but if this is not your thing, then you should take a pass on this one. McKenna does a good job in making it clear that the simulated rape scenes are consensual and a safe word is in place. Not once did I think Flynn would ever disregard the safe word.

Laurel White is drifting through life. She quit her engineering job to work as a waitress. Not what most would consider a good career move. She's rooming with two other women and has no real direction in her life, until she sees Flynn. It's a chance encounter that brings her into his world and changes her perceptions of herself and what she wants. For Laurel, Flynn is the catalyst that causes her to look deep into her needs and desires and give herself permission to enjoy what Flynn is offering.

Michael Flynn, or just Flynn as he prefers, is a man who's comfortable in his skin. He knows what he likes, what turns him on, what gets him off. He's fine with being different, his kink certainly isn't mainstream but it's his. He owns it. I liked that right off about Flynn. There's no bullshit with him. What you see is what you get. He's very open about what he thinks and has no problem telling Laurel. This takes Laurel by surprise at times but I also think she found it refreshing. No games with Flynn, just honesty. Sometimes very brutal honesty but it opens Laurel up to new experiences and that's what she wants, needs and craves.

Flynn's world is something that Laurel has no real reference point for. He's a boxer - he enjoys it and he's built for it. It's a brutal world of violence and pain. Laurel finds herself fascinated by it and drawn into this dark side of life she knew nothing about. Part of the allure is the feel of the forbidden. The boxing, the sex - it makes Laurel feel things she had no idea were inside her. I liked that she was brave enough and honest enough with herself to admit her attraction to this dangerous man even when her conservative side was telling her she shouldn't be.

Laurel isn't the only one who changes over the course of the story. Flynn does some changing too. His changes are more subtle, following his developing relationship with Laurel. McKenna's writing makes it believable that this man, whose life seems so structured at the beginning, now opens up a piece of himself to this woman who accepts him for who he is. For Flynn, that isn't easy to find. You get the feeling that he's closed himself off from truly feeling anything with any of his other lovers than the basic and often brutal physical aspects that his limited relationships give him.

Willing Victim is a very different romance. And I do think it's a romance. Laurel and Flynn come together for one reason, sex, but as their relationship progresses it changes and grows with their new needs. Each experience leaves an impression on the characters, changing them in ways they weren't expecting. Laurel's changes are more pronounced, with her opening up and realizing that rough sex is what she likes. It isn't an easy thing for her to admit but with Flynn's help, she's able to be honest with herself about what she wants not only regarding sex but also about where her life is heading and what she wants out of it. Flynn changes but I think he was open to the changes but wasn't expecting them to happen simply because of lack of opportunity. Whereas Laurel wasn't expecting the changes because they were out of her realm of experience.

The writing is vivid and graphic with the imagery putting the reader right in the moment, experiencing everything with Laurel. It's told in her POV which was a good move on the author's part. It's Laurel's emotions that we need to know. Flynn is an open book, he puts everything on the table. But Laurel's a jumble of emotions. She's overwhelmed with stimuli and must process her newly gained knowledge. We need to know what she's thinking and feeling not only for the plot to be believable but for the reader to know that everything is consensual, that Laurel wants to be with Flynn and she can stop it at any time. I think that's essential to the validity of the story. If at any time I felt Flynn would have disregarded Laurels needs and used his greater strength to force her to do something she didn't want, I would have stopped reading.

The one major complaint was towards the end when I felt the relationship took a turn and became more than sex. It had been venturing in that direction but when it finally did, it felt rushed. I would have liked more time spent on seeing Laurel and Flynn explore those avenues. The emotional facets outside of sex would have added more depth to the story. While we saw some of this, more would have been nice and lent a greater feeling of completion.

I do want to address the sex scenes with regards to the roughness and the role-playing of forced rape. At any time Laurel could have stopped it. McKenna wrote those scenes as well as what proceeded them, with a talent that left no doubt that Laurel was in charge. That it was her decision to continue in this unconventional relationship with Flynn.

The characters in Willing Victim are well developed with the story being more than the sex and violence. We get to see the insecurities and flaws of these characters. We see how Laurel and Flynn handle their everyday lives as well as the nights they are together. We see them acting the way any couple acts when getting to know someone and deciding what to share about yourself with them. Overall a well written, highly erotic novel.

Rating: A-

Review: Hot Mail

Title: Hot Mail

Author: Janice Maynard

Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance

Published: January 2009

From the back cover ~

One Naughty Valentine At A Time.

She's Going To Fulfill Her Secret Fantasy...

And Make Him Hers...

Jane has wanted Ethan for years but has never found a way to tell him. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, she decides to seduce him by sending anonymous erotic valentines every Friday until the big day. Then she’ll finally reveal her true feelings— and wildest desires.

But when her stationery store is vandalized, it’s Ethan who comes to her rescue—and the sparks start flying way ahead of schedule. Now Jane and her erotic alter ego are competing for Ethan’s affections— and the results couldn’t be hotter.

A friends to lovers story, add a little mystery and a sweet secondary love story and you've got Janice Maynard's Hot Mail. I read another book from this author, The Perfect Ten, and enjoyed her voice so when I came across Hot Mail at the library I swiped it up, thinking it might be a nice, quick read and I wasn't disappointed.

The idea of sending anonymous erotic poems to entice a man was a last ditch effort for Jane Norman. She and Ethan Oldham had been friends for nearly fifteen years but that changed four years ago when Ethan became engaged, then ended the engagement, to a woman Jane knew was bad news. So Jane decided to keep her distance from Ethan. Their relationship became cordial but remote. No more hanging out together, watching movies or going hiking.

Jane decides that she misses Ethan but this time she wants more than friendship from him, she wants everything from him. She's thirty-two and thinks that it's now or never, that she needs to make a move on Ethan because it doesn't seem like he'll be making any moves on her. So she sets a time table for herself. Starting after New Years she sends a poem a week to Ethan with plans for the big finale on Valentines Day. She has six poems to write and send, hoping that they'll do the trick and get Ethan back in her life.

Ethan is the assistant chief of police of Statlerville, Tennessee. He loves his job and will love it even more once his boss retires. As it is, Ethan pretty much runs the station, waiting for his boss to retire in a matter of months so that he can take over as chief. Ethan's personal life is another matter. His dating has hit a dry spell ever since his engagement ended in less than ideal circumstances. He's also confused as to why Jane has cut him out of her life. He misses her and wants her back as his friend but doesn't know how to get her back. Then he's called to a break-in at Jane's business and they find themselves together again because of it.

When Ethan receives the first poem he has no idea what to think. He certainly doesn't think it's Jane doing the sending. But he is curious as to who would send it and why. In the mean time he's spending more time with Jane and they are slowly getting closer again. It's at this point when Ethan surprises himself and begins to see Jane in a different light, not as that of friend but as that of an attractive woman. Took you long enough Ethan! LOL

Jane is happy to be spending time with Ethan but she's hesitant to think that it's more than just Ethan doing his job. She continues to send the poems then gets upset with Ethan for not telling her about them. LOL In spite of that I liked Jane. She was a smart business woman who was practical in everything except her relationship with Ethan. If they had been such good friends for fifteen years, if she loved him so much, why wait so long to do something about it?

I liked Ethan a whole bunch. He had that small town cop vibe going. You know where they know the people and actually care about what happens to them. Ethan also had an older sister, Sherry, that he cared a great deal about. Sherry got pregnant in her teens, married the baby's father, then divorced him and raised her daughter alone. Sherry devoted her life to her daughter, after 20 years her daughter decides to live with her father in Florida. This leaves Sherry at loose ends. In comes Ethan to help Sherry out, hiring her to provide healthy meals for the police station. And this is where the secondary love story comes into play. It was sweet and added another aspect to the small town feel.

And because this is an erotic romance the sex scenes lived up to that label. Once Ethan got clued in that yes, he was attracted to Jane, he made sure Jane knew it! All in all a fun, sexy romance.

Information about Janice Maynard and her books can be found on the author's website.

Rating: B+

Review: Relentless

Title: Relentless
Author: Lauren Dane
Genre: Futuristic Erotic Romance
Published: May 2009
ARC Review

In this erotic universe, passion knows no rank…

Since the first settlers came through the portals from Earth, fifteen Families have held the rule of the Federated Universes in their hands. There’s never been a better time than now to throw out the old and usher in a new order. Give voice to the unranked. Abbie Haws has spent her life battling the system. A fighter, she’s always been too busy and driven to pay much attention to finding love. But when she’s granted audience with Roman Lyons, the head of House Lyons, who stands for everything she hates, her instant attraction catches Abbie off-guard…

It’s common knowledge that the Known Universe revolves around Ravena—and that Ravena revolves around Roman Lyons, bred to lead since birth. Roman dreads his meeting with a defiant—if stunning—rabble-rouser. But, sometimes, headstrong personalities in the conference room make for hot-and-heavy, guilty trysts in private….

Now, Abbie will show Roman the parts of her world he wouldn’t otherwise get to see. And he’ll give her a glimpse of the Families’ age old tradition and unleash a sexuality he’d never given rein to before.

This is only the second book by Ms. Dane that I have read. The first one was Undercover which I completely enjoyed (sorry, no review). Both books take place in the same futuristic world and while there are characters from Undercover that make appearances in Relentless they are each complete stories within themselves. The world building begins in Undercover but Ms. Dane does an excellent job of filling in any previous events. So while I would recommend reading Undercover prior to reading Relentless, it isn't absolutely necessary. Relentless works as a stand-alone.

So, having got that info out of the way ~ WOW, what a wonderful book! The hero and heroine, Roman and Abbie, were so well developed. Not only in the relationship between the two of them but in their lives with regards to their families, friendships and business associates. This was such a full, well rounded story from beginning to end.

Abbie is a barrister and the founder of the Movement for Representative Democracy (MRD). She works hard representing her clients and trying to change how the unranked are governed. She is smart, tenacious, sexy and has a real strong sense of who she is. I loved the way she was around Roman. She didn't back down from her political views regardless of how he made her feel. She has a strong attraction for him but doesn't let that stop her from moving forward in her quest for democracy for the 'Verses. She never wimps out or becomes less than she was before she met him. To me that is so important to her character.

Roman became the head of House Lyons at a very young age. He also wed and became a father to his two sons while still in his teens. He's now 40 and has grown accustomed to the responsibilities that come with being House Lyons. Roman also had to deal with his younger brother and the strain of their difficult relationship. Through trial and error Roman has become a great leader and guide for Ravena and the 'Verses. While he's been widowed for some time he has never felt for a woman anything close to what he feels for Abbie. He knows their relationship can never be permanent. He can't marry an unranked and Abbie would never agree to be his mistress. Knowing that their relationship needs to end and he needs to make a political marriage leaves Roman in utter despair.

The Ranked, with Roman as their leader, are at the center, the core. They have the best of everything and are well taken care of in every manner. The farther you get from the Ranked or center, less privileges and conveniences you find. And the less power. Abbie wants to change that but she must convince not only Roman but the Council that what she proposes is for the good of all.

Abbie and Roman may seem like they don't have much in common but when we see them interact with their family members you see how important family is to both of them. How the importance of their family is at the core of who they are. They each grew up in such different circumstances and yet have very similar values when it comes down to the basics of family, honesty and integrity. They are able to learn from each other about the differences and similarities of the Ranked and unranked. And the learning doesn't stop there but continues into the bedroom.

This is an erotic romance and the sex scenes are certainly erotic in nature. No alluding to body parts, it's all spelled out but it's more than just sex. The scenes with Roman and Abbie are extremely hot but they don't just have sex, they're communicating more than just their physical needs. At times when they were having sex it's as if this whole other dialogue is going on. And they each gradually allowed themselves to be vulnerable to the other which given their backgrounds was very important. I found it interesting that Abbie was the one who was the more open about sex. It wasn't that Roman didn't want her desperately but he could be almost a bit shy in saying what he wanted. Abbie pulled him out of his shell. She had no problem letting Roman know what she liked and how much she enjoyed his body. It was very refreshing to have the female character be the aggressor at times and make no apologizes for being so.

There is so much going on in this book and yet the main plot and the subplots never get away from Dane. She handles them well, switching between Abbie and Roman's story and Abbie and her family dynamics, Roman and his relationships with his sons, both Abbie and Roman's careers. Lots of stuff going on but I never felt overwhelmed or like I had to backtrack to figure out what had just happened. Dane held the various plots together and still kept a brisk pace. Towards the end of the book I found myself cheering for Abbie and Roman and wanting these two to be together. They belonged together and after everything they went through deserved their HEA.

There are certainly secondary characters that have potential for their own stories. I'm personally hoping that Abbie's brother Daniel and Roman's brother Alexander each get their own books. So overall a very enjoyable, well written story. I would certainly recommend Relentless as well as the previous book, Undercover. And the good news is that today is the official release date of Relentless so it should be available in stores.

For more on Ms. Dane's writing check out her website. She has a shapeshifter series that I've got my eye on.

Rating: A