Showing posts with label Lucy Monroe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucy Monroe. Show all posts
January 31, 2008
4:21 PM |
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SURPRISE, SUPRISE
The last woman business consultant Marcus Danvers expects to find at Kline Electronics is Veronica Richards. He’s supposed to be rooting out a corporate spy, not rehashing an old love affair—with the woman who sold out the company they both used to work for and then took off without so much as a kiss goodbye. All the clues point to Ronnie as the firm’s newest mole, which means he’ll have to spend time with the stubbornly reticent—and mouthwateringly sexy—woman he hasn’t been able to forget, and uncover every last thing she has to hide…
FANCY SEEING YOU HERE
It’s just Ronnie’s luck. The one man she’d hoped never to see again is suddenly everywhere she looks—and taking up a starring role in her daydreams, too. Remembering the passion she and Marcus once shared certainly isn’t going to help, though, not when she has so many secrets, and no explanation for the way she left him eighteen months ago—or at least not one he’ll want to hear. The problem is, when Marcus is around all her good intentions go up in smoke…
Veronica Richards (Ronnie) is a young woman with the responsibility of raising her teenage sister after their parents die in an accident. Everything in her life falls apart when she has to make decisions no young woman must have to in her early twenties and this causes her to lose the only man she has ever loved: Marcus Danvers. She's betrayed not only the company they both worked for but also his trust and feelings. Now after almost two years they meet again when Marcus has to smoke out a corporate spy at the company she works for never thinking she would see Marcus ever again. Ronnie being a logical suspect brings them together and Ronnie knows it's only a matter of time before everything she run away from almost two years ago is not going to go away before she deals with them and Marcus.
Ronnie and Marcus' story started in Book 1 of the CIS Duo (Come Up and See Me Sometime). The little hints in that book certainly had me longing for their own book just to know just what exactly was the deal with Ronnie. And after a fairly long search I was finally able to get it in my hands and it didn't disappoint me at all.
The motivation and reasons for Ronnie's actions in book 1 is finally given. And they were more than satisfactory.
Marcus and Ronnie are believable and very recognizable characters. The focus is mainly on the relationship between the main characters and less on the plot of finding the corporate spy, although this is indissoluble tied to the development of their relationship.
Marcus is a hero you must like right from the beginning. It does help that he sounds utterly delectable but he’s also honest, straight to the point and hiding his true feelings under a mask of humor and male self-assurance on the border of arrogance. But he was never able to forget the woman who left him without a word of goodbye after betraying him and his business partner. The only woman ever to get to him.
Ronnie is a heroine who has done some things you disapprove but at the same time you understand her motivation for her actions. Her insecurity and the setbacks she has had early in life make her doubt his feelings toward her and this influences her decisions. She does have a "pot calling the kettle black"-moment that had me raising my eyebrows but that didn't affect my overall opinion of her. She still was an appealing character and perfect match for Marcus.
The secondary characters were as appealing as the main characters but again Monroe's talent lets her give them complementing and significant roles without taking the attention away from Ronnie and Marcus.
The sexual tension between them builds up gradually, spiraling towards great sensual heights in some exquisite love scenes and a grand finale in the second part of the book. In general I liked the second part of the book the best. That's were it got interesting when they both finally open up to each other and trust each other with everything they were keeping from one another.
But again this was a book appealing to your emotions and your heart. Lucy Monroe has a way with combining the themes of love and trust with a suspense plot that make you want to keep reading in spite of the fact that the book wasn't fast-paced. You just involuntarily get pulled in into the relationship of two people who have secrets and issues and the way they eventually come to terms with them and each other, finding love and trust.
Both books of the CIS duo are equally well written and able to move you even though they both have a different touch and feel. I liked book 1 a tiny bit better but that was because it pulled my heartstrings just a bit more and I think the fact of knowing so much already about Marcus and Ronnie left little surprises to be revealed at the end. You as the reader already know how it is going to end. I prefer being left a little in the dark so I can be as stunned and surprised as the characters in the book. In book 1 this was the case but in this book I missed that feeling.
Nonetheless for me as a reader with great appreciation for the contemporary genre Lucy Monroe is a must-read. Her illustrative, vivid and simple writing style makes you feel like you watching a television series instead of reading a book. If you're looking for an emotional but recognizable and easy to relate to contemporary romance you will most definitely find it these CIS books.
January 29, 2008
4:14 PM |
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They’re the good guys fighting the bad guys. They’ll get the job done—if the price is right and so is the cause. Meet three sexy men who individually are READY, WILLING, and ABLE to go the distance—and together, are unstoppable...
Claire Sharp trusts few people and relies on no one. But after her life is threatened, ex-mercenary Brett Adams blows into her self-contained world, full of southern charm, rugged good looks, and enough sexual experience to write a how-to manual...experience he makes it clear he'd like to use on Claire. She wants help fighting the bad guys, but she's not about to fall into Brett's bed. For one thing, the guy has a no-commitment clause better than most big shot attorneys and for another, despite her response to his too sensual kisses, in her experience sex isn't exactly fireworks and brass bands. Definitely not worth getting all excited over...
Brett plans to prove her wrong. He’s never felt such a powerful combination of lust and friendship with a woman. He'll give her a white-hot pleasure like nothing she’s ever known and she'll realize that some things in life are worth taking the risk for. When the threat to Claire grows dangerously close, pitting them against deadly odds, Brett will do whatever it takes to save her. Because Claire Sharp has just found herself a man who’s ready to bring it on, willing to do what it takes, and able to go the distance…
They say three is a charm...and a charm Hotwire definitely was. Being a sucker for southern charm I must say Lucy Monroe saved the best for last in this trilogy. I was anticipating his story from the first time he appeared in book 1 and by the time he unintentionally showed his affection for Claire in the second book I was not just anticipating anymore but more like craving. I could never have guessed it would be this good, he turned out to be much more than meets the eye.
We met Hotwire in "Ready" as one of Wolf's fellow mercenaries and friend. He is a wiz with computers, charming, polite and honorable but that's all on the surface, underneath he is a toughened mercenary ready to take on any enemy to cross his path or the path of the ones he holds dear. He has feelings for Claire but because of things in the past he can't offer her anything more than his friendship.
Claire first made her appearance in "Willing" as Josie's roommate and friend. She is smart, independent and stubborn and she has a crush on Hotwire but he's warned her that he's not looking for any type of commitment so she keeps her distance.
A threat on Claire's life spirals into both a very imaginative plot and the realization that there is much more between Claire and Hotwire than friendship.
The plot spins off subplots that all roll into one final great conclusion and the relationship between the main characters takes a very surprising turn that blows them both of their feet.
Claire and Hotwire are well-developed main characters, each with their own personal tragedies in their pasts to motivate their views on life, love and passion. I do think Hotwire went a little overboard at one point with his chivalry. It was nice to see him take responsibility for his actions but his views on marriage were a bit archaic and he wasn't seeing that. Luckily Claire was smart enough to show him he was overreacting a bit. Showing her determination and independence she formed the balance I needed to keep Hotwire the hero I loved from the start.
The secondary characters were well-dosed into the story and very complementary to Hotwire and Claire, of course some of them were the main characters of book 1 and 2: Lise, Wolf, Josie and Nitro and they were all a true contribution to Claire and Hotwire's story, giving them center stage to do their thing.
My favorite scene was the one where Hotwire realizes, with a little help from Wolf and Nitro, that he does love Claire. It was a great scene and a real trademark for Lucy Monroe's style: emotional, intense but still spiked with humor and wit.
Again Lucy Monroe has written a delicious combination of passionate romance and another amazing suspense plot. She is very good at mixing everyday things as studying for finals with suspense and romance. Her writing style is fluent and although not fast-paced in this book she kept me turning the pages anxious to know how everything was going to fall in place. Her characters are very easy to relate to, compelling and touching. They have depth and through their dialogues and thoughts you really get to know them and their feelings. Her love scenes are formidable and an addition to the already intense emotional love story and they are the cherries on the pie. The first kissing scene is the appetizer for a delicious meal of passionate love scenes throughout the book. Beautifully written and very erotic in a tasteful way. There was a pool scene that made me happy I was reading this book in the middle of the winter because in the summer I would have combusted into flames...
Overall it's a great trilogy where the total turns out to be so much more that the sum of the parts. Each book has it's own perfectly balanced and paired hero and heroine and it's own unique suspense plot. For me this trilogy is a true keeper in the genre of romantic suspense with the lovely and strong heroines and the delightful alpha heroes topped of with the capability of combining a thrilling plot with intense emotions.
Quotes:
Hotwire and Claire after their first kiss:
" So, no more soul kisses"
"That felt more like a groping, marauder kiss to me."
" I do not grope." Hotwire looked truly offended
"So the fingers I felt on my behind were a spectral phenomenon?” she mocked
December 7, 2007
9:34 PM |
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Josie McCall has been raised to be a soldier, and she could be the best—if she wanted it. Instead, she left her dad’s mercenary school behind for a normal job in computers. But now that someone has torched the school and her dad is MIA from the hospital, Josie’s going to use every bit of her merc training to find him and hunt down the culprits who took him. Josie knows a lot about explosives, hand-to-hand combat, and tracking. What she doesn’t know about is sex. She has no idea what to do with the volcanic attraction she feels for her dad’s new partner, Daniel Black Eagle. And that feels more dangerous than any bomb…
Daniel knows exactly what he’d like to do about that attraction. The brooding explosives expert can’t get within five feet of Josie without wanting to touch, taste, and protect her—even if he’s sure she would happily drop-kick him if she knew one sizzling moment of his fantasies. But he’ll save it for later. Right now, he’s got his hands full figuring out who set that bomb and took Josie’s dad. Daniel’s sure of one thing, though—he’s not letting Josie McCall out of his sight for a single second. Convincing the cutest, most desirable trained soldier he’s ever met that she needs a bodyguard isn’t going to be easy. But if she’ll let him, he’ll show her he’s willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe, and along the way, he’ll make her feel every inch a woman…
Two tough mercenaries down, one to go!
When her father's training facility blows up, her father disappears from the hospital and her own life is threatened, female mercenary Josie McCall has no choice but to team up with her father's former student and now his partner in the facility, Daniel Black Eagle (Nitro). She has known him since she was a young girl and always hid her feelings for him thinking he didn't return them. But now while searching for her father and the person responsible for the destruction of her father's facility, she has to work closely with Nitro and she discovers things she could never have imagined.
The prologue set the stage and promised another heart wrenching story. And it was. An emotional gem dressed in a coat of suspense and passion.
Another nicely balanced mix of suspense and romance.
This trilogy seems to have a recurring theme: the feelings of not belonging overcome by finding an intense and strong love.
Josie is both innocent and tough at the same time. This makes her a lovely character. She's very capable in the field of bombs and fighting, and yet at the same time so naïve where sexual desires are concerned. But she's a quick learner. The way Nitro introduces her the world of sensuality and desire is breathtaking and to die for. No gallant knight could have done it in a better way. It's the way any woman would wish to have been introduced into the pleasures of lovemaking.
Nitro is tough and at the same time so caring and gentle for Josie. But he has to sort out his emotional heritage before he can accept his love for Josie.
Nitro and Josie are perfectly matched main characters. The chemistry between them is magnetic and hot. It seemed to start in book one but in the first chapters you realize their attraction started much earlier. Danger and fear accelerate the mutual attraction and feelings into sexual tension and eventually into an intense love.
They are drawn to each other like moths to a flame, unable to resist yet still trying to protect their hearts, trying not to be vulnerable because they are supposed to be hardened "soldiers." But it's inevitable.
Contrary to book one this book focuses more on the developing relationship and passion between the main characters and a bit less on the suspense. This provides a nice diversity in the trilogy; giving each installment it's own unique vibe, not only in characters but also in the "touch and feel."
The book provides both romance and suspense, both intense emotions and fun moments, both beautiful love and steamy lust, both tough soldiers and caring soul mates.
The love scenes are exquisitely written. Hot and sensual but intense and emotional at the same time. Lucy Monroe knows how to write those scenes like no other.
The secondary characters were enjoyable and a true addition. Especially Hotwire was a treat, oozing with southern charm and I can't wait to dive into his story.
In the field of romantic suspense I have discovered a trilogy that satisfies my appetite for strong alpha males, lovely heroines, steamy passion and a suspenseful plot. Thumbs up for Lucy Monroe!
Quote:
Even less had she anticipated the leashed force of his passion vibrating from his body to hers combined with a kiss so caring and gentle, she was ready to melt in a puddle of devastating emotion right there on the footpath.
November 5, 2007
9:03 PM |
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As a writer, Lise Barton is used to coming up with wild scenarios for her characters, but the one that’s playing out for her right now is no fiction—it’s frighteningly real. Someone is stalking her, someone who knows where she lives and what she does. Someone who has even threatened her family—her brother, his wife, and their precious baby girl. Lise isn’t about to let someone hurt them, so she packs up and leaves Texas for the anonymity of Seattle. And then the threats start again…
Joshua Watt’s mission is simple: Go to Seattle and bring Lise home for Thanksgiving or he’ll never hear the end of it from his sister. It’s not like “Aunt Lise” to stay away from their adorable niece, and Joshua’s pretty sure he’s the reason for it. He’s spent months trying to forget the taste of her lips, the feel of her soft hair in his fingers. Yeah, okay, he wants her—badly—but family comes first. But the minute he sees the fear in Lise’s eyes, his survival instincts kick in. The former Army Ranger isn’t about to let some creep terrorize an innocent woman—not on his watch. He’s going to do what it takes to protect Lise and try to keep his personal feelings out of it. Because if there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s that sex and work don’t mix. Not ever. So far…
They’re the good guys fighting the bad guys. They’ll get the job done—if the price is right and so is the cause. And what cause could be nobler than the heart’s desire? Rough and ready, tough and tender—when it comes to love and security, these hunks are definitely for hire...
And this is the first tough guy that has been gunned down by a love that conquers all! Even a hardened mercenary, nicknamed "Wolf" determined to never let himself fall into the trap of romantic love. He's been burned once and isn't ready to be trapped into the claws of betrayal ever again.
But he didn't count on Lise Barton. A heroine you just have to love for her bravery, her sassy comebacks and her pure loving heart. She first comes across as demure and shy but under the influence of her love for and the protection from Joshua she turns out to be his equal in every way, his own she-wolf.
Joshua is to die for! He's a tough soldier turned mercenary but with a heart of gold and when he finally admits how much he feels for Lise he's absolutely adorable.
I really think I'm starting to repeat myself where Lucy Monroe is concerned but her writing just gets to me on a level I really haven't encountered in any writer of contemporary romance so far.
Even in this book, where the focus is more on the suspense (finding the stalker is the main focus of the story) than on the romance.
It didn't bother me because the suspense was killing and Monroe did an amazing job of building up the suspense and gradually luring you into the mystery of the stalker and his motives.
And next to that there was the love story between Lise and Joshua flowing of the pages and effortlessly mixing with the suspense.
If I must mention something that was less satisfying it was the capture of the stalker. I would have liked that to have been more elaborate since it was a bit wrapped up quickly after the superb build up. But this did not affect my opinion in the least because Monroe more than made up for that with the love-scenes. They were every bit a breathtaking as the suspense was.
Two important secondary characters in the book were Nitro and Hotwire. They are Joshua's buddies who help him protect Lise and find the stalker.
The three of them can really knock a girl of her feet...Nitro is intense and brooding, Hotwire is all charm.
They are also the hero's of the other two books in the Mercenary trilogy and I can't wait to read their stories. If they are half as exciting as Joshua's...I'm really in for a treat!
Lucy Monroe wrote a delightful book that keeps you on the edge of your seat with the suspense and warms your heart with the romance.
Quote
Lise to Joshua:
But most of all, I love the man your past has made you to be, the man who looks at the present with the eyes of a protector and the heart of a warrior
October 29, 2007
8:45 PM |
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Like father, like daughter.
That’s what businessman Alex Trahern thinks about Isabel Harrison. If the prestigious headhunter thinks she can steal his top employee, just like her father stole his dad’s ideas, she’s dead wrong. Alex is always a man with a plan, and his plan is to get revenge on John Harrison through his daughter. But there’s no contingency plan for the impact Isabel’s sparkling green eyes and honey brown hair have on the decidedly non-business side of his brain…
If at first you don’t succeed, change the game.
After some relationship flameouts, Isabel’s decided to leave love out of it and approach her search for a husband like finding a suitable job candidate. And according to her list of requirements, Alex Trahern certainly has potential. He’s sexy. (Check.) Forceful and fascinating. (Check, check.) Also arrogant, obnoxious, and way too hot for her own good. (Erase. Start over.) Now, if only she could find out what he’s really after…
Hatred and love truly are two sides of the same coin and this book proves that.
Alex is dead set on getting his revenge on the man he blames for his father's death and even achieving this through the man's daughter is not beneath him. But what he didn't count on was the attraction and later love he develops for Isabel and thus messing up his initial plans. The choice between having his revenge or having love, trust and a family is a hard one for him but of course in the end he makes the right on.
But the road to this right choice is a long, hard and sensual one, dealing with a woman who is loving, trusting and innocent but certainly isn't willing to be used as a means to an end.
Isabel develops throughout the book from being introvert, practical and self-protecting to the open and passionate woman that was lurking inside her but never had the chance to come out.
Because of disappointing relationships in the past Isabel has made a list of requirements her future husband should have, but never in her wildest dreams would she expect that the man who met al these requirements was also the man who was bound on revenge on her father.
Lucy Monroe does an outstanding job again with the plot and the characters. They both have issues, big issues and slowly but surely she works them out in a way that leaves you breathless with every turn of the page. She has a way of taking people who at first glance are so no right for each other, putting them together in a setting of suspense and making it work. I can see the scenes so vividly in front of me while reading it's as if I'm watching an episode of a series on television.
The contemporary books she writes (I haven't read her historical or paranormal books yet) are delightful, recognizable and on such a high level emotionally they really pulled my heartstrings on many occasions. The interactions, dialogues and love scenes between the hero and heroine are finger licking good and touching at the same time.
This was a love story that really touched me. Alex trying not to let his feelings for Isabel get in the way of his revenge and failing miserably.
Isabel trying to make the very best of the relationship once she's given into it but running into Alex' suspicions and mistrust every time.
With this book Lucy Monroe is on her way to the top of my favorite authors list, making romantic suspense one of my favorite genres.
September 21, 2007
6:30 PM |
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The most important thing in Amanda's life is negotiating a successful merger between her company and Brant Computers, a family-held competitor. It should be a done deal: Company president Eric Brant is on board with the idea. But when Amanda arrives in Eric's office, it is his cousin Simon Brant who greets her-and Simon is anything but agreeable. He's not about to give up control of the family company or lay off loyal workers. Squaring off against the sexy, brilliant, sexy, obstinate, sexy, eccentric, not to mention sexy Simon is completely frustrating-and a total turn-on. And when he walks out on her presentation, sidetracked by another one of his brilliant ideas, Amanda is shocked...and intrigued...no, furious!...and...and...and so attracted she can barely enter data into her Palm Pilot...
Simon has never met a woman as passionate and driven as Amanda, or as devastatingly attractive. He can't decide if he wants to put her on the next plane home-in the cargo hold-or kidnap her and spend a long weekend showing her exactly the kind of negotiating he likes best. Come to think of it, if the lady wants war, maybe they should engage in full-on battle...in the bedroom...and see who will be the victor. But when intimacy leads to an explosive passion, it might be time to think of a different, more permanent kind of merger...one that's less about business and all about pleasure...
I was in the mood for a nice and sweet contemporary romance after having read some heavy and intense paranormal and erotic romance novels so I took this one, at the same time starting a for me new author having bought Monroe’s books based on excerpts on her website only.
The Real Deal is the story of Amanda and Simon. Both excelling in their professions but failing in the emotional department. Simon is an absent-minded genius inventor who can lock himself in his lab for days forgetting the world around him. Being a prodigy child he’s always felt left out by the rest of the world, never fitting in with the crowd. Disappointed by women because they don’t accept always coming after his work.
Amanda is a professional business-woman, disappointed and insecure because of a family that didn’t want her and therefore neglected and ignored her and a cheating ex-husband who’s only quest in life was making her feel bad about herself.
They meet because of negotiations for a merger between their companies and have their happy ever after with each other in the end after storyline that leaves you touched and breathless. In spite of the fact that sometimes you get this feeling they should just talk to each other in stead of assuming things that the reader knows are not the case, you also understand that they have these assumptions because they don’t know better…it’s the way they were taught to think because of their past experiences dealing with love. And in the end it makes their love stonger and more beautiful.
This book really took me by surprise. Starting it, thinking to read a few hours and then putting it in my bag to read while traveling to work, it wrapped me in it’s wonderful grasp and didn’t let me go until I turned the last page, hours and hours later.
And if you ask me what it was that had me entangled in it so much I cannot pinpoint it exactly.
It was a combination of several things: I adored the characters, both Simon and Amanda are so endearingly insecure of themselves. Both having different reasons for their insecurity and there’s attraction they feel pulling them together against their own will. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Amanda open up to the possibility that she could be loved and not criticized by a handsome and wonderful man. I cheered for Simon when he realized that after all there was a woman who loved him totally, including all his flaws, insecurities and peculiarities. A woman he, for the first time in his life, was able to put before everything, even his work in his lab.
I loved the writing style, flowing, fast-paced despite the fact that there is no real action or suspense but the book did not need it, well-written characters you can identify with. As I said: it must have been a combination of all these things.
With The Real Deal Monroe delivered a witty and touching romance novel that goes straight to every romance-loving heart and nestles there firmly. She does a great job of writing Simon and Amanda both strong and insecure at the same time, their strength overcoming their insecurities enough not to make the characters come across as some whining wimps, of building up the sexual tension between them in a very sensual but playful way. The way Simon finally “conquers” Amanda is the way I would give up any essential bodypart to experience that.
After reading this one, Lucy Monroe’s books certainly aren’t going to stay on the TBR-pile for long because I can’t wait to see what she makes of the paranormal, historical and romantic suspense genres.
Quotes:
Simon to Amanda: “Baby, how could I not love you? When I’m with you. I am whole. The shadows disappear; the frozen places in my soul melt.”
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- Pearl
- Netherlands
- 39, married to my real life romance hero, addicted to TV shows, reading romance novels and Twitter. I'm a chronic (e)book hoarder and my absolute favorite genres within romance fiction are contemporary romance and romantic suspense, but I don't shy away from historical, paranormal or erotic romance either. Even the occasional (urban) fantasy romance, futuristic and sci fi romance may make it to my Mount TBR. This is my corner of the world wide web where I let you know what books I'm hoarding, reading and reviewing.
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