Driven to succeed, Alex's only desire is to win, win, win—at all costs! A champion race-car driver, he lives like he drives—fast, reckless and always number one. But after a huge crash, with his racing career facing ruin, Alex must confront his biggest fear: failure.

Physio Libby Henderson is there to help him get back to fitness, and all Alex wants to do is get physical! Libby's dealt with more challenging things in life, but it's taking all of her professionalism to keep this stubborn playboy at bay!

Title: THE FEARLESS MAVERICK
Author: Robyn Grady
Series: The Notorious Wolfes, book 4
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Books, Harlequin Presents
Year of release: 2011, September 27
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Bought via The BookDepository

First line:
The moment Alex Wolfe’s car went airborne, he knew the situation was bad.

Memorable Scenes:
- their weekend on the Gold Coast > highlight: dancing on the beach, loved that scene!


QuickScore-Verdict:
Alex Wolfe and Libby Anderson are the main couple of this fourth installment in the Notorious Wolfes series. They are a race car diver and the physiotherapist who has to nurse him back into his race car after a shoulder injury during second race of the season.

Alex is disarmingly charming beneath a veneer of steel determination. His rough past made him the man he is now. Libby is as tenacious as Alex is. She carries the consequences of her surfing accident with poise and grace but there are times insecurity creeps up on her. I loved the chemistry between Alex and Libby. It was completely in line with the rest of the series with Libby as the feisty young woman falling under the magical thrall of yet another enigmatic and seductive Wolfe sibling.

As a Formula 1 fan I was delighted with the setting. I loved reading the racing stuff and through Libby's character it was also shown that the author knew a lot and or did her research on physical therapy as well.

I also really liked Robyn Grady's writing style. It was fluent, fast-paced and engaging. Combined with the characters' chemistry, snappy dialogues and the themes that were much to my liking I utterly enjoyed this 4th installment in The Notorious Wolfes series.

Favorite Quotes:
This man’s power to captivate with a single look, the slightest touch, was palpable. She’d like to meet the woman who was immune to the magic of that smile. Charm was as instinctive to this man as taking a corner at death-defying speeds.

Giddy. He whipped up a hurricane inside of her, a dark powerful storm that tossed her off course and hurled her places that promised such blissful satisfaction.

Sometimes what you think you want and what you need are two very different things.

As a technical editor, Jeffrey Maddox deals with plenty of words, leaving him few to spare on people, except his baby sister. To keep Daisy from wrecking her newly rehabbed life by shacking up with her older, married lover Lonny, he impulsively texts Lonny’s wife, Karyn. And then meets her at a coffee shop on a snowy night, ostensibly to convince her to stay with her philandering husband.

But soon texting turns to sexting. After spending the night getting to know Karyn, Jeff wants something much more personal—Lonny’s wife. For himself.

Despite her misgivings about Jeff’s intentions, Karyn can’t fight their attraction. She’s still not divorced, though she knows there’s no way she’ll return to her husband. But maybe an amazing night of conversation—and even more amazing lovemaking—can lead to more than just one night of hot text

Title: HOT TEXT
Author: Cari Quinn
Series: stand alone (to my knowledge)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Year of release: 2011, November 2
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Jasmine Jade eBook Store

First line:
Jeff Maddox stared at the cell phone vibrating on his sister’s coffee table.

Memorable Scenes:
- Jeff and Karyn's booty call > hot with some unexpected character revelations
- the body painting scene > loved it


QuickScore-Verdict:
Jeff Maddox, the hero is this story, was a very interesting character. He is a technical editor with 2 ex-wives who is very protective of his baby sister and when I read all this I thought: whatever direction is Cari Quinn going to take with him… Suffice to say Cari immediately took him down the right path and I truly liked Jeff, even if he is a little rude grouchy and ornery.

Karyn James is a preschool teacher. She’s a quirky homebody who talks to herself a lot and paints to express her creativity. She is open and direct despite not being overly assertive.

Cari Quinn could write the technical manuals Jeff edits and I'd still gobble it up. In HOT TEXT it wasn't just the hot sex scenes. It was the instant connection I felt with the characters, their imperfections and their personalities. I loved this story about two average, normal people. It was very character-driven, fresh and original with a unique premise. The characters were awesome and despite of them having total different personality traits they matched perfectly.

I loved reading Jeff and Karyn's story and could've read more if there had been more. Yet despite the shortness of the story it felt well rounded and complete. Though the characters may be average, normal people...the sex scenes are as fabulously hot as I've gotten used to from Cari Quinn. I expected scorching heat, Cari went above and beyond and definitely delivered!

Favorite Quotes:
She’d clearly gone too long without male companionship if any brute who walked her way made her sit up and take notice. Even one with pretty eyes and scowling lips.

She laughed and the sound loosened something inside his gut, unwinding snakes of need that wrapped around his c#ck in a viselike grip.

She expected an easy kiss. Good, perhaps, but not intense. He seemed like a low-key, moderately passionate person. As she’d been, without the right stimulation.
Without this .
What she got was a glancing blow of lips that soon turned to a furious meshing of mouths and teeth. It wasn’t elegant. It was messy and rough and God help her, bordered on dirty.

There was something so alluring about a woman’s— this woman’s—creamy back, especially offset by her wavy dark hair. She was sensual in the extreme and so beautifully fragile. But not weak. She had an inner strength he doubted she even gave herself credit for. She might bend, but break? Not Karyn.

She kissed him so deeply his mind shuddered to a halt. Wasn’t he supposed to take control? He couldn’t. How could he control this? She’d become a one-woman wrecking ball against his determination to shut her out. He didn’t want complications but here she was, her lips on fire, melting his last resolve.
Stripping him bare before she left him alone.

“Bring it,” she challenged.
He brought it. Hard, fast, with all of his frustration and every wet dream from the last year wrapped up in the hope and desire she’d evoked tonight.

More than the law will be tested when a marshal meets a feisty widow.

Sean Reilly had the bad luck to be assigned the blue marble – the "cursed" marble shunned by the four other marshals in the Arizona Territory. He's sent to take care of a land dispute for a widow named Lucille Quinn. He has no idea just how his life will change because of the dang blue marble.

Lucille Quinn needs help to settle the matter of some missing cattle. The marshal that arrives is unexpected as he is good-looking. Who is she to deny the urge to pleasure herself and him? What she doesn't expect is to find there's more to the man than good looks and broad shoulders.

The meeting is by pure chance, the result is pure magic.

Title: LUCILLE’S LAWMAN
Author: Beth Williamson
Series: standalone
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Year of release: 2011, June 27
Format: eBook
Source: Received an e-copy from author for review

First line:
"That blue marble is cursed."

Memorable Scenes:
- Lucille shooting at Sean > awesome!
- scene at the waterfall > oh my hotness!



QuickScore-Verdict:
A confident, capable U.S. marshal and a feisty, bossy, blunt widow who have a past together make for some main great characters in this ultra-short 25-page story. The humor in this story was perfect! There were many moments where there was a grin on my face. It's too short for depth or romance but who cares, when it was so hot it set the pages on fire!

LUCILLE'S LAWMAN is one hot little number. Though I'm not a big fan of historical westerns I must say this tasty little morsel has definitely whetted my appetite for more.

Favorite Quotes:
Sean’s annoyance notched up quickly. “Hell no. What you think I can’t perform my duties if it’s hot?”
“No, he’s trying to save you from the Black Widow.” Forrest made some kind of odd gesture with his hands.
“I don’t think I need saving. And just what the hell are you doing?” Reilly stared at the man. This was a US Marshal?
“Warding off evil. She’s a witch, you know. She’s the one who put the curse on that marble. She been nagging us for months about some missing cows.” Forrest picked up his hat from the scarred wooden table top. “I’m leaving before the curse gets itchy for someone else.”

“Slowly reach down and pull out your badge, and only your badge.” She took pleasure in watching that tanned, long-fingered hand slide down into his trousers. The movement made her nipples pop, which was a bit embarrassing. He didn’t need to know her traitorous body reacted so strongly.
As he moved slower than Mabel, she almost told him to hurry up. He was being careful, and rightfully so because she would shoot him if need be, but hell, he didn’t have to be that careful. By the time he took the badge out and tossed it in her direction, she couldn’t keep quiet any longer.
“I think a spider spun a web near your boot while you were taking your sweet time.”

“I ain’t gonna stand here with the door open all night. The bugs will think it’s an invite for a feast.” She raised her brows. “You joining me in here or not?”
A small grin played at the corners of his mouth. “Are you inviting me in, Lucy?”
She pursed her lips. “I’m telling you it’s gonna be witch tit cold out there tonight with nothing but coyotes and snakes for company. In here you got a warm woman, a place to lay your head and a night of pleasuring.”

Forty-something divorcée Cate Roberts was always a pushover when it came to her little sister, but agreeing to pose for the cover of Zoe’s romance novel might be taking it too far. Especially when she’s confronted with the male lead, Bo Gaddis. It’s a good thing that Bo is gay, and much too young for her, because Cate could easily see herself falling for the embodiment of every romance lover’s dream man.

Bo never renounced the rumor that he was gay. In fact, it helped his career, and helped him stick to his strict rule about sleeping with his co-model. That’s about to be tested though, because Cate is everything he wanted in a woman. If only he can convince her that age isn’t a factor, and he’s not only straight, but very attracted to her.

Title: COVER STORY
Author: Olivia Brynn
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Year of release: 2011, June 22
Format: eBook
Source: Received a copy from the author for review

First line:
Cate groaned into the phone.

Memorable Scenes:
- the photoshoot > hot-hot-hot with awesome sexual tension


QuickScore-Verdict:
COVER STORY is a very short story (56 pages) but it was an example of great things that come in small packages. I loved Cate and Bo, I loved the plot (shooting a romance novel cover), I loved Olivia Brynn's easy, fast-paced, clean and crisp writing and the trope (cougar) is one of my favorites too!

My first taste of Olivia Brynn's work, though short, was definitely a blast. I was never that interested in the covers but this book might have made me perk up and pay more attention to them now. And Olivia, any time you want to write a story on Keith, I’ll run to get and read it ;)

Favorite Quotes:
"We're going to get pretty intimate in the next few hours." He raised one eyebrow. "I don't like to get naked with a complete stranger."
Keith snorted. "Liar. You'd take your clothes off to order a pizza."
"No one's talking to you."

Bo laughed. "Keith likes the blonde bombshell beach babes."
"Not anymore." Keith pulled the tie out of his hair and shook it loose. "I've switched to brunette bombshells. They don't break your heart."
Keith grinned. "My body is made to please, but my heart is off limits. That's why it's still intact."

"Now, we'll start by getting used to me being close to you. Try touching me."
She raised both hands to cover the dark circles of his nipples. Hot. His skin was so warm. She curled her fingers, denting the smooth flesh of his pecs.
"That's right," he growled. "Learn me. Don't be shy. Nothing is off limits to you."

If his heart didn't slow down, he'd probably have a stroke, and his palms were sweating like a pre-teen at his first dance. For the first time, he'd forgotten his role. Gay model. Women are more comfortable when at their most vulnerable, when the stranger manhandling them is gay. Less pressure. Less fear. He knew that. He'd come to terms with it as part of the job. Ironically, he'd put himself in a closet for these women, but fighting attraction had never been so damn hard.

"I don't know what you did to me, but I don't think I can walk out of this room without tasting your mouth." (Bo)

Everything about Bo assaulted her senses to the point of infusing her with an electric jolt of need.

Kane has to convince his best friend Nadine of two things. First, it’s time for her to stop mourning her deceased fiancé. Second – and most importantly – Kane has fallen in love with her.

Nadine knows if she can move past Justin’s death, the tentative feelings she’s denying Kane will blossom. Only she can’t seem to move on. Desperate, she turns to a psychic for help so she can say the final goodbyes she’d been denied years before.

For one night, Kane, Nadine and Justin will face the grief threatening to break down a friendship and turn to a love that will make them whole again.

Title: LETTING GO
Author: Dee Carney
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Noble Romance Publishing
Year of release: 2009, February 12
Format: eBook
Source: Received an e-copy from author on a dare because I said on Twitter I don’t like romances with ghosts in them.

First line:
He ignored the silence at their table.

Memorable Scenes:
- first chapter > starts off with a nice voyeurism scene
- the love scene > heartbreaking, beautiful and hot at the same time


QuickScore-Verdict:
Dee Carney sent me this book after I was saying on twitter that I don't like romance novels with characters that are ghosts and that even mentions of ghosts in a back cover blurb will stop me from buying or reading a book.

I really liked the opening chapter. It set the stage and immediately gave me a great first look into the main characters and their personalities. I still don't like ghosts in my romance but I have to give it to Dee Carney that she wrote a wonderful story and her approach to the whole ghost plotline seemed quite original. I say seemed because obviously I haven't read enough romances with ghosts in them to be able to make a comparison.

LETTING GO is an emotional coworkers & friends-to-lovers romance that didn’t blow me away but it still worked for me despite the ghost. This says a lot about Dee Carney and her writing skills.

Favorite Quotes:
Nadine forked through fluffy grains of arroz con pollo. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on or not?”
“I’ll catch you up even though the blood is leaving my head to race toother parts of my anatomy unknown to you.”
“Kane!” She could let that last bit slide, but having to hear about a growing erection teased her neglected libido. At the same time, it flummoxed her. The anatomy they discussed belonged to Kane, of all people. His grin widened. “I’m just sayin’, if what I say doesn’t make any sense,you know why.”

Blondes have more fun? Pfft. Bad Girls have more fun. Rebecca Gabel was accused of being a bad girl and she discovered life was easier (and more fun!) to live up to the reputation than try to deny it. But now with a new comer who’s taking her up on her suggestions, Rebecca is a little out of her element. There’s talking the talk…and then there’s having to walk it.

Grant Iverson recently inherited land from his mother, so he’s arrived in Apple Trail, Arkansas to check the place out and see if there are any treasures hidden there. What he doesn’t expect to find is a woman full of curves and a mouth of pure sin, but whose eyes reflect nothing but curious innocence.

Title: SATISFYING HER TASTES
Author: Keri Ford
Series: Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas – book 5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Year of release: 2011, August 26
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via the publisher’s eBookstore

First line:
“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

Memorable Scenes:
- Scene at the pond > hot and kind of a turning point


QuickScore-Verdict:
Two people with totally opposite romantic goals (Rebecca wants to flirt it up and have some sexy fun, Grant wants to settle down and calm his cavorting ways) end up finding what they didn't know they wanted in each other. Bad boy wants to go good, good girl wants to go bad.

I loved this installment of the Apple Trail series and enjoyed Rebecca and Grant but it was not the best of the series for me. The middle part seemed to stay on the surface a bit...not going deeper into the layers of Grant, Rebecca and their budding relationship. The end however gave me what I was looking for, but it seemed as if I missed an important chunk of the story before the final few chapters.

Reading this book once again made me look at the trap of having too high expectations. I loved the previous books a lot and built my expectations of this book on them, which is why I think it fell a little bit short for me

Favorite Quotes:
Damn.
No. She blinked and dragged her chin off her knees. Not just damn, but day-um. Tall. Tanned. Tattooed. Shaved head down to a dark shadow over his head. Black grease smeared over his white tank that just barely—oh, what the hell—that wasn’t even coming close to hiding rippling, pouring, drool worthy muscles of his chest and abs and holy hell, look at those thighs in those jeans.

If being wrapped in and around this warm wall of rock was any indication, she would certainly forget for a bit and have loads of memories to take home.
Very, very good memories. Like how being pressed to his rippled, chiseled chest and abs caused her thighs to tingle and tighten. His rock hard chest was unforgiving against her sensitive nipples. His hips rocked against her pelvis. He didn’t merely kiss her with his mouth, he kissed her with his body. Where their skin touched, delicious tingling sensations chilled and heated her all at once.

She shimmied her shorts off her hips and gravity took them and his eyeballs from there down the curves of her legs to the ground.

Grant was coming toward her. Water splashed around his knees…then thighs as he walked toward her full of purpose. She shuddered, thinking of his purpose on that four-wheeler ride. Every. Long. Hard. Thick inch of purpose in his jeans that had been sandwiched to her ass through every bump and hole on the trail. She swallowed and dipped lower in the pond to cool off.

“You whimper. You cry. You get choked. You arch and your legs twitch against mine. Your hips rock into me hard enough I’m about to come in my shorts. Your head falls back and your lips thrust up. You are a sexy woman, Rebecca and not because of some damn rumors I’ve never heard of before. It’s all you. So yeah, shh and let me hear you. Listening to you get hot for me is one of the best things I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Accept no substitute…for love.

THE LADY DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH
Jessica Martin is determined to earn a permanent teaching position at Summit High School. That means hard work, dedication, and even volunteering extra time to direct the school’s Shakespeare play. Which leaves no room for romance—especially with a co-worker. She didn’t factor in the school’s sexy security officer and the delicious fantasies he inspires.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD
Former cop Tom Cameron likes his job. Or he did, until the new substitute busted his orderly life right open. Now, he can’t seem to avoid her—deserted hallways, empty theaters, classrooms after dark—but he’s got too many skeletons in his closet to risk his heart again. Asking her out to distract her from the play’s, well, drama is a friendly gesture. Nothing more.

THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH
Their chemistry could melt down the science lab, and before long they’re burning up the sheets off-campus. And uncovering raw emotions—a stark reminder that love isn’t in their curricula. When a troubled student goes over the edge, though, the need to stop a tragedy brings them right back where they started—face to face with fate.

Warning: This book contains sexy encounters in classrooms, inappropriate use of school facilities, backstage shenanigans, and illicit activities on a ferryboat.

Title: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
Author: Kate Davies
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2011, February 22
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Samhain eBookstore

First line:
Jessica was late.

Memorable Scenes:
- the scene at the pizza place > Very funny and cute, Jessica's friend Ana is a hoot!
- the school dance scene > the beginning of this scene reminded me of the movie GREASE complete with it's own Cha Cha DiGregorio (the annoying Gabrielle) LOL and the end was a great HEA + conclusion to the plot


QuickScore-Verdict:
This is a contemporary romance with a capital R! I loved the romance between Jessica and Tom. The built-up was very well done, going from small sparks of attraction, to smoldering sexual tension and sizzling chemistry to a sweet and lovely HEA.

The plot was good though a bit predictable but I really liked the high school setting and co-workers to lovers trope of this cute novella. Lately I've been reading books heavy on either the eroticism or the emotional intensity and to me the sweetness and normal guy/girl-next-door vibe of TAKE A CHANCE ON ME felt like a breath of fresh air!

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME is a perfectly balanced, well-paced and sweet contemporary that I really enjoyed a lot and loved it for bringing me back to my high school days...

Favorite Quotes:
He hadn’t consciously decided to live a solitary lifestyle, but that’s what had happened. It wasn’t a bad life, he supposed. He had a nice apartment in a quiet part of town. He could eat cold canned spaghetti over the sink and not worry about getting hell for it. He never had to share the remote control. He could sprawl across the bed without someone complaining how he was on her side.
Of course, there was also the silence. The half-empty closets. The embarrassing moments when he turned to comment on an article in the morning paper and no one was there. The times he woke in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and reached blindly across the king-size bed, only to find empty space.

It had only been for the briefest of moments, but he had a feeling that the inadvertent glimpse of creamy smooth skin and lace-trimmed bra would be on a playback loop in his mind for the rest of the evening. Perfect.

All she’d done was place her hand on his. A brief physical contact. Nothing more. So why was his hand still—tingly, for want of a better word? And he didn’t even want to think about the tingles still echoing in other more personal parts of his body.

“ Some discontent? She would have ripped my toenails out if given the chance.”
“So don’t wear open-toed shoes.”

Not that he was willing to concede that he was in love. It was too soon, too new, too overwhelming to consider that possibility. But the fact remained that Jessica had pulled him out of his self-imposed shell, and he was no longer interested in crawling back inside.

Note from Reviewer: There is no specific blurb for the individual stories so I’ve included a small summary paragraph in the verdict. This is the blurb of the Anthology:

THESE HEROES ARE 100 PERCENT RAW, DANGEROUS, AND... UNDENIABLY SEXY.
New York Times bestselling authors Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love and Cindy Gerard and rising romance star Laura Griffin mix seduction and suspense in three irresistible romantic adventures.

From sultry international jungles to the rugged terrain of the American southwest, join the larger-than-life, scorching-hot alpha heroes of the Bureau of American Defense, Black Ops Inc., and the U.S. Navy SEALs for the pulse-pounding, heart-racing, toe-curling excitement. They’re cool under pressure, steamy under the sheets, and when the enemy strikes, there’s not a lethal mission these gorgeous men can’t handle...

Title: LEAVE NO TRACE (found in Anthology DEADLY PROMISES)
Author: Cindy Gerard
Series: Black Ops Inc, book 5.5
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Pocket Books
Year of release: 2010, September 28
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Bought via The BookDepository

First line:
It had become too much about the scotch, Cav admitted with brutal honesty.



QuickScore-Verdict:
This story opens with David 'Cav' Cavanaugh on the verge of leaving the CIA, literally on the night before he's going to give notice. His former partner Wyatt Savage calls in his help to find Wyatt's family friend Carrie Granger who's gone missing in Myanmar. The novella tells the story of this rescue mission

LEAVE NO TRACE is a nice addition to the series with two earlier minor secondary characters as the main couple. Cindy Gerard's trade-mark action-packed and fast-paced writing style shines through on every page. Though the characterization, romance and emotional intensity had to give way to the plot/suspense it was a good read.

Favorite Quotes:
“Why is it that every time the phone rings and I hear your voice, I feel a knee-jerk reaction to say ‘wrong number’ and hang the hell up?”
“I need your help.”
“Ah. That would be the reason.” (David and Wyatt)

“Sorry,” he gritted out again and tried to shift some of his weight off her while reaching between them and making a careful adjustment to his package.
Bad move.
Very bad move.
The warm naked flesh of her belly pressed against the back of his forearm. The heat of her mons and the sweet cleft between her parted thighs cradled the back of his hand. With only the most minor of adjustment he could be there. Right there. Inside her. And his stupid dick was totally on board with the idea.

“So be warned, Carrie Granger. The next time I kiss you, you’re going to end up naked and flat on your back, and it’s going to take an army to keep me from making certain you never feel the need to say sorry again.”

Dr. Clara Evans’ life has taken a turn for the worse. With a failed marriage behind her, Clara has only a bottle of wine and a romance novel for company on New Year’s Eve while waiting for the dreadful year to end.

Her lonely celebration is disrupted when her best friend Jackson Philips shows up and she couldn’t be more delighted. Tall, muscular and handsome, what’s not to love about the bighearted firefighter?

It’s not until she steals a desperately needed kiss for luck at midnight that secret desires and hidden heartaches rise to the surface, igniting an inferno of passion that burns hot enough to overwhelm even the most seasoned firefighter.

Title: A KISS FOR LUCK
Author: Kele Moon
Series: standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Year of release: 2011, January 5
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Jasmine Jade eBookstore

First line:
“Firefighters are the hottest.”

Memorable Scenes:
-hallway table scene > can I say hot?! Red-hot!
- epilogue > loved this perfect ending!



QuickScore-Verdict:
A KISS FOR LUCK is a friends-to-lovers novella that gave me a great first taste of Kele Moon's writing and it definitely makes me crave more. Granted, there were a few eyebrow-raising moments (to do with Clara's marriage) but they were all obliterated by the excellent writing and the scorching sex scene(s) that were wrought with emotions.

And with a vocal hero named Jackson, Kele Moon had this one in the bag from the moment I started reading the first page and I was sad to come to the end as I could've kept on reading about Jackson and Clara forever!

Favorite Quotes:
She was breathless, stunned and overwhelmed with the rush of longing invading her senses, making her blind to everything but the need for more of him. If he could do this to her with one kiss she would never have to fake anything. With Jackson she would want it to last forever.

For the first time in years she felt vibrant and alive. Everywhere he touched she burned. Shivers and gooseflesh followed his caresses. Her senses where overwhelmed with him and she would have done anything to keep him there with her.

She shattered instantly, bucking against his mouth and fisting his hair tightly as her whole body shuddered in climax. She screamed from the ferocity of so much passion uncoiling at once. Pleasure ricocheted through her, filling her with tingling warmth when it finally passed. Dazed and sated, her eyes blinked open to see Jackson staring up at her in awe and surprise

He tilted his head back, closing his eyes as the hot water ran over his face and his libido raged, careless of the complexities of his now drastically altered friendship with Clara. Remembering her standing in his bedroom, wanting her again with a hunger that was all consuming, he wished he had the balls to jerk off and ease some of the tension that wasn’t subsiding despite their activities earlier.

It was Clara. She made him burn in a way that was wild and rare and he wanted to capture this feeling and keep it forever.

“Tell me. Say it. Beg for it and I’ll give it to you.”

Just what is a good girl supposed to do, faced with the wicked temptation of not one bad boy, but two?

No matter how hard good girl, Gemma Trent, tries to run from the mistakes of her past, she can't seem to escape the memories of two hard-bodied, hot-blooded rowers, and the shameful things she let them do to her one crazy night five years ago in the college boathouse. Perhaps only by facing up to those mistakes can she prove that she’s no longer that sort of girl, and finally set herself free.

As determined as Gemma seems to be to smother the truth of her passions, Nathan Hunter and Ben Pearce—having already had her slip through their callused fingertips once—are equally committed to fanning the embers and rekindling the fire they suspect still smoulders deep inside. Now that they have her within reach again, all they have to do is convince Gemma to put her own self-imposed prejudices aside, and remind her just how good it feels to share.

Title: DOUBLE STROKES
Author: Kat Black ( I have added this link to the Author’s Blog, since there is also a YA-writing Kat Black and I assume this is not she)
Series: standalone
Genre: Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Total-E-Bound Publishing
Year of release: 2011, September 12
Format: eBook, 29 pages
Source: Received an digital copy from the author for review

First line:
In one of the bustling spectators' enclosures set up along the Thames riverbank for the annual Henley Royal Regatta, Nathan Hunter milled with a group of old university rowing club peers, reunited for finals day of the world-famous competition.

Memorable Scenes:
- as the story is extremely short I'd like to qualify it as memorable in its entirety > an ultra-quick and very hot read


QuickScore-Verdict:
From the first sentence I loved Kat Black's writing style that just flows, making this story easy to read and fast-paced. I loved the characters: Ben is playful, smooth and soothing, while Nathan is intense, impulsive and demanding. That leaves Gemma in the middle (literally) who embraces the sexual needs she has underneath her proper and good-girl shell.

DOUBLE STROKES is very short (29 pages), fast and intense. I hope there will be more on these three characters as this short has really whetted my appetite. The ménage scene is hot and well-written and I cant wait to see what Kat Black can do with a bigger page-count and a meatier storyline!

Favorite Quotes:
Always more careful to conceal his emotions than his friend, Nate gave every impression of being engrossed in the reminiscences of the rowdy group. But beneath the smiles and banter, his real focus lay with Ben's every tic and twitch.
That's how he knew the precise moment the blond man's body tensed up, attention snagging on something over Nate's left shoulder. In response, Nate felt his own muscles snap taut, breath stilling with anticipation.

"If we race in and pounce on her like a pair of slavering beasts, all it's likely to do is make her fling up her defenses and start worrying about her reputation all over again–" Ben paused to study Nate's face before raising a wry brow. "And that's assuming one look at you doesn't send her running for cover first. You're projecting the wrong side of caveman right now, mate."

The only reason she'd agreed to come here was so she could finally face up to and bury the mistakes of the past. To prove to herself she'd moved on, grown out of those shameful, confused impulses–matured into someone normal.
Except it was blatantly obvious she'd done no such thing, not when a single look from the dynamic duo was all it took to turn her nipples hard and make her knickers damp.

Nate's voice was a satin-covered dagger, cutting right through her defenses and stabbing into the secret heart of her need. He was right, she had wanted more.

Reduced to nothing more than a quivering bundle, Gemma clung to Ben, letting the movement of his thrusts become her own. Clasping a big palm around her nape, he held her ear to his mouth, pouring a sensual stream of words into it, making her insides quiver.

The best way to heal a broken heart is to jump right back on the horse. So to speak-

After watching the girl he-s crushed on for years fall for his best friend, the last thing special operative Jack Gordon wants is a vacation. If cooling his heels doesn't drive him crazy, doing it under his family's scrutiny will.
But once he's back home things get more than a little interesting. The new farm hand is cute, sexy-and his instincts tell him she's got something to hide. Luckily, he's got the skills and the backup to find out what.

Gordon Equine is the perfect place for Niccolina Campolini. The Gordons pay in room, board and cash. And they don't ask questions. Perfect for a girl on the run-until Jack shows up. Sexy as hell and far too inquisitive, Jack strikes sparks and suspicions that put both her body and her heart in danger.
Jack knows better than to trust a woman with as many shadows as Nicki, but the heat waves of their attraction are messing with his focus. And when her secrets catch up with her, he's not sure if he's protecting her from something, or protecting his family from her.

Warning: This book contains extremely stupid gangsters bearing guns, a bored team of special operatives looking for some action, and one Southern gentleman guaranteed to charm your panties off.

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Title: JACK
Author: Cat Johnson
Series: Red, Hot & Blue, book 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2010, August 31
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Samhain eBookstore

First line:
Jack Gordon leaned in, about to close the deal on what he hoped would be a mind-erasing kiss, because he could really stand to erase some memories right about now.

Memorable Scenes:
No notes on any memorable scenes, so again I use the disclaimer that either there were none or I just forgot to write them down


QuickScore-Verdict:
After the promising start with TREY my expectations for JACK were high. And I was sorry to find out they just were too high, because they unfortunately weren’t completely met. I loved Jack as a character. He was just so adorably cute and charming and though he’s a straight shooter and speaks his mind he remains polite and courteous. And he blushes, how cute is that ;)

However, I'm sad to say JACK fell a bit short. Literally, as the page-count was considerably less than TREY’s but also plot and romance-wise it didn't reach the level of the first installment of this series.

Favorite Quotes:
"(...)The only thing you can do is try to live the life God gives you to the fullest with no regrets.” (Jack to Carly)

The accents from the five boroughs of New York City and Long Island made her cringe. But a southern man could practically make a girl’s panties fall right off just by talking to her.

Jack. His sexy, low voice washing over her body. His thick southern drawl that almost seemed to cling to her like molasses.

They can't deny the heat-it's the only thing keeping them alive.

A distracted soldier is a dead solder. That's special operative Trey Williams' motto. The last thing he needs in his life is a girlfriend. Problem is, the woman who's been recruited to pose as his wife on a special assignment is proving to be exactly the kind of distraction he can't afford.

Years ago, Carly McAfee turned her back not only on her military career, but the men who come with it. So why did she say yes to a mission that puts her in intimate contact with Trey, under 24/7 surveillance by both bad guys and good? One slip, and they're both dead. It's not long, though, before her body betrays her, followed closely by her heart.

With a terrorist arms deal going down and missing teammate's life on the line, Carly and Trey must throw caution to the wind in the scorching-hot performance of their lives-and try not to lose their hearts and minds in the process.

Warning: Contains bad men with big guns and video cameras, and an unmarried couple who need to get naked and get busy acting very married to save both their country and their lives.

This book has been previously published and has been revised and expanded from its original release.

Title: TREY
Author: Cat Johnson
Series: Red, Hot & Blue, book 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Year of release: 2010, April 20
Format: eBook
Source: Bought via Samhain eBookstore

First line:
He waited, crouching in the reeds.

Memorable Scenes:
- scene where Trey picks up drunk Jack at Carly's bar > Trey is adorably cute in his jealousy
- scene where Jack realizes the deal between Trey & Carly > even though Jack was cute and charming at some point he needed a reality-check where Carly was concerned and this is where he got it



QuickScore-Verdict:
I really like Cat Johnson's writing. It reads very easily, has subtle humor and is steamy. She also has the military stuff down really well. However, I felt the plot was brushed over a little bit. I was expecting more suspense and plot-wise and it was a bit of a cold shower how the suspense was resolved. The pace was good as in it kept moving forward without unnecessary information dumps yet outlining the plot clearly and thoroughly. But the balance in the pace is a bit off as it starts slow and has a rushed ending

TREY was a great way to get familiar with Cat Johnson's writing and I liked it a lot. I'm definitely going to read more of her books, starting with Jack's story because the guy deserves a HEA of his own and a woman to unleash all that southern charm on.

Favorite Quotes:
She was a strange cocktail of simplicity mixed with attitude, shaken with killer good looks.

"We were pretending I’m not in the military. Trey, she’s a really good kisser.” That little gem of a revelation caused Trey to trip over his own feet. This ridiculously surreal situation would have been laughable if Trey weren’t so miserable. “That’s great, Jack. Thanks for telling me." Perhaps Jack would vomit in his truck next, then Trey’s evening would really be complete.

Jack. The joking, colorful Southern sidekick to the quiet but observant Trey Williams.

So they knew about her time in the service. She hoped they also knew she spent the entire duration of it behind a desk stateside. Sure, she went through basic training and yeah, she could fire a weapon. If she had one, which she didn’t so she wasn’t at all convinced that skill was going to help in this situation. She could file papers for Trey if the need arose though.

“Well, if you ask me, it’s a damn shame to throw out the whole pie just because the crust got a little burnt.” (Jack)

Clio is not only the muse of history, she has virtually lived her life through books. When a lightning strike sends her through space and time, Clio finds herself in the Old West with no way of getting home and none of her powers. Relying on her book learning is not working out like she’d hoped.

Ace Nevada is an unwilling sheriff who has spent the last year trying to get out of town. When a crazy woman lands in the horse trough in front of a saloon, he finds himself strangely attracted to her. He can’t help himself from sampling her lips or her incredibly lush body.

Clio learns how to be human and Ace remembers what it is to be human. They are two halves of the same whole. Mates. When Clio’s powers return, will their love pass the test of time?

Title: A COWBOY’S MUSE
Author: Beth Williamson
Series: standalone
Genre: Historical Romance, Time-Travel, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Self-Published
Year of release: 2011, September 27
Format: eBook
Source: received an e-ARC from the author for review

First line:
Clio spent most of her time reading books.

Memorable Scenes:
- the opening scene where Clio finds herself flung on Earth and landing in a trough > great opening with lots of humor (and we all know who’s a sucker for humor)


QuickScore-Verdict:
Clio, goddess (and muse of History) travels to from Mt. Olympus to Earth and back in time by accident and ends up in 1875 Peyote, Texas. I really liked Ace and his straightforwardness, gruffness and brutal honesty and I loved the combination of innocence and fierceness that was Clio.

A COWBOY'S MUSE was my first time-travel/historical western/pnr (yup, a mesh-up of epic proportions) in years and though Beth Williamson's writing is definitely something I loved and I certainly want to read more of her work in a contemporary setting, there's a reason I haven't read mesh-ups like these for years: I'm not a big fan of either historical western or time-travel.

However if you love these types of stories don't hesitate to get it and read it because in the short span of 50 pages Williamson delivered a lovely, nicely wrapped up story that had great characters, had lots of humor and was sizzling hot to boot!

Favorite Quotes:
"Somebody get her a towel or something," a deep voice said. "For Chrissakes, stop staring, Billy! Ain't you ever seen a woman in a purple peek-a-boo before?"
"Not like that, Ace. I was hoping to get a look at her–" answered another voice, this one a bit whiny.
"Shut up and get back inside that damn saloon before I shoot you, you stupid cowpoke."

Maybelle swept out onto the porch. Shit. "Ace Nevada! Get your hands offa that girl." Ace pushed Clio off his lap back onto the step where she landed with a thump.
"She kissed me, Maybelle."
Maybelle snorted. "And I'm the Queen of England. Clio! Get yourself back in this house!"
Clio jumped up and darted into the house. He waited for the rest of it.
Maybelle smacked him across the back of his head and ended his waiting.
"Leave that girl alone, Ace. She ain't quite right in the head and she don't need a smooth-talker like you ruffling her drawers." With one last smack, Maybelle went into the house behind his goddess.

There were six men in the room, all ogling, staring at, pawing and flirting with Clio! My woman. My goddess. Some unused instinct buried deep inside his soul howled and clawed its way up out of the darkness. As he watched in disbelief, Clio laughed and touched, touched, the hand of the man to her left.
The man who would soon only have one hand. "What in the hell is going on in here?" he thundered.