Review: Sex, Lies and Mistletoe by Tawny Weber

SEX, LIES AND MISTLETOE by Tawny Weber
FORMAT: Paperback
GENRE: Contemporary
MASS MARKET PAPERBACK: 224 pages
PUBLISHER: Harlequin (November 15,2011)
ISBN: 9780373796601

He sees her when she’s sleeping…

Undercover DEA agent Caleb Black is home for the holidays—possibly to bust his own father. But maybe Caleb’s con-man dad isn’t the one running drugs through the small town of Black Oak. Maybe it’s the green-eyed goddess who runs the New Age shop and has Caleb under her sultry spell.

Pandora Easton saved the family store with two words: sex sells. And her delectable aphrodisiacs really work, as she’s proven with notorious bad boy Caleb again and again and again. Little does she guess that, in the end, her most potent potion will be the truth…. (source)

Where To Find Tawny: Author Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Where To Buy: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book Depository | Harlequin
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt

I loved it.

Other Books in Series(click on covers for excerpts):

coming January 2012

coming February 2012

REVIEW:

Whoa! Hellooo sexy prodigal son biker dude with a chip on his shoulder with a magic hoo-hoo that induces fourteen orgasms in one night.

Caleb Black ran wild when he was younger, pulling cons with his father and being a total badass with a reputation with his brother. He got tired of that life and joined the DEA. Before retiring, his friend from the FBI pulls the "owe-me card." Now he must go back to his home town (where his family pretty much runs the town) to find out who is responsible for the spike in drug trafficking. The FBI think it's his father but Caleb swears his old man is out of the business. He's gone straight and is running a bike shop (West Coast choppers style).

Pandora Easton has come back to Black Oak to run the New Age store that's slowly failing while her mother is away on a retreat. She's included a cafe where she sells aphrodisiac foods like four-layer Foreplay Chocolate Cake to help drive the sales to save the shop. There's a little something-something in there. The whole town is sexed up with these little morsels of goodness and Pandora gets feedback from the elderly citizens regarding their sex lives. Eww, no thanks.

The moment Caleb walks into Moonspun Dreams decked out in a leather jacket and butt hugging jeans, Pandora is physically attracted to him. He's all sorts of yummy and gorgeous but after getting burned by The Ex, she's cautious about who she hooks up with. The Ex was into some sort of shady dealing and she was implicated. Running away from it all, she heads to Black Oak.

The attraction is instant between Caleb and Pandora and hotter than the fire blazing in the fireplace during the coldest winter day. Caleb wonders if this woman is involved in something illegal, operating from the back of her shop. After a sizzling, panty melting, do-it-with-your-boot-on-cause-you're-too-far-gone night together, Caleb can't believe Pandora has gotten under his skin. His lust meter is sky high and Pandora feels the same. The town gossips have a new rumor to spread and happily do so. The good girl who turned down Sheriff McHottiepants and got together with Biker Bad Boy Caleb Black.

As Caleb and Pandora spent more time together, their feelings change. Caleb feels like an Asshole of The First Order for snooping around trying to find any incriminating evidence that would point to Pandora dealing drugs and using her store as a cover. After all, it's full of New Age woo-woo and people have been acting a little off since indulging in all the aphrodisiac-y treats. Pandora can't believe that she's falling for Caleb. Never again, she'd vowed to herself.

Caleb must clear his father's name as well as Pandora's while sneaking around making sure no one is the wiser about his intentions. Falling for Pandora only complicates things. He's not meant to feel tingly, sugarplum-y feelings. He's freaking Caleb Black, resident Bad Boy for goodness sake! *snort* Merry Christmas Caleb Black, you've just been hit with the magic of the holidays and her name is Pandora Easton.

FAVORITE QUOTE: 

"Are you looking for a hero?" he asked, mentally rolling his eyes. At the question, because wasn't that what all women were looking for? A mythical guy to sweep them away and make all their dreams come true? And at the idea of him being hero material.

OVERALL: A sexy, sizzling, oh my god!, laugh out loud read. A must add to your Christmas romance book reading list. My first Tawny Weber book and let me tell you, I was fanning myself when Pandora and Caleb were getting their aphrodisiac induced sexy on. This is the first of the Undercover Operatives series and I look forward to the other two Black sibling's books.

***review copy provided by Tawny Weber***

Review: Sweet Magik by Penny Watson

SWEET MAGIK by Penny Watson
FORMAT: PDF
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
TRADE PAPERBACK: 302 pages
PUBLISHER: The Wild Rose Press (November 4,2011)
ISBN: 9781601549211

Oskar Klaus' job is killing him. Not even his favorite hobbies (extreme snowboarding and browsing old bookstores) are enough to snap him out of his funk. It's not easy living in the shadow of four successful older brothers and a father named Santa. Little does he know that a kiss on New Year's Eve is about to turn his life upside-down.
Kiana Grant's Manhattan life is a world away from her childhood in Oahu. She traded sunsets and surfing for a respectable career in library science, but Oskar Klaus is a temptation that's hard to resist. Before she knows it, she's in the midst of an outrageous adventure in the North Pole, dealing with mischievous elves, wicked demons, and a devastating attraction to Santa's youngest son.
There's just one problem...a bitter elf hell-bent on revenge threatens the future of everyone in the North Pole, even Santa himself... (source)

Where To Find Penny: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads
Where To Buy: Amazon | The Wild Rose Press
Book Extras:Read an Excerpt | Meet the Klaus Family

I loved it!

Other Book in Series(click on cover to read excerpt):

REVIEW:
Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Clause. And Oskar, Nicholas, Gregor, Wolfie and Sven. Of course, we can't forget The Mrs. Klaus. And real honest to gosh ornery elves.

Reserved Moon Goddess, meet green haired, tattooed, snowboarder Bad Boy.

Oskar Klaus has finally had it with his job overseeing rambunctious elves. He's ready for a snowboarding vacation, catch some sweet powder on Mammoth. At least that's what he's thinking for his much needed vacation until he meets Kiana Grant at Gregor's New Years Eve party. He's intrigued by her, utterly fascinated. He knows that there's something waiting to be unleashed beneath that polished librarian look.

Kiana Grant has moved across the country (literally: Hawaii to Manhattan) to escape her past. Now living with her best friend, she is a librarian at the New York Public Library and hides behind gray skirts, button up shirts and fake glasses. She volunteers at Brockman's Books on the weekends, reading to the kids and helping them with craft projects.

After a sizzling midnight kiss, Oskar and Kiana dream of each other, waking up to sand and snow in their respective beds. Oskar is persistent in asking Kiana for a date and he gets his way. There's just something about her, unlike the snow bunnies he normally parties with. After a coffee date that ends up at a Vietnamese restaurant, Oskar and Kiana share another hot kiss. And bring on the interruption in the the form of a very angry elf, hell bent on destroying Glasdorf a.k.a the North Pole and making everyone bow to his every whim.

Kiana follows Oskar to the roof of her building after he get a call and is slightly freaked out by the sleigh and and elf. Stowing away in the trunk and passing out, she wakes up at, hello! the North Pole. She meets Gabi, a sweet little elf with a horrible abusive stepfather whom she has run away from. Kiana promises to keep her safe. Oskar discovers them hiding in his garage.

Meanwhile, the theater in Glasdorf is nothing but a blackened rubble, a rogue elf who is dabbling in Dark Magik (Gabi's stepfather Wiebe) plants an idea in another elf's head (Ingo) to mess with Oskar's love life because Ingo will never get with the girl elf he's been pining over since he didn't get a promotion and to top it off, the girl elf Ingo likes actually likes him back. Ingo casts a spell on Oskar: the girl he likes will break his heart. After Ingo realizes it was a mistake on Oskar's part, he tries to reverse it. What a mess!

Between trying to keep all the residents of Glasdorf safe, Gabi out of Wiebe's hands, trying to figure out if their dreams are glimpses into the other's life and amazed at how badly they want each other (physically), Oskar and Kiana must figure out their feelings and whether or not they are meant to be together.

Oh there's so much going on and so much I want to say but I don't want to spoil it for you.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "Looks like they're playing pretend mistletoe again. That's their favorite game."

OVERALL: To borrow a little German, this book was wunderbar. Penny Watson has woven a fun, whimsical, laugh out loud read tinged with danger, dark magic, one angry elf and one semi-sloshed angry elf with feelings of remorse. I enjoyed watching Oskar go from a ladies man to a one woman man and Kiana go from closed off and reserved to open and trusting with her heart. When I thought  I knew what was going to happen next, Ms. Watson surprised me. Each and every time. I look forward to the other Klaus brother's stories and I am going back to the book that started it all, Sweet Inspiration.

***review copy provided by Penny Watson***

eARC Review: Her Christmas Pleasure by Karen Erickson

HER CHRISTMAS PLEASURE by Karen Erickson
FORMAT: eBook via Netgalley
GENRE: Historical
FILE SIZE: 235 KB (20,000 words)
PUBLISHER: Carina Press (November 28,2011)

Damien Morton is madly in love. Unfortunately, it’s with his best friend’s widow, Lady Danver. Damien is not worthy of Celia. Or so he thinks. Desperate to escape his feelings for her, he plans to leave the country at the first of the year. Celia treats him as a family friend and nothing more—until they share a heated kiss beneath the mistletoe…
Celia is shocked by the passions that surge within her at her dear friend’s kiss. One touch and one taste aren’t enough to satisfy her cravings, and she is startled into action. Damien has stirred something inside her that she never expected to experience again, and she must have more. Full of shameless desire and emotions newly discovered, she decides to pursue Damien and won’t be deterred. Will she be able to convince him to stay—both in her heart and life—forever? (source)

Where To Find Karen: Author Site | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Where To Buy: Kindle | Nook | Carina Press 
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt

I loved it!

REVIEW: 
Don't judge me! This is probably the 5th holiday themed book I've read this season and I'm going to keep on trucking!

Damien Morton, best friend to Lady Celia Danver's deceased husband and lowly servant's son, has been in love with her for quite some time. There's heavy staring, a bit of a half-massed seductive lid thing going on and a lot of blushing, on Celia's part. Maybe a little on Damien's. He's found another job on France with help from Celia's father-in-law and will be going to take up his new position at the first of the year. Damien thinks he's not good enough for Celia, seeing as his father served under Celia's father-in-law.

A sizzling yet innocent kiss under the mistletoe, egged on by the rest of the family, sets forth in motion the unraveling of their pent up feelings for one another.

Celia is reluctant to tell him how he feels and he in turn does the same but anything is possible around the holidays, right? Damien leaving sparks something in Celia, something that makes her want to hold on to him. He's great with Theo, her son and he's been there for her since the death of her husband. With a little push from her son, who wants a father and thinks Uncle Damien would be a good fit for her, Celia re-evaluates her feeling for Damien. After a sultry night of sweaty sheets, tender caresses and pure sexual magic (or maybe it was the magic of the mistletoe) , Celia and Damien must figure out their feelings for one another as well what the future holds in store for them.


FAVORITE QUOTE: "She'd been aware of him for months. She'd secretly watched him, yearned for him, wished he would notice her too." (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)


OVERALL: In Karen Erickson fashion, this story is a Kindle clutching, 'did I just moan out loud?' inducing, heart tugging, heady as mulled wine, wonderful holiday treat of a read. I just adored Theo, trying to play little matchmaker. Celia and Damien's passion sizzled and scorched the pages and their love for one another makes me believe that yes, anything can happen around the holidays.


***requested off Netgalley***

Five Friday Favorites

Ah, another Friday. Hope you've had a good week so far and an even better weekend. This week has been quite busy planning something fabulous on the blog for December (with help from wonderful friends), reading review books, requesting review books and scheduling posts so I don't have to stay up every night typing away, going cross-eyed. Anywho, let's get on to this weeks favorites, shall we?

MY 5 FRIDAY FAVES THIS WEEK:

A Vampire for Christmas by Laurie London, Michele Hauf, Caridad Pineiro and Alexis Morgan. Ah yes, Christmas has come early and let me just say that a dark, brooding, fanged man is the way to kick off the season. 4 wonderful authors, 4 novellas full of love, lust, laughter and the holiday spirit. A huge thank you to Ms. Laurie London for providing me with a review copy. And it's signed! Be on the lookout for the review once I'm done drooling over these men.





Drop Dead Diva.  Judge me all you want, Netflix has sucked me in. This show is quite addictive. An aspiring model and a lawyer at the top of her game die on the same day (sounds like the beginning of a horrible joke doesn't it?). The model hits the return button and ends up in the lawyer's body. She must come to terms with the fact she must now live that lawyer's life. Throw in an awkward guardian angel, a bubbly smart dumb blonde bff (she has her moments), a slew of guest actors (*ahem* Jake Pavelka, really??), a law firm with snarky, multidimensional characters AND Margaret Cho as her personal assistant and I've lost a whole afternoon.

Holiday themed books. Okay, so I opened with A Vampire for Christmas but I love, love, love this time of year. Holiday themed books are my absolute favorite, not only because of the gorgeous covers but the stories seem more magical. The discovery of new love, the healing of a broken relationship, a sleigh ride tucked next to a loved one, stolen kisses under the mistletoe. *sigh*

Mandy Moore. Hear me out. I grew up listening to her music, watched her go from cookie cutter bubblegum pop princess to versatile actress to soulful singer (all the while changing her haircut and color) and not once has she ever been arrested, tried to beat the crap out of a car with an umbrella, or end up in rehab. She was my Taylor Swift growing up. What brought this on you ask? I blame Katharine Ashe and Netflix. Tangled aka the updated Rapunzel Disney movie, is streaming and I've watched it multiple times. Mandy voices Rapunzel. Then I broke out The Princess Diaries, Saved!, Chasing Liberty, A Walk to Remember and streamed Love, Wedding, Marriage (hello half naked Kellan Lutz).

CLIF bars. Ah yes, Romances Biggest Winner is halfway over and CLIF bars have become my friend. Instead of grabbing the chips or polishing off a bowl of popcorn, I just grab one of these and the hunger goes away. Plus, they're yummy and the seasonal flavors are out. Mmm... gingerbread and spiced pumpkin pie.

So lovely readers, what do YOU love this week? A new movie I should go see? A new book I should pick up or add to The List? A new food I should try? Sharing is Caring. :)