eARC Review: Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl

REAL MEN WILL by Victoria Dahl
FORMAT: eBook via NetGalley
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
MASS MARKET PAPERBACK: 336 pages
PUBLISHER: Harlequin- HQN (October 25,2011)
ISBN: 9780373776092

It was meant to be a one-night stand. One night of passion. Scorching hot. Then Beth Cantrell and Eric Donovan were supposed to go their separate ways. That’s the only reason he lied about his name, telling her he was really his wild younger brother. Hiding his own identity as the conservative Donovan. The “good” one.
But passion has its own logic, and Eric finds he cannot forget the sable-haired beauty with whom he shared one night of passion. When Beth discovers that Eric has lied, however, she knows he cannot be trusted. Her mind tells her to forget the blue-eyed charmer. If only every fiber of her being did not burn to call him back. (source)

WHERE TO FIND VICTORIA: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book Depository | Powell's
BOOK EXTRAS: Read an Excerpt

Go and buy it NOW!

OTHER BOOKS IN SERIES: (clicking on the covers will take you to excerpts):


REVIEW:OH. MY. GOD. Victoria Dahl you are my new contemporary genre goddess. 
Eric Donovan became a father figure and brewery owner at 24 years old due to the death of his parents. He's had to deal with bad boy brother Jamie's constant fuck ups and sheltering sweet baby sister Tessa all the while running a brewery on his own. Taking on these responsibilities at such a young age had finally taken its toll and begins to make Eric question who he really is. His siblings no longer need him, they're in steady relationships and had grown into their responsibilities at the brewery. 
Beth Cantrell is the owner of The White Orchid, an upscale lingerie and sex toys boutique. For the past six months, all she can think about is Jamie Donovan and the things he did to her with his mouth, his hands and other parts of his body. Sure, she's been with other guys since then but, Jamie keeps creeping back into her thoughts. A night out at Donovan's brings her face to face with the man she can't seem to forget, although leaves her a little confused because a different Jamie Donovan is pointed out to her.
Well, turns out Jamie Donovan isn't the man Beth met at the conference six months ago but Eric, the older, uptight brother. Between Eric's lying, her strained relationship with her father due to a mistake from the past and anxiously waiting for the return of her friend and owner of The White Orchid, Beth must figure out who she is and what she wants. Eric knows he lied to Beth about his name but he swears that's the only thing he lied about. Not really a good way to start to gain her trust.
Their physical relationship is scorching hot! I was waiting for my Kindle to start melting in my hands. Beth's big reveal of her secret shocked me and her inner turmoil of whether to tell her father what she really does for a living or not, had me chanting under my breath--'Do it. Do it. Do it.' Of course, I chanted that as well right before Eric and Beth got touchy feely.
FAVORITE QUOTE: "And you didn't tell me our brother was a goddamned rock star?" (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)
OVERALL: Each book in the Donovan Brothers Brewery trilogy has gotten hotter and hotter. Tessa's (GOOD GIRLS DON'T) was hot, Jamie's (BAD BOYS DO) was hotter, and Eric's (REAL MEN WILL) was a complete scorcher. I had to put it down several times to fan myself and run out on the balcony since the weather has cooled down a bit. My cheeks were flushed, I may have gripped my Kindle to the point of almost breaking it, twice and I sobbed like a baby at the heart to hearts, of which I will not divulge. Also, I may have screamed "Sarsaparilla!" a few times while reading this book. I swear, you need a safe word or something when indulging in a Victoria Dahl book. I mean it's a good thing. The smexing was hel-lo! A perfect ending to a five hearts trilogy (I rated each book with 5 purple hearts.) Now I'm itching for more V.Dahl books. *sigh*
***Book requested from NetGalley.***

W...W...W... (15)

W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme MizB of Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So, here's my answers:

• What are you currently reading?

Every Scandalous Secret by Gayle Callen. The final conclusion to the "Scandalous Lady" trilogy involving a scandalously nude lady of Society in a painting, 3 gentleman friends and 2 sisters and their cousin. A game of passion, discovery and mystery. Ms. Callen will be on the blog next month so be on the lookout.

Serendipity by Carly Phillips. A fabulous pink cover (I'm a cover ho), a story of second chances, a woman ready to move on from news worthy scandal and a bad boy hell bent on making things right. What more could you ask for?

• What did you recently finish reading?

Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl. Okay, so this book doesn't release until late October but it sure put a smile on my face. A wonderful ending to the Donovan Brothers Brewery trilogy. This one is a scorcher! No kidding. It's always the quiet ones... Be on the lookout for my review.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Bound in Lingerie by Gina Gordon. A sexy cover (Imma cover ho. Sue me.) and the author will be stopping by the blog next month.

In Pursuit of a Scandalous Lady by Gayle Callen. I guess I'm reading this trilogy backwards but according to Ms. Callen's site, the books can be read out of order. Evidently, the events in the books overlap each other so this will be great.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

eARC Review: Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl

BAD BOYS DO by Victoria Dahl
FORMAT: eBook via NetGalley
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
MASS MARKET PAPERBACK: 384 pages
PUBLISHER: Harlequin- HQN (September 27,2011)
ISBN: 9780373776023

Olivia Bishop is no fun. That’s what her ex-husband said. That’s what her smart bob and glasses imply. And with her trademark determination, Olivia sets out to remake her life. She’s going to spend time with her girlfriends and not throw it all away for some man. But when an outing with her book club leads her to a brewery taproom, the dark-haired beauty realizes that trouble – in the form of sexy Jamie Donovan – may be too tempting to avoid.
Jamie Donovan doesn’t mean to be bad. Sure, the wild streak in his wicked green eyes has lured the ladies before. But it’s time to grow up. He’s even ready for a serious romance. But how can that be when Olivia, the only right woman he has ever met, already has him pegged as wrong. (source)

WHERE TO FIND VICTORIA: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book Depository | Powell's
BOOK EXTRAS: Read an Excerpt

Go and buy it NOW!

OTHER BOOKS IN SERIES: (clicking on the covers will take you to excerpts):




REVIEW:
Oh that Jamie Donovan. *sigh* Here's 5 reasons why he makes me sigh:

1. He looks good in and out of a kilt. 
2. He's a great instructor of fun. 
3. He's good with his hands; in bed and putzing about the house.
4. For telling a joke or kissing him, first pint's half price.
5. He's charming, approachable and totally panty dropping worthy.

Previously in GOOD GIRLS DON'T, we meet Jamie Donovan who has completely screwed up. He slept with the daughter of the man that the brewery was planning on doing business with and on top of that, the woman he slept with steals the security code so her brother could break in to the brewery to steal sensitive information. Jamie has a rocky relationship with his brother Eric and still thinks of his sister, Tessa, as an innocent little girl.

All his life, he's felt like a no-good fuck up and finally wants to be more than the bad boy who the ladies swoon over when he's wearing his kilt. He's ready to take on more responsibility at the brewery besides being bartender, server and 1/3 owner, and he's got a plan. A really good one. He secretly takes a class on food and beverage management to help him with his plan.

Olivia Bishop doesn't know what fun is. You wouldn't either if you were married to some stuck up tenure chasing professor. Of course, Olivia is no longer married to Victor who she walked in on going at it with a student. Yikes! She's ready to discover who the real Olivia is and well, learning to have fun with Jamie seems like a good way to start.

In exchange for Jamie teaching Olivia how to have fun, she would help him with his plan to expand the brewery into a brewpub. And cue in the bow chicka wow wow music. Insert hot for teacher joke here.

Olivia and Jamie enter into a deliciously hot sexual relationship (hello mirror!) and must deal with creepy, possessive ex-husband Victor, Olivia's insecurity about her age and Jamie's volatile relationship regarding the expansion of the brewery with Eric while trying to deny their growing emotional attraction to each other and pfft-ing it off as hot and heavy sexual attraction. Didja get all that?

FAVORITE QUOTE: "'What the hell?' Jamie muttered, his skin still hot with embarrassment, thought half of his embarrassment was because he wasn't sure what he was upset about: That he'd just been accused of inviting his brewmaster to come on to him, or that his brewmaster had rejected him out of hand?" (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)

OVERALL: Tessa's book (GOOD GIRLS DON'T) was pretty hot but Jamie's book (BAD BOYS DO) was hotter. I'm sure Eric's will be the hottest. Ms. Dahl makes me smile every time I read one of her books and BAD BOYS DO is no different. I like love lust Jamie Donovan. He's a bad boy with a good heart. (Wait, is that like a hooker with a heart of gold?) Anyway, this hot for teacher, older woman/younger man story is  well done. Okay, hot for instructor if you want to get technical. Olivia sort of annoyed me when she kept emphasizing on their age difference but I grew to like her. This book is sexy, funny and heart warming at times. P.S. I wanted to punch Victor in the face and may have cheered when Jamie did. :)

***Requested off of NetGalley***

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W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme MizB of Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So, here's my answers:

• What are you currently reading?

Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl. Ah yes, the conclusion to the Donovan Brothers Brewery trilogy and it has been quite the ride so far. This is Eric's book, the eldest Donovan and Beth Cantrell, the owner of an erotic boutique. So far I've laughed pretty hard to the point my sides hurt and I've wanted to throw the book at the wall several times (the galley is on my Kindle-- *pets Kindle lovingly* precioussss). 

Serendipity by Carly Phillips. I received this ARC from a Goodreads giveaway and have finally started to tackle it. I'm still halfway through it. The poor book is splayed out on the end table because apparently I can't seem to find a bookmark even though I brought home a ton from RomCon11. A story of second chances between a bad boy turned millionaire and the daughter of a disgraced ponzi schemer. 

• What did you recently finish reading?

Romancing the Countess by Ashley March. Gah! There was a blackout while I was in the middle of reading this book. I lit a few candles, strained my eyes and managed to finish reading before my bedtime. Read my review here.


Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl. Oh that Jamie Donovan, taking up with his instructor. He's definitely hot for teacher. Olivia Bishop isn't exactly breaking any rules by sleeping with Jamie since she's not giving grades and the class is only instructional. 

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Every Scandalous Secret by Gayle Callen. This is my first Gayle Callen book. This is the conclusion to her "Scandalous Lady" trilogy. I am participating in her book blog tour next month and have agreed to do a review and host Gayle on the blog. Be on the lookout, there's a giveaway accompanying that.

Bound by Lingerie by Gina Gordon. A new to me author and I am participating in her book blog tour next month. It's got quite a sexy cover AND title. What's not to like? 

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! 

Teaser Tuesday (15)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser:

"He wasn't the same man six months ago. His family and his work... those were slipping away."

~39% of 100, Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl

***quote subject to change in finished copy***

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

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W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme MizB of Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So, here's my answers:

• What are you currently reading?

Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl. Hellooo Jamie Donovan. Hot for teacher.
Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl. Yes, another one. I've been slowly reading this book. Take a hot lady mechanic, put her together with a focused architect and you get an explosive story.  

Serendipity by Carly Phillips. Ah yes. The story of the one that got away but a second chance is in the cards. A story of the disgraced daughter whose father headed a ponzi scheme and the bad boy who left his family to be taken in by the state. 
A Touch of Crimson by Sylvia Day. Still reading slowly through this one too. 

• What did you recently finish reading?

Changing the Game by Jaci Burton. Whoa! Hot smexing with a younger baseball player alert. Prepare to get your panties melted off. Elizabeth Darnell has finally been redeemed from THE PERFECT PLAY. She was a total beeyotch in that one but Ms. Burton found a way to make me feel for her in this book.

Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Regency style. You must read this. Words cannot even begin to describe my feelings for it. It's sexy, it's heart tugging, adrenaline pumping, totally unputdownable.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Romancing the Countess by Ashley March. I've been chomping at the bit to read this since the snippets came out on her site months ago. The hero and heroine's spouses were carrying on an affair. If that doesn't intrigue you, I don't know what will.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! 

W...W...W... (12)

W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme MizB of Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So, here's my answers:

• What are you currently reading?

Changing the Game by Jaci Burton. Holy hotness! Elizabeth was a total bitch in THE PERFECT PLAY. This book is her redemption, with Gavin, Mick's younger brother. This should prove to be a bit awkward.

A Touch of Crimson by Sylvia Day. There's angels, er Sentinels. There are fallen angels aka vampires. There are lycans, indentured servants to the Sentinels. Got that? Now on to the complicated part. The head Sentinel, Adrian, has found the soul of his one true love in a mortal woman's body. He must save her before she dies. Again.

Serendipity by Carly Phillips. Second chances...

Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl. There's a little bit of tying up going on. Kinky.

• What did you recently finish reading?

The Making of a Gentleman by Shana Galen. Um, I won 3 copies of this book and I'm only getting around to reading it now?! It's a wonderful story. 

Romancing Lady Cecily by Ashley March. A novella which sets up ROMANCING THE COUNTESS (9/6/11). It's sexy, full of emotion and a bit mysterious, all in 15,000 words. 

Playing with Fire: Forbidden & Tangled by Karen Erickson. 2 books. Both stories complete scorchers. This is not for the faint of heart.

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl. I read GOOD GIRLS DON'T, which is the first book in the Donovan Brothers Brewery series, and LOVED IT! Looking forward to seeing if Jamie will finally find the woman to curb his wild streak. ***requested from NetGalley***

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! 

eARC Review: Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl

Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl
Format: eBook through NetGalley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Harlequin- HQN (August 30, 2011)
ISBN: 9780373775958
With her long ponytail and sparkling green eyes, Tessa Donovan looks more like the girl next door than a businesswoman – or a heartbreaker. Which may explain why Detective Luke Asher barely notices her when he arrives to investigate a break-in at her family’s brewery. He’s got his own problems – starting with the fact that his partner Simone is pregnant and everyone thinks he's the father. The last thing he needs is a nice girl like Tessa getting under his skin.Tessa has her hands full, too. Her brother’s playboy ways may be threatening the business, and the tensions could tear her tight-knit family apart.  In fact, the only thing that could unite the Donovan boys is seeing a man come after their “baby” sister. Especially a man like Luke Asher. But Tessa sees past the rumors to the man beneath. (source)

Where To Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Noble/Nook | Indiebound | Book Depository
Where To Find Victoria: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr
Extras: Read an Excerpt

Go and buy it NOW!

Other Books in Series Coming Soon (Donovan Brothers Brewery):




REVIEW:

Dear Victoria Dahl,
Why have I not picked up your contemporaries? I've read your historicals and absolutely loved them. Thanks for getting me back into romance. The Duke of Somerhart will forever be the first hero in my harem. Now, back to contemporaries. Oh yeah, I'm not normally a big fan of them but after reading GOOD GIRLS DON'T, I'll be sure to give contemporaries the good, slow loving they deserve.
I have a new appreciation for men in uniform and a sudden need to order a round of Hefeweizen.
Sincerely,
Kati R

Top Reasons To Read This Book:
Hot detective? Check. Fighting brothers? Check. Peace keeping sister? Check. Bi-sexual brew master? Check. Family owned brewery? Check. Use of social media especially awesome tweets by heroine? Ha-larious! Check and double check.

Other Reasons To Read This Book:

1. Luke Asher. Helloooo detective! Luke has a bit of problem. His partner is pregnant, which the whole town thinks is his. His ex did quite a number on his psyche and it is affecting his relationship with Tessa. He supposedly walked out on his ex while she was battling cancer and his mother still has a close relationship with her.   
2. Tessa Donovan. I love her. She is quite witty, spunky and all around family peace keeper.She's trying to keep Eric from finding out that the deal between Kendall Group and Donovan Brothers Brewery has gone sour. She's the little sister that is perceived as innocent, at least until Luke Asher comes along. Commence the panty dropping...
3. Jamie Donovan. Oh Jamie. He can't keep it in his pants. He sleeps with the daughter of the man who owns the airline that they're trying to get their beer served on. Uh oh! Perhaps my favorite Donovan brother? I'll have to wait for BAD BOYS DO.
4. Eric Donovan. Eric was thrust into the father role for Jamie and Tessa at 24 years old. He's the desk jockey for the brewery. He is the responsible older brother and is constantly butting heads with Jamie since he's a little wayyy irresponsible (or at least in Eric's eyes). Or maybe he's my favorite Donovan brother? I'll have to wait for REAL MEN WILL.
5. Hot loving. There's something about a man in a shoulder holster that I've come to appreciate. He's got quite the, ahem, gun for the job. In the bed, in the car, against the wall, in the shower... you get the point.
6. Twitter! Tessa sends out hilarious and clever tweets announcing specials at the bar. Like this one: Feeling my Celtic roots tonight, ladies. You know what that means. Come on by and say slainte. I'm still waiting for my local bars to have awesome tweets like this. But then again, I'd be constantly broke and drunk.

Favorite Quote: "His features were a little harsh. His jaw a little too cruel looking, but the sparkle in his eyes transformed him into a charming rogue. Tessa was glad her jeans would keep her panties firmly in place...for a few hours." (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)

Overall: Well Ms. Dahl. You've done it again. At least for me. I will be adding the rest of this series to my wish list and in the meantime, I'll be reading your Tumble Creek series. You have quite a way with words and my kind of humor. From the first to the last page, I laughed, giggled, sighed, teared up, lusted after a certain detective and debated with myself as who broke into the brewery. A plot twist indeed. Take a sexy detective, a witty heroine, throw in overprotective brothers and a brewery break in, and you've got a recipe for a laugh out loud, heart tugging, down there tingling, keeper of a book.


***Requested off of NetGalley.***

W...W...W... (11)

W...W...W...Wednesdays is a weekly meme MizB of Should Be Reading. 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

So, here's my answers:

• What are you currently reading? 

Touch of Crimson by Sylvia Day
Adriaaannnnn!!! Can a love that transcends death survive a war between angels, vampires, and lycans? 
We'll find out... 
Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl
Ok. So I was reading this last week and I should have finished it by now. I kind of dropped it and finished IN BED WITH A HIGHLANDER by Maya Banks. Sorry V.Dahl. This is a very sexy, sexy book AND there might be a little tying up going on. HOT!


• What did you recently finish reading?

Lessons in Indiscretion by Karen Erickson
Karen's first historical. The cover is gorgeous and this is my first Karen Erickson book. It was a fun, fast and sexy read. Karen was on Romance Lately last night.
In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks
I dropped trew and gave highlanders some love. This was such a great gateway back to reading books about highlanders. An alpha hero, a spunky heroine who has a tendency to blurt out whatever is in her head and a power hungry Laird who will stop at nothing to gain access to the dowry of the spunky heroine. Oh yes, and there's fighting and hot loving.

Growing Up Colt: A Father, A Son, a Life in Football by Colt and Brad McCoy, Mike Yorkey
This is a HUGE change for me. I was totally out of my ever loving Aggie mind. This basically starts off with Colt talking about his first game starting against the Pittsburg Steelers and then goes on to give an overview of his family history, his birth (born in New Mexico over Texas soil in a shoe box), his childhood, his siblings, his school days, his career at the University of Texas, getting drafted in the NFL and marrying his wife (washing of his wife's feet on their wedding night-TMI?). Interspersed are bible verses. Part how to, part memoir, it's a good read.


• What do you think you’ll read next?
Serendipity by Carly Phillips
I swear I am going to read this book next. I've been saying it for the past couple of weeks.
Romancing Lady Cecily by Ashley March
A novella which ties in with Ashley's ROMANCING THE COUNTESS (release date: 9/6). Speaking of, she's on my blog today. Welcome Ashley!

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!