Changing the Game

Changing the Game by Jaci Burton

Publisher: Heat

August 2011

ISBN: 978-0-425-24240-7

Pages: 320



Elizabeth Darnell is one of the best sport agents in the business. She knows how to get the best deals for her clients and how to get them the best PR so that they can get even better deals in their respective sports. What she has never done is get the best for herself in her personal life. She has been in love with her client Gavin Riley for years and she has done everything to make sure he has never known that.

Gavin Riley is a baseball player that because of Elizabeth and her genius PR ability has become very popular as a baseball star. Elizabeth and Gavin share a kiss that has changed the whole dynamics of their relationship. Now Gavin is looking at Elizabeth in a whole new light and enjoying what he is seeing. He always knew she was sexy but he never let it affect him before now. Gavin is seeing a completely different side of Elizabeth, one he never saw before. He is also enjoying the challenge she is presenting him with.

Gavin and Elizabeth are playing a game and if they are not careful they might both lose this one. The attraction between them now that it has been let lose is heating up very quickly and if they are not careful they will both get burned. The new relationship they are suddenly finding themselves in is not going to be easy as there are those that would rather see them fail than for Gavin and Elizabeth to find the happiness they just might have a chance at. Only time is going to tell if they are going to win this game they have found themselves in or if they will face the ultimate loss. If they are not careful their professional relationship will end up blowing up in their faces.



This is another excellent story by this author. The story line is fresh and the story comes alive as each page is turned. The characters are well written and human with all the fallacies that normal people face in real life. Reading as the characters navigate the relationship that they find themselves in is amazing and will keep the reader drawn into the story until the very end. This is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone though the reader would get more of out the story by reading the first one first. This just wets the appetite of the reader so that they will be clamoring for the next one in this series. This is worth picking up and reading.


I give this one 5 red roses

Confessions of an Improper Bride

Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore

Publisher: Grand Central

August 2011

ISBN: 978-0-446-57314-6

Pages: 384



London, England 1828


Serena Donovan made a mistake six years ago that ruined her reputation and left her heartbroken. She gave her heart to Jonathan Dane and paid a very steep price. Now because of that mistake she has had to take on the identity of her dead twin sister. This is the only way she will be able to return to London and save her family from the peril they are facing. But to do what she needs to do she will have to marry a man she doesn’t love. And the rest of her life is going to be one continual lie. Serena is going to have to find a way to live with that lie because if she doesn’t her family will pay the price.

Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford made the biggest mistake of his life six years ago and turned to drinking, gambling and becoming an incorrigible rake all in the aim of forgetting Serena Donovan. Now he meets Meg the very prim and proper sister of his beloved Serena only to see that Meg is the one woman he has never forgotten, Serena. Now he has the chance to win Serena again and this time he has no intention of losing her. But for him to claim Serena he will have to destroy the lies Serena has so carefully built and all the sacrifices she has made. The first thing Jonathan will have to do though is convince Serena that she can trust him this time around that he will never let her down again. That isn’t going to be as easy as he would like but he knows that the only way either of them will have a chance at happiness is for him to prove himself to Serena.


This story is one that will pull on the reader’s heartstrings and have them turning the pages just to see if Serena and Jonathan are going to have their happy ending. This one has some very strong secondary characters that really help move the story along and draws the reader into the story and won’t let go until the very last page. It also shows the power of love and how sometimes it helps to overcome the things that have gone wrong and even when you think there is no way for things to work out that with a little luck and love things do work out in the end. This is the start of a series that will have the reader eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. This one is worth picking up and reading.


I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

Unbalanced

Unbalanced: Demon Lovers by Kate Douglas

Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing

June 2011



Addie Logan was only trying to help the woman in the park. What she didn’t expect was to be attacked and bitten for her efforts. She also didn’t expect the woman to completely disappear on her. What starts out as a bad day seems to have suddenly gotten worse and weirder. She also never expected to wake up in the middle of the night to find two gorgeous men standing over her bed.

Jett and Locan couldn’t be more opposites as they are black and white. They inform Addie that it is now her job to keep them from killing each other as the three of them hunt demons as they protect the world from the demons.

Now Addie suddenly has to learn how to fight demons and to help her men fight Demonikus, demons that her men have never seen or encountered before. Now the three of them are going to have to learn quickly how to work together and to trust each other if they hope to make it out of their fights alive. Addie is going to have to learn to fight as fast as possible or her life will be over before she has a chance to find some happiness with the two most gorgeous men she has ever met. This morning might have started out bad but it is suddenly looking up if she can just stay long enough to really get a chance to enjoy it.


This is a different take on demons that is interesting to read. This is a fast read as it is a short story but it is well worth picking up and reading. This is also the start of a new series for this author and after reading this one will have readers interested in trying other books by this author. This one will also have the reader eagerly awaiting the next book in this series to see just where this series is headed.


I give this one 4 red roses

Dragonfyre

Dragonfyre by Donna Grant

Publisher: Donna Grant

May 2011




Aimery is commander of the Fae army and has a reputation of getting those that he is sent to find. Aimery’s latest mission is to find the one that killed one of the sacred Blue Dragons and stole an egg. He is determined to find the one responsible and to make sure that they pay the price for what they have done.

Kyndra is a priestess of the Dragon Order and part of her job is to protect all the dragons in the Realm of the Fae. Kyndra is sent by the high priestess to help Aimery track the one that killed the Blue Dragon and to recover the egg that has been stolen.

What neither Aimery nor Kyndra expect is to have to track the killer to another realm or to face what is waiting for them in that other realm. Neither of them expected the passion that they feel for each other nor the desire that seems to have them completely aware of only each other. Aimery’s life is at stake and the only way Kyndra can save him is to give herself to him and to the love that she has found in her heart for Aimery and him alone. Now they are going to have to find a way to overcome the killer so that they can make it out of this fight alive and just maybe have a future neither of them ever expected to find or ever dreamed of having.


This is a very good short story that is worth reading. The different universe comes alive as the reader reads about it. The world building is fabulous and so engrossing that the reader will find themselves completely captivated by the story and eagerly turning the pages. The world and plants while not what most are used to they are fun to read about. This one is hard to put down once you start reading it as the story is so completely absorbing to read.


I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

To Touch A Knight

To Touch A Knight
Lindsay Townsend
Zebra Books

Available in Kindle, paperback and all good ebook sources.

Ranulf is called the Black Knight for good reason. He defeats all challengers in the joust and he broods – on the death of his wife and his guilt. When he meets the Lady of the Lilies – a princess from far Cathay - he is intrigued and his mood lightens. The Princess always goes veiled and her clothes are exotic scraps of fine cloth, which she fashions in her own style. Who is she and why does she follow the tourney? Torn between the Princess and a little brown maid he saw peeping at him on the riverbank, Ranulf is determined to solve the mystery.

Edith and her people have run from a cruel master. In a land stalked by pestilence they have to find a way to survive both the Black Death and hunger, and they live in fear of discovery by their old lord. Only the Lady of the Lilies and her mystery stand between them and a terrible punishment. But perhaps now there is a new saviour in the person of the Black Knight. Can Ranulf keep them safe and lead them to a new life?

The time of the Black Death was terrible for people in England and Europe. Townsend treats this period with honesty and sympathy. Parts of the book are perhaps dark because of the period but there is also a great deal of humour, fun and sensuality in this book, which should delight Townsend’s fans. I found it a thoroughly enjoyable read and the equal of her earlier knight books. This author is one to be followed as she carves a prominent place for herself on the historical list. If you enjoy medieval you must read this, because it is one of the best.

This book completely deserves its five red roses.
Linda Sole

Tucker's Claim

Tucker’s Claim: Hell’s Eight series by Sarah McCarty

Publisher: Spice

October 2009

ISBN: 978-0-373-60529-3

Pages: 329



1800’s Texas


Tucker McCade has been to hell and back. One of only eight survivors when the Mexican army came through their town and killed everyone, when the eight of them were still kids, his life since hasn’t been easy. What makes it worse is the fact that he is also a half-breed and too many people are more than happy to tell him where his place is and where it isn’t. Tucker has learned to make a place for himself in the “white” world and he usually has to do that with his fists and his guns. It helps that he is a Texas Ranger but that little fact doesn’t help enough. Tucker is now questioning the way he has lived his life and that is all thanks to a Quaker nurse named Sally Mae.

Sally Mae is a pacifist and she doesn’t understand the way Tucker lives his life. Sally Mae has a difficult time meshing how Tucker can be so gentle and patient with her but is completely capable of pulling a trigger when he feels the need to do so. Sally Mae has decided that when they start an affair that she is going to throw herself whole heartedly into it and not look back but enjoy every single moment of it while she can.

What Tucker and Sally Mae never counted on was Sally Mae getting pregnant. Now they are going to have to find a way to compromise on what they believe and how they are going to forge a life together. When Tucker’s past comes calling on them they will have to find a way to survive because those after Tucker are playing for keeps and it will take all of Tucker’s considerable skill to keep them both alive.



This is another great story in this series. The characters in the first two books make cameo appearances that give the reader a peak into their lives but the reader also gets to know more about Tucker and the reader will not be disappointed in the least. With this book the story line is fast and action packed and will have the reader eagerly reaching for the next book in the series. As each character’s story unfolds the story line as a whole gets that much better. This is one series worth giving a try.


I give this one 4-1/2 red roses