Review of The Devil in Denim by Melanie Scott

The Devil in Denim by Melanie Scott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The Devil in Denim is a sports romance with a twist. Typically the sports romances I read involve an athlete or a recently retired athlete as the main character, but in this book the sports angle has to do with the acquisition of the baseball team and centers around the team's management. While it's true that Alex and his partners were athletes in college, Maggie has the actual sports pedigree as she grew up as part of the team and expected to take over when her father retired. So it was quite a shock when he sold the team without telling her.

Alex loves the Saints and wants to revive the team and keep them in New York. He hopes that with Maggie's support, he'll be able to make the ownership transition smooth for all involved. But he quickly learns that Maggie's father failed to inform her the sale was happening and Saint Maggie isn't quite so saintly when blindsided. As the sparks fly between these two and anger transforms into passion, the heat ignites to inferno levels when Maggie finally gives into the temptation that is Alex. But internal turmoil is not all that stands in Alex’s way as another party makes a bid for the team out of spite and threatens not only his pending ownership, but his relationship with Maggie as well.

The Devil in Denim is a great start to the New York Saints series. Ms. Scott has created a great cast of characters and has introduced me to a side of sports romance that I haven’t been exposed to much … the management. All of the personal and business struggles that Alex and Maggie endured made this for an engrossing read that sucked me in from the beginning. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Angel in Armani.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Review of The Scars That Define Us by M.N. Forgy

The Scars That Define Us by M.N. Forgy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



The Scars That Define Us is the continuation of Dani and Shadow’s story … the one that Ms. Forgy left us dangling off a cliff after the HUGE reveal at the end of What Doesn’t Destroy Us. I have to admit that it was definitely worth the wait. Neither Ms. Forgy nor the Devil’s Dust pull any punches with the opening of this book. Even knowing that the book was the rest of Dani’s story didn’t make me any less scared for her. Fortunately, clearer heads prevailed and she was given the time she needed for everyone to realize that she hadn’t betrayed the club … well, everyone but Shadow.

The first half of the book is largely Shadow and Dani torturing one another as Shadow tries to decide whether or not to trust Dani again and vice versa – he did turn his back on her after all. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel tortured myself by the back and forth between Dani and Shadow. Ms. Forgy kept life “moving forward” within the club, so it never felt like the story stalled. In fact, she had so much going on that I was half-way through the book before realizing it. I devoured this one. Unlike in book one, Dani knows herself better and has accepted that there is darkness within her – no more feeling bipolar (Thank Goodness!). Rather than being forced to deal with her internal drama, there was more than enough external drama going on this time around to keep me engaged. And let’s not forget the sex. Oh! My! God! I cannot believe that it was even hotter this time around. Granted, I questioned Dani’s sanity the first time she and Shadow hooked back up (condom anyone?), but the intensity between these two was off the charts.

As you would expect when dealing with an MC comprised of “one-percenters,” there is plenty of murder and mayhem to go around. While there were several people who died that definitely deserved it, there is a death that will likely leave you reeling and I suspect the ripple effect of it will continue to be felt in the next book. But don’t let me lead you to believe that the book is all dark and depressing scenes. It has its fair share of good events, happy news, and chuckle-inducing moments. I absolutely loved the Epilogue and the last five paragraphs of it had me laughing like a loon. Ms. Forgy has given readers of The Devil’s Dust series a great second installment with The Scars That Define Us and I’m looking forward to book three already.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Review of What Doesn't Destroy Us by M.N. Forgy

What Doesn't Destroy Us by M.N. Forgy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



CLIFFHANGER ALERT!!! Yes, I realize this is the first book in the series, but I was not prepared for the cliff the author left me dangling from and it’s a doozy. It has been a while since I’ve had a WTF moment when reading and the final chapter of What Doesn’t Destroy Us is a definite WTF ending, but the good kind that leaves you salivating for the next book.

As for the rest of the book, that too was hard for me to rate. There is a line in the book when Dani introspectively reflects “My body and mind are making me feel bipolar.” This made me snort and ask the book – out loud – how do you think I feel? I spent almost the first half of the book dizzy from Dani going back and forth regarding her feelings and reactions toward Shadow. I had to remind myself constantly that she was only 21 and her mother suffocated her to the point of extreme naivety. Admittedly, Shadow had his own ping pong game of emotions going on regarding Dani, but her being the MC President’s daughter I got it and it wasn’t nearly as erratic. So needless to say, I was RELIEVED when the two finally faced facts and decided to try things out and boy howdy, do they try things out. Whew! The sex is stellar. Shadow is all alpha male and gritty biker who taps into Dani’s unexpected wild side in bed. I would say she was definitely making up for being suffocated by her mother all those years. After the mid-way point of the book, I found Dani’s character much more enjoyable and I became invested in her; I especially enjoyed the laughing at her getting drunk for the first time and that scene alone wiped away all of the lingering dizziness I felt from the first half of the book.

What Doesn’t Destroy Us is an MC book so it has the expected male-dominated world in which women are property, so if that kind of thinking bothers you, this isn’t the book for you. But if you can enjoy a well-written MC book, then grab it because in addition to all of the relationship angst going on between Shadow and Dani, there is a whole host of action and suspense going on that will keep you entertained and make up for the insanity that is Dani in the first half of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

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Review of Healing the Wounds by M.Q. Barber

Healing the Wounds by M.Q. Barber

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



In Healing the Wounds we return to the ménage relationship between Henry, Jay and Alice. Picking up where Crossing the Lines ended, we find the trio making plans for Alice to move in and become a permanent member of the household, and formally solidifying her place in the relationship. Two pages into the book and I immediately remembered why I love this trio so much – Henry is the ever-patient voice of reason offering love, comfort and guidance to the eager-to-please Jay and over-analyzing Alice – in short, they are perfect for one another, flaws and baggage included.

As Henry seeks to correct the damage done from the ill-fated trip to the club, the relationship between the three strengthens and their love for one another deepens. As expected, it is not a simple fix – there is no quick fix for the mental wounds Alice received that night, nor the wounds that were reopened for Jay – and Henry worked to heal the wounds throughout the entire book. I found their reactions and subsequent behaviors so realistic and honest, that I was again immersed in their world. Henry is still the beautiful dominant, subtle in his domination and taking pleasure in meeting Jay and Alice’s needs; he is at complete odds with my preferred alpha Dom, but I love him all the same – perhaps even more so. The way in which the author enables Henry to meet the emotional needs of Jay and Alice – both personally and using one to meet the other’s needs – is absolutely brilliant. Add to that, the unbelievably hot sex and non-sex sex (when you read it, you’ll get the reference), it is not surprising to me that I devoured the book and am sad that it is over already.

Ms. Barber does an excellent job of making these three seem so real and expressive that I find myself so invested in their characters. Because their story is not rushed, I foresee (hopefully) many more novels in the Neighborly Affection series and I am already anxious for the next one. Until then, I will have to bide my time by checking out the recently released short story from the series. I don’t typically buy short stories, but when they are written by a wonderful author and are part of a series that I am becoming obsessed with, I do and will make an exception. Thank you Ms. Barber for writing such beautiful characters and please write quickly as I need to know what comes next.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the Healing the Wounds by M.Q. Barber blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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Review of How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps by Josephine Myles

How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps by Josephine Myles

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



WARNING: If you’re an American reader and you don’t enjoy reading books written by an English author, then you will likely want to steer clear of this book. This book is set in England about two English blokes, so if you don’t like or can’t read books that aren’t in American English then this isn’t the book for you. That said, if you can read such a book or are like myself and enjoy it, then find yourself a comfortable place to read and prepare to be entertained.

Jeff is straight, Straight, STRAIGHT as they come and newly single after being in a committed relationship with his high school sweetheart for over a decade. As she was the only person he had ever been with, he doesn’t do well on the dating scene and even worse when he attempts to enter the BDSM scene – something his partner had refused to explore with him. As a gardener, Jeff has met a myriad of people and befriended one of his clients who happened to be a Dom. When Niall introduces Jeff to the sub he has found to work with him, Jeff is taken aback because Eddie is a man. A gay man. As expected, Jeff balks at the idea of working with Eddie, but Niall and Eddie planted the right seeds during their interactions with Jeff and Jeff ends up contacting Eddie to chat about the BDSM scene. What follows is a lovely tale of two men finding their perfect match.

I absolutely adored Jeff and Eddie. Jeff has a tendency to alienate people due to his unflinching honesty (a.k.a. rudeness); whereas Eddie is extremely personable and tends to put people at ease. This works in Eddie’s favor as it allows him to work his way into becoming Jeff’s “training” sub as Jeff is everything Eddie ever wanted in a Dom, except his heterosexuality. The interactions between the two are quite entertaining as they walk the path of discovering Jeff’s sexuality and many of their conversations left me snickering at them. Actually, Jeff’s inner monologue as to whether or not an action was gay or not was laugh out loud funny. The sex scenes are hot, which honestly surprised me with the “educational” feel Eddie tried to infuse into them to keep from scaring off Jeff. Of course, my heart broke for both men on the night of their fifth and final lesson and I seriously wanted to smack them both for their failure to communicate.

How to Train You Dom in Five Easy Steps was a thoroughly enjoyable book that I couldn’t wait to get back to each time I got interrupted. I loved watching Jeff discover a new side to his personality and the way in which Eddie helped him do this. Watching the relationship develop between the two men was a treat that I will get to experience again as this book has definitely made it to my re-read list. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Myles’ work.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the How to Train Your Dom in Five Easy Steps by Josephine Myles blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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