Tempting the Player (The Gamble Brothers #2) by J.Lynn

Title: Tempting the Player
Author: J. Lynn
Series: The Gamble Brothers #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: 3/5

Chad Gamble, all-star pitcher for the Nationals, is one of the best players on—and off—the field. And right now, the notorious bad boy wants Bridget Rodgers. But with her lush curves and snappy comebacks, the feisty redhead is the kind of woman a man wants to settle down with…and that’s the last thing Chad needs.

When the paparazzi catch them in a compromising position, Chad’s manager issues an ultimatum: clean up his act or kiss his multi-million dollar contract goodbye. To save his career, his meddling publicist says he'll have to convince everyone Bridget isn’t just his flavor of the week, but his girlfriend.

Being blackmailed into a fake relationship with Chad Gamble isn’t easy, especially when the sizzling physical attraction between them is undeniable. With a month to go on their arranged pretense, it's going to take every ounce of willpower they have not to fall into bed together...or in love.
 

Review:

I downloaded this book onto my Nook ages ago and forgot about it until yesterday.  I needed something a little different than what I had been reading up to that point - mostly paranormal and fantasy - so clicked on this one.  It's a bad-boy meets good-girl story that I enjoyed.

Chad Gamble is a star pitcher for the Nationals and he's also a wicked bad boy.  Then he meets Bridget Rodgers the ultimate good girl in a bar that caters to Dom's, Sub's and Swingers called Leather and Lace. And things happen, very delicious things.

Because of Chad's reputation an image consultant is brought in to clean up Chad's act or he will be cut by the Nationals.  This is also the time that Bridget comes back into Chad's life and they are caught in a compromising position.  Enter fake relationship stage left.

What I liked about this book was that the characters are real and genuine.  You feel like you could be friends with these people if they weren't fictional characters.  Chad's got a bad reputation but he loves his brothers and his extended family very much.  Bridget is much the same way, minus the bad reputation.  I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well.  They added a lot of humor and dimension to this story.  I can hardly wait to read there stories!  The love scene's in this book were incredible too.

What I didn't really care for was the way the love scene's were written.  It comes out early in the book that Chad is a Dom when it comes to the sexual stuff.  Yet when you get to the love scene's he's written as a pretty girly-man Dom. That bothered me a little bit.  What also bothered me, which is entirely my fault, was that I started with the second book in the series.  Not the smartest thing I've done recently, especially sense references are made to the first book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much.  I wish I had started with the first book instead of the second but hey, what's done is done.  I have the first book on my Nook as well and I can hardly wait for June to get here so I can read Chandler's story!

Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders #13) by Lorelei James

Title: Kissin' Tell
Author: Lorelei James
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Series: Rough Riders #13
Source: Personal E-Book Purchase

Rating: 3.75/5


She once led him around by a string. Now he’s the one holding the reins.

Georgia Hotchkiss swore wild horses couldn’t drag her back to Sundance, Wyoming. So it’s ironic she’s forced to take a rodeo PR job in her former hometown—right before her ten-year class reunion. The only thing worse than facing her cheating ex-husband and his pregnant wife? Showing up to the reunion without a date. Fate smiles on her when she runs into her former classmate and current cowboy hottie Tell McKay. With his infectious smile and fun-loving ways—not to mention his banging body—he’s the perfect solution to her problem.

Tell McKay had it so bad for Hot Lips Hotchkiss during high school that he let her run roughshod over him. But he is no longer that easily manipulated boy—these days he’s earned a reputation with the ladies that lives up to the McKay last name. He agrees to escort her to the reunion with one stipulation; that Georgia proves she has left behind the goody-goody cheerleader of the past—by sharing his bed.

Their sexual chemistry flashes so bright, they barely notice that the reunion has come and gone, and now they’re tangled up in another dreaded “R” word—relationship. But if Tell wants to get the girl this go-around, he’ll have to come up with a whole new set of knots to tie up her heartstrings.

Warning: Contains a sweet talkin’ wild cowboy with a wagon load of crazy-hot sex fantasies and the mad bedroom skills to back up his claims.

Review:

This is one of my favorite series that I've come across recently. My mom turned me onto the McKay's and I haven't stopped reading since. Those McKay men sure are something. Though I will be honest...This is not my most favorite book in the series. I'm not saying it's a bad book because it's not at all...It just didn't live up to some of the expectations that I had going into this book.

I really liked our main character's Tell McKay and Georgia Hotchkiss as individuals. As a couple I was pretty lukewarm on them. As you can read from the synopsis, Tell and Georgia have history...history that they aren't afraid to use against each other. There were times when I felt that some of their issues were dealt with in a pretty juvenile manner as well. Though I will admit that once Tell figured out he was playing for keeps their were a fair amount of really sweet moments between the two.

There are plenty of cameo appearances by the majority of the McKay men, which always makes me a happy girl. Even when they are doing dumb things, which they are pretty good at. Then there is the addition of family drama on both sides, which makes things interesting for sure. Then there are the misconceptions...Not everyone is the same person they were in High School and sometimes people forget that.

Overall, this was, in my opinion anyway, a decent installment of this series. I'll definitely be continuing to read the rest of the Rough Riders series that's for sure. It's hard to imagine that there are only 2 McKay's left. If you haven't read this series I highly recommend it. It's unbelievably HOT and I'm not just talking about the guys either.

Giving Chase (Chase Brothers #1) by Lauren Dane

Giving Chase by Lauren Dane
"A plate of Chili Cheese Fries + pants = True Love"

Title: Giving Chase
Author: Lauren Dane
Series: Chase Brothers #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotica
Source: Personal E-Book purchase
Rating: 4.75/5

I really enjoyed this book very much. I downloaded this book onto my Nook on a whim and once I finished this book I automatically downloaded the next 3 books in the series. It was just that good and that dang HOT!

Our heroine Maggie has just been dumped by yet another boyfriend, ha ha sucks to be him, and is out with her girlfriends, Liv and Dee, at The Pumphouse when the Chase brothers walk in for their weekly pool night. The Chase brothers are the one group of guys in the town of Petal, GA that EVERY woman wants to get there hands on, LITERALLY, Maggie included. A little run in with Sheriff Shane Chase and a plate of Chili Cheese fries in her lap, a bat crap crazy mother/sister combination and a creepy stalker starts off a whirlwind of excitement in this book.

Shane Chase has been burned by women before. Needless to say his attitude towards Maggie in the beginning is well, he climbed on his menstrual cycle and tried to run her ass over. But after apologizing Shane decides that he wants to take Maggie out on a date, do the casual thing. All goes well for a while. But then the good looking nutcase implodes is own relationship.

In steps little brother Kyle to clean up the mess. Yeah White Knight! Kyle is the exact opposite of Shane. He befriends Maggie first then goes about pursuing a relationship with her. And BOY HOWDY do things get HOT when the smexing starts.

The one thing that I really didn't care for in this book was Maggie's mother and sister. Can you say emotionally abusive much?! I think that all the drama that's thrown in, Kyle's mom Polly or Tsunami Polly as I like to call her, and the budding romance between Kyle and Maggie even out all the emotional abuse.

Overall, I was really happy with the first book in this series and I most definitely continued on with it. If you haven't checked out this series please do!

Skin Deep (I-Team 5.5) by Pamela Clare

Title: Skin Deep
Author: Pamela Clare
Series: I-Team 5.5
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Source: Personal E-book purchase
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Sexual Meter: Sex scenes, acts of sensuality
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Broken on the inside
Megan Hunter has worked hard to get back on her feet, leaving the nightmare of her teenage years behind. The last thing she wants or needs in her life is a man. But when she is attacked by someone from her past, a scarred stranger intervenes, saving her life and that of her little girl. Looks can be deceiving, for despite the man’s rough appearance, she feels safe with him. And for the first time in her life, she knows the stirrings of desire.
Broken on the outside
Nathaniel West paid a high price serving with the Marines in Afghanistan. He returned to his family’s ranch in the Colorado mountains to heal—and be alone. Disfigured as he is, he has put all thoughts of sex and romance aside. But something about Megan brings him back to life, heats his blood, makes him feel like a man again. As danger pursues her, and the truth about her past is revealed, he vows to protect her—and to heal her wounded spirit.
But confronting the past is never easy—especially when it’s carrying a gun. Megan will have to learn to trust Nate to survive and to claim a passion that is much more than … Skin Deep.
Includes a Bonus Story, Marc & Julian Make a Beer Run
Ride along with Marc, Julian, Zach, Gabe, Reece, Nate, and Joaquin as a beer run turns out to be more than they bargained for.

Review:

I saw this book as I checking out the lendable books that were available from my Nook Friends. The premise of the story sounded so good that I just had to have it. I’ve read one other book in the I-Team series and I really enjoyed it very much. If you haven’t checked out this series I highly recommend it.

We actually meet Megan in an earlier book in the series, one that I haven’t read yet and I actually didn’t know this until I was reading reviews for this book on Goodreads. Megan has her own set of demons that she’s dealing with most of them stem from events that happened to her when she was younger. Megan is also a single mother who is trying to do right by her little girl Emily. But Megan does have 1 big problem and his name is Donny.

Nate West is a former Marine who is dealing with the burns that came from an IED. He has always admired Megan from afar but when Megan is attacked in the parking lot on her way to pick up Emily from pre-school he steps in and rescues her. After reading a little bit about Nate you learn that he’s been “burned” by women before and he really wasn’t ready to through his hat in the ring yet when it came to dating but Megan saw past his burns and he eventually gets over himself.

The romance between Nate and Megan starts off pretty slowly and escalates pretty quickly once Megan takes Nate up on his open invitation. I really enjoyed all the secondary characters that are in the book very much. Every character adds a little something extra to the book to make it just that much more appealing. The drama and suspense kept building through out the story as well. The only issue that I had with the book was you know at the beginning of the book who the bad guy is. That slightly detracted from the story for me.