I write book reviews, I also write books, and occasionally I write about myself!

Thursday 17 July 2014

Review... The Rings That Bind - Michelle Smart


The Rings That Bind - Michelle Smart
Mills & Boon Modern
Harlequin UK, 2013
ISBN: 9780263900361












My rating




From the back cover

"On his terms only
The day Rosa agreed to wear Nicolai Baranski's ring she wasn't so foolish as to expect love. Yet nothing could have prepared her for the aching loneliness of her husband's constant indifference-an indifference that proved too much to bear.
Nico is furious- no on turns their back on a Baranski. Rosa has some nerve if she thinks he will just let her walk away. He'll use every sensual trick at this disposal to bring her back, begging for more. And once he's got her where he wants her he'll let her go. But only when he's ready."


*Readers of a more traditional romanace novel nature should pass this book by!*

Let's just get this out of the way first and foremost, shall we? This is not going to be a book for everyone. It pushes buttons, ones that for some people are a deal breaker when it comes to romance novels. Now, I like an ol' traditional style romance (you know the ones - shy untouched virgin heroine vs alpha/kind of a dick hero) as much as the next person. But I also love reading modern books, ones that deal with today's issues and has a voice that I can relate to a lot more. I also like my books to push boundaries, and I got everything I wanted from Michelle Smart here.

One fantastic thing about this book, and there are quite a few fantastic things, is that Michelle has used a really traditional trope - in this case Marriage of Convenience - but has brought it bang up to date and has managed to make this rather out dated idea fit into a modern ideal.

The hero and heroine are both broken characters, but they also seem like very different people. At times I actually did wonder how on earth they could ever find their HEA. But as the story progresses, all the outer layers of the hero and heroine's personalities are stripped away to reveal two very lonely people that really did need each other.

Rosa is a wonderful character; so strong yet so hurt. There is a scene towards the All Is Lost moment where Rosa breaks down and begs Nico to tell her what is wrong with her, why no one ever wants her, which is so emotional and intense it almost had me in tears and I felt this was when I truly learned why Rosa was what she was and did what she did.

There is so much drama in this book and the storytelling, in my opinion, is faultless. I wasn't just told about every high and low, I actually felt them.

The depth of this book surprised me, and I am so glad it did. It is packed full of passion, emotion, joy, and redemption, as well as all the other stuff that makes reading romance so wonderful!

Great stuff, Chellebell!

Xx


Monday 7 July 2014

#ModernTempted... Sex, Lies & Her Impossible Boss - Jennifer Rae



Sex, Lies & Her Impossible Boss - Jennifer Rae
Mills & Boon Modern Tempted
Harlequin UK, 2014
ISBN: 9781472017642












My rating





From the back cover:


"‘There’s no such thing as “just sex”, Cash.’
When the new boss of Faith Harris’s TV station, the famously ruthless and annoyingly gorgeous Cash Anderson, tells her he’ll be cancelling her sex and relationships show she knows she’s in for a fight. She’s worked her silk-clad butt off to get her high ratings, and no man’s going to take them away from her – however hot under the collar he secretly gets her…
But sugar’s better than vinegar any day, so Faith decides to prove to Cash just how meaningful her show really is. The only trouble is, it’s also rather…risqué. And there was enough chemistry between them even before Faith set about proving just how riveting sex can be…!"



I really enjoyed this book, my first from Jennifer Rae. And let me tell you, I was really happy throughout reading this book as it is everything I want and hope to get from the Modern Tempted/KISS line.

The book is capital H hot - I could actually feel my cheeks heating up at certain moments, and my eyebrows wrinkle-inducing-high at others! The story has a lot of fun and quirk included and it is all wrapped up in quite a lovely little love story.

The heroine hosts her own sex and relationships show - great idea although on a few occasions I couldn't quite get the image of the show being a bit like Eurotrash (remember that show?!) out of my head. What I liked most about Faith was that she was so determined to stick up fro herself and prove that she had created something worthwhile whilst showing the narrow minded hero that he was wrong, wrong, wrong about her!

Loved reading the slow build up to their eventual relationship... you know what was really great about this story? The hero and heroine actually spent a lot of time together! A romance novel revelation.

Both Faith and Cash have been hurt by relationships in the past, and Jennifer Rae uses these hurts well. OK, a little more time could have been spent delving a little deeper and exploring this, and had this been a straight up Modern/Presents book then I would have expected that but for the story as it was, I think the balance was just right.

There is an awesome amount of push/pull between Faith and Cash and plenty of sexual tension to keep you interested, trust me. Plus the weird, wacky, and wonderful world of sexual exploration is fabulous to read!

Great job!

Xx



With thanks to Flo and the Modern Tempted team at Romance HQ. Sorry I'm so late at posting this review ;-).