Waiting on Wednesday: Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week Chrissie has a "can't-wait-to-read" selection for you:

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum #20)

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor. 

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown.

It's Monday! What are you Reading? (4th November 2013)

This is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey that gives us all a chance to list the books that we read last week and what we hope to read this week.

Books We Read Last Week:

Tempted by Two by Portia Costa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books We Reviewed Last Week:

At His Request by Silvia Rhodes (At His Request #1)

Tempted by Two by Portia Da Costa

Books We're Currently Reading:

The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz (Original Sinners #4)

Books Up Next:

Teardrop by Lauren Kate (Teardrop #1)

Stand-Alone Sunday Review: Tempted by Two by Portia Da Costa

Publisher - Self Published
Publication Date - 26th May 2013
Ebook - 101 pages
Genre - Erotic Romance

Source - Received for review via NetGalley

Rating -  4 out of 5: I really liked it.

Reviewed by - Chrissie

Book Info - When executive woman Katie Warren arrives in the picturesque village of Little Marplethorpe for a country holiday, to reassess her life and her future, she doesn't bargain on ending up in a hot three way love affair with a man she's admired from afar... *and* his gorgeously handsome male partner.

Marcus Dane and Owen Foster are lovers, committed for a lifetime, but they both enjoy the company of women as friends and bedmates too. Encountering Katie at an exhibition of his work, Marcus knows she's just the kind of bold, daring, imaginative woman who'll relish erotic games shared with Owen and himself.

But what none of the trio expects is that their intense, steamy threesome will quickly deepen into a bond that's a lot more than just mind-bendingly fabulous sex.

My Thoughts - When I saw this novella up on NetGalley I have to admit that I was intrigued by the premise. I have read a couple of other ménage books in the past but they have really focused on the sexual side of things, and this one seemed to hold promise of bringing more to the table than just steamy sex. I was hopeful that Tempted by Two would give the reader a look at the emotions behind a relationship between three people, and I wasn't disappointed.

This story was incredibly hot, with threesome action as well as some man on man action, and my ereader was close to combusting with the heat. But, as well as it just being about the heat factor, the intimate scenes also showed a close bond between Katie, Marcus and Owen and were actually very romantic. It wasn't just about the sex for them, although there sure was a lot of it, there was also a genuine connection between the characters which I loved reading about.

But because it was a novella, I felt that there were some areas that were glossed over a little too much for my liking. Although I still felt that it was a complete story and didn't affect my enjoyment of the story overall or my connection with the characters. It was more that I enjoyed their story so much that I wanted more. I would have been happier if this had been a full length novel but I mean that as a compliment rather than a criticism. For example, a hint is given of Owen's tragic past, but I would have liked to know more about that. And they spend two weeks together and it's briefly mentioned that during that time they spent time doing some romantic things together as a trio that I would have enjoyed reading about. Also, at one point, it is mentioned that they have been playing with bondage and pain play but it could have been elaborated on much more than it was. Overall, these weren't huge things, but things I found myself curious about them anyway.

My one main criticism about this book was the large number of spelling and grammatical errors. I just find things like that very distracting when I am reading a novel and there were plenty in Tempted by Two.

Summary - A quick and easy to read novella, full of steamy sex and sweet romance. I enjoyed this one a great deal and would definitely recommend it to fans of this genre.

Stacking the Shelves (2nd November 2013)

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
For Review:

Tempted by Two by Portia Costa

When executive woman Katie Warren arrives in the picturesque village of Little Marplethorpe for a country holiday, to reassess her life and her future, she doesn't bargain on ending up in a hot three way love affair with a man she's admired from afar... *and* his gorgeously handsome male partner.

Marcus Dane and Owen Foster are lovers, committed for a lifetime, but they both enjoy the company of women as friends and bedmates too. Encountering Katie at an exhibition of his work, Marcus knows she's just the kind of bold, daring, imaginative woman who'll relish erotic games shared with Owen and himself.

But what none of the trio expects is that their intense, steamy threesome will quickly deepen into a bond that's a lot more than just mind-bendingly fabulous sex.

Beg by CD Reiss (Songs of Submission #1)

My name is Monica. I'm a singer born and raised in Los Angeles.
I've stopped dating. When I cut a record, or win a Grammy, maybe then I'll be with someone, but every man in my past has done everything he could to make me submit myself to him, and it's gotten in the way of my career. I won't do it again.

But there's Jonathan. He owns the high-rise hotel where I work, and he is gorgeous and charming. I refuse to fall in love with him, even though when he asks me to submit to him, I want nothing more.

Series Spotlight: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Series Spotlight is a new weekly feature here on Once Upon a Series, where I will be highlighting a series that I would either like to read if I get a chance to, or would like to finish reading at some point. Hopefully it will give you all some ideas for other series to read... or if you've read something similar that you think other fans of the series featured would like, then please do mention it in the comments.

This is a series that I stumbled across on Goodreads that I think looks very good. Although I don't really like the covers and feel they are all so different that they don't really look like part of a series. Anybody else read these books yet? Let me know what you thought of it in the comments!

1. Slammed

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

2. Point of Retreat

Hardships and heartache brought them together…now it will tear them apart.

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will’s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge…how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop ‘carving pumpkins.’

3. This Girl

Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammed series.