Saturday, March 11, 2017

Whatcha Reading? (89)



A new Saturday post where you can share with us what you are currently (or just finished) reading and I will share my brief thoughts on books that I read during the previous week.




Mar 6th - 11th:




Beyond Solitude by Kit Rocha

Kindle | NOOK
Goodreads
Novella
Rating = 4 Stars


  • Yep, still catching up on this series
  • Derek does a lot of the paperwork and whatnot for Sector 4
    • O'Kane but keeps himself kind of distant from everyone
    • Was in a crash that nearly killed him, and he literally dragged himself back home b/c he didn't fully accept that the O'Kanes WOULD have came for him
      • Still has lingering pain/limp from it
  • Mia is sent to be an assistant to Derek and help in his office
    • She's a rescue from Sector 2
      • She was, well, basically one of the trained whores, but she was one that was meant to be more of a "Please the man in public" than private; hadn't yet sold her virginity to her shitty patron before she escaped to Sector 4
      • Sector 4 is so different to her, where the women have the power, where sexuality is open and free and doesn't have strings or involve money
  • Doesn't focus as much on the overall series plot, more so on these two and their own things
    • Mia, for example, still needs to get out from her contract with Sector 2's leader, in order to be truly safe and free
      • Also, work to become a true O'Kane, not just have the fringe benefits
  • Captivating, quick, and sexy (like always -- it's Rocha after all!)
    • Loved that Mia and Derek are not into all the orgies and multiple partner fun that makes up Sector 4
      • Don't get me wrong, I love that part about the O'Kanes, but I also love seeing variety in the couples because that's not going to be every person's kink there
        • This isn't the first such couple in the series, btw

Find all my tweeted quotes HERE!


Favorite Quote:



Ford looked down at her, his gaze fixed on her lips. “Do you need it, Mia?” 

A question with a dozen meanings. Did she need his cock, did she need the sweet freedom of sexual submission, did she need this relationship and whatever it could be, did she need him? A dozen meanings, and only one answer. “Yes.”




Guarding Mr. Fine by HelenKay Dimon

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Goodreads
eARC -- Came out last month
Rating = 3 Stars


  • Seth
    • Bi
    • Hero of color -- he's part Chinese
    • Works in the CIA's special activities division
    • Previous mission went to shit, lost men, almost lost his own life
    • Latest mission is being a bodyguard . . . or is it?
  • Rick
    • Supposed to be a foreign counsel to Germany but he's really working *somewhere* in/with the CIA
      • Still not 100% clear how -- not entirely a desk job like Seth/others assume, but not in the field, either
        • Tactical expert of some sort
    • Rick is there to find out if the recently killed counsel he's replacing really committed suicide or if his death is connected to weapon deals going on in the area
  • Seth and Rick first meet in a club in Germany, don't exchange names or anything, and hook up
    • Surprise! First day on the job and Seth realizes the man he's been sent to protect is the very man he fucked the previous night
      • Neither had the picture/particulars going into this mission because the higher ups suspect a mole
  • Good suspense and plot -- I quite liked all that
  • Good smartass comments and banter
  • The chemistry/sex was pretty good
    • Sometimes the sex scenes didn't flow as easily as I would have liked -- can't pinpoint what it was in the writing, but it was enough to pull me out a bit and make me reread a passage or two
      • This also happened a few times in other scenes re: writing style
  • HATED that Rick kept the Big Secret from Seth until literally a few pages from the end
    • ESPECIALLY this very important secret which affected Seth's past
    • Because of that, it was wrapped up far too quick and neat, basically a "Well I hate that you didn't say anything, but I'll forgive you and then WE WON'T SPEAK ABOUT IT and just move on because love". Ugh
  • Overall, I did like it, hovering between 3 and 3 1/2 Stars
    • Quick and entertaining
    • Mostly the secret withholding tanked it for me
  • Will try another from Dimon
    • Alec is getting a book next and I'm curious to see that -- he's quite the mysterious man with all kinds of power with the government. I must know his secrets. Just hope his secrets are handled more thoroughly than these ones were!



Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Audio
Goodreads
Audiobook from Overdrive
Narrators = Emma Taylor
Narration rating = 3 1/2 Stars
Rating = 4 1/2 Stars



  • Godric
    • One of the current Ghosts of St. Giles
    • Widower, who loved his late wife dearly
  • Margaret
    • She fell in love with a suitor, Rodger, became pregnant, but he was killed shortly after
      • Supposedly by the Ghost -- wrong, so who really did it?
    • Her brother made a deal with Godric to marry her, even though Godric vowed never to remarry after his wife died
  • The two lived separate lives after their marriage (and her miscarriage), never consummate
    • Two years later: She's come to London to finally change that -- she wants a baby
    • She also wants to find Rodger's killer
  • Godric is hesitant to do this, but eventually agrees -- he'll bed her, and help look for the murderer, but the minute she's pregnant, she's to return to the country and forget about justice
  • Two of the sex scenes were seriously hot -- hotter than I remember past Hoyt novels (um, yes please!)
  • Loved watching them navigating having a marriage and falling for each other
  • As always enjoyed the story going on outside the romance
  • Had a few minor issues with things but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment
  • Narrator changed from the previous books (WHY?!) and I did not care for this one at all
    • She would put pauses in at the most awkward places, draw words out when they didn't need to be, etc.



So Wrong It Must Be Right by Nicole Healm

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Goodreads
eARC -- Releases 3/21
Rating = 4 Stars


  • Hero is a farmer
  • Heroine is part of the Gallagher family, whose business legacy is infamous in the area; she's after the DOO position that should be hers . . . if her uncle wasn't a dick
    • To gain his approval, she sets out to make Carter sell his land to them
    • Carter basically tells her and her family to fuck off, it's his
  • For nearly a year, she's been having anonymous email sexts with a man she found on Tumblr
    • Suddenly realizes that the pictures on his Tumblr are of the very farm she just left --  Carter is C, the man she's been playing out fantasies with for months!
      • She goes over and confronts him about it -- and asks for one night, just one real night together
        • . . . Of course they can't stop at just once
  • I had a few small issues -- more in my review

Review should go up next week!




Hot Licks by A.M. Arthur

Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Goodreads
eARC -- Released last month!
Rating = 4 Stars


  • Benji -- Ace (or possible demi -- he's still figuring things out)
  • Joshua -- Bi
  • Van -- Pan
  • Benji and Joshua have been in an open relationship for 3 years, broke it off recently, but don't want to give it up entirely, so they try again
  • Van is attracted to both, but doesn't do complications -- and jumping in with a couple, especially one that's not truly stable in their relationship again, is a bad idea . . . 
  • Benji is the one with all the power here -- he wants to try a threesome, and then a triad, because he can't deny that there's something there -- for all of them
    • Joshua and Van are very much supportive of Benji and his limits, never push him, always wait for his decision
  • Quite hot together
    • Bonus, never any of the confusing "Wait, who is doing what again?" that some triad scenes can have when not done well
  • Thought the three fit well together as a triad, enjoyed their journey
  • Wasn't overly fond of the angst/tragedy backstories
    • Van's was more than enough (and the worst) and having Benji and Joshua's (smaller) black moments seemed like overkill for the story
    • That being said, it still worked out better than book 2, which did not work for me at all
  • Solid, enjoyable, and hot -- a well done first M/M/M from Arthur





Currently Listening To:



Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Audio
Goodreads
Finally! 

It's sooo perfect and 
the narrator is LOVELY



Currently Reading:



Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Goodreads
Another old ARC
Almost done!
4 Stars


Kindle | NOOK | Kobo
Goodreads
Brief break from ARCs, going
for an older TBR instead









So what are YOU currently reading? 



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

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