Adriana AndersRezensionen

I couldn't take the number... of sentences.... that... had...ellipses--- or dashes-- in them. Seriously, it was a LOT. And internal monologs of both main characters AND conversations.

Also, I saw the bad guy reveal literally the first time we met the person.

*sigh*

Unfortunately, this was a disappointment. Kink Camp: Hunted was one of my favorite reads last year so I am sad to say Possession just didn’t work out for me. It felt bloated and I don’t think the outing of kinky people was handled well.

Yup, this book was great. I'm really pumped for the next one - the teaser at the end was SOOO GOOD!

A nerdy secret billionaire and a teacher-running-for-city-council lady come together in such a sweet way. This was a shorter read so it would have likely been a higher rating with a more developed plot.

A surprising story and my first from Adriana Anders.

I really like it and the story had several unexpected turns. It's not every day a romance author surprises me. From the larger than life hero to the heroine he's running from a past and ex-boyfriend so damn awful, this book had a bunch of elements I don't often see in stories. I want to call this book a fractured painting where some chapters were beautiful and some parts were haunting and dark but came together so well. I think that Uma is beautifully broken and Ivan is every woman’s favorite kind of book boyfriend. I will be continuing the series.

Clay and George are so prickly and so awesome together.

I really enjoyed this. Interesting characters like a backyard blacksmith, a cranky landlady/employer and the heroine who bravely leaves a powerful abuser.

Rogue Desire, an anthology of incredibly sexy stories, will play with your temptations.

This anthology holds stories from Adriana Anders, Tamsen Parker, Dakota Gray, Emma Barry, Jane Lee Blair, Ainsley Booth, Amy Jo Cousins and Stacy Agder.

If you're looking for some sensual stories to fulfill your fantasies, this is the book for you. Especially if you want some quick, easy reads instead of a super long romance novel to fill up your time - you've found what you're looking for!

I wouldn't necessarily call it just contemporary romance - some of these stories are a bit more sexy than that name hints - but this still hits all the notes of a sexy, steamy romance.

For me, as a Tamsen Parker fangirl extraordinaire (can I get a button or something pronouncing my love for Tamsen's writing? I feel like I'm apart of the fan club by now) I really love that her writing is growing yet again. I grew to love and feel for the characters in such a small set of chapters, and melt into a puddle reading the sexiness in that story. And I probably blushed a lot - that story was really steamy...

I will applaud this anthology as a whole though. Normally anthologies all have very similar stories or similar styles of writing - this one does not. Yes they are "similar" - you know, romance and sexiness all over - but they all have different themes and plot lines. Not just 'hey you're sexy, let's get together" plot lines. Also, each writer is unique and completely different than the others. It's not just carbon copies of the same type of author over and over writing a slightly different story. So, you will most likely find at least one story in this if you like romance - or hopefully more than one!

I kind of wish I could give each individual story star ratings, but they all rate between 4 and 5. Some of the stories weren't necessarily my cup of tea, but they were all great reads - they kept me hooked and interested, I felt invested in the characters, and I enjoyed reading the stories. It didn't feel like work or like I was forcing myself through the stories.

Reading some other reviews, I have seen that some people think these stories are "rushed" and yes, I might agree - but you need to remember these are short stories with little wiggle room for giant character development. Many of my favourite short stories seem "rushed" to me - The Veldt - but they still worked. If given the opportunity, I would love to see all authors expand on these stories, but to me they felt like they were just "rushed" enough - not so crazy fast it's unbelievable, but not to slow to make it an entire novel.

Another great point about this book is the new authors you will be introduced to. While I've seen the names of some of these authors floating around Goodreads and Twitter, I never really looked into them - and now I know I should! Being able to see some of these authors write a full length novel instead of a tiny, itty, bitty story will be delightful!! So you may find your new must-read in this series!!!

My other thought from other reviews I peeked at after reading - "political" is a word used a lot, and it does seem fitting but I, for whatever reason, don't like that word necessarily being put with this. Sexy politics seem so off...yet the politics behind each story made each a little bit better. It's not like your following a sexy election from beginning to end, which is what that word leads me to believe when I see it pop up. So readers beware!

Overall, five out of five stars. It was sexy and a great read!

I received an uncorrected proof from Tamsen Parker for an honest review.

A decent debut with solid writing and consistent characterization but the ending with the abusive ex seemed unrealistic. The "confession" was not a good one, considering the landscape for abuse victims. Also, the sex scenes were not my cup of tea.

DNF:

Though I managed to get to 70%, I should've dropped this one much earlier due to internalized misogyny and ableist and sexist stuff scattered among some dumb elements all shuffled into what might have been a good story, if these irritants had been worked out before publication.

Uma and Ivan. Both were broken in their own ways. Uma is on the run from an abusive ex. Ivan has anger issues. But together, the two begin to heal each other. Ivan had so much patience with Uma. He could tell she had been hurt and all he wanted was to make the person who hurt her pay. Almost from the very beginning he was ready to do anything for her. And despite how damaged she was, Uma slowly opened herself up to Ivan and slowly let him see the the real Uma.

I really liked this couple. And in an unexpected twist, the big, scary tough guy Ivan was more than willing to let Uma dominate in the bedroom. All he wanted was to make her happy and that made me really love him. Uma was a great character too. At times, her story nearly made me cry. And her sheer strength is inspiring. This book was tough to read at times, but worth it.

Very action packed. Ford and Angel worked at a science station in Antarctica. But they get mixed up in a heist of some ice samples that contain a deadly virus. Next thing they know. They’re in a race across the continent for their very lives. They have only each other to depend on. It was an interesting story and it was stressful and harrowing watching the two run for their lives. But in the process, they fall hard for each other. I liked both characters. They were so different and kind of at odds at the beginning of the story. But the longer they spend out on the ice together, the closer they get. I liked their story. But beware, the story with the virus doesn’t end here. It picks up in the next book with a new couple.

Whiteout by Adriana Anders
Survival Instincts #1. Contemporary romantic suspense.
Angel is a chef on temporary assignment in Antarctica. She’s wrapped up her final day when she inadvertently witnesses a murder. Ford Cooper and Angel pair up and end on the run from killers across the frozen whiteness of Ice and snow.

Gripping, intense, and chilling as their adrenaline helps power the romance. An unfeeling villain, and a secret organization to the rescue.
I can’t imagine such a cold temperature that would require 5 layers or more of clothing just to get out of bed. Grateful the U.S. Midwest doesn’t have those extremes!
An exciting adventure. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Leo Eddowes has been left alone by her team as they try to find out more about the virus that was stolen from Chronos labs by Campbell Turner. When it looks like she might have a chance to find him herself, she gets a woman named Old Amka to loan her a small plane she calls Delores to go out and find Campbell. Amka is anxious to help, but she is hiding her own reasons for loaning Leo her plane. As Chronos starts closing in, Leo thinks she's found Campbell, but instead finds infamous Elias Thorne, mass murderer who was thought to be dead, but Elias isn't what everyone thinks he is and Leo understands that she must trust him if they are to survive in the wilderness.

Uncharted is the companion/sequel to Whiteout, and follows the story of the pilot, Leo, from the first book. There are many good things about this book, including the description of the wilderness and the struggle Leo and Elias go through to survive. However, there are several weaknesses to this story as well. As with many romantic survival stories, Leo and Elias find time in their harried escape to have a physical relationship and enjoy other romantic moments together. Also, some of the situations described seem unrealistic. In addition, we don't get much information about the characters, so when some of them "jump ship" in the middle of the story, it doesn't really make sense. Overall, though, Uncharted is a fairly good romantic suspense story with lots of action and adventure.½

This was actually very sweet with a lot more feels than I expected. Jerusha was a really cool heroine, and I thought this was a good job of showing her freedom without getting bogged down in her past. Not going to tag this kink because a few “Daddys” here and there do not make this a daddy kink book; that’s me trying to figure out the line, and this didn’t come close.

With the exception of 2/8 of the stories, I loved it. Those two were sort of "meh." Because of constant news overload, I'd say this may be one to read slowly, rather than planning to binge.

Full review here: https://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2017/07/rogue-desire-anthology-revi...

Review to come at Heroes &a Heartbreakers

The time has come for Angel Smith to leave Antarctica and return to the US after spending months as head chef for Burke-Ruhe Research Station at the South Pole. Angel doesn't know where she will go or what she will do since coming to Antarctica was a means to get away from a difficult situation in Pennsylvania which had been her home. It doesn't help that her attraction to glaciologist Dr. Ford Cooper has gone unrequited. Ford has purposefully isolated himself from anyone and anything other than his work ever since his arrival at the station. When Angel's departure is interrupted and she is left behind, she discovers that there is more going on at the station than research.

Whiteout is an enjoyable, if unrealistic, romantic adventure/survival novel with underdeveloped but likable characters. The beginning of the book is exciting and draws the reader into multiple possible scenarios surrounding the mysteries of the research station, but when the story moves out into the wilderness and becomes all about survival, the pace slows considerably causing interest to wane. Excitement picks up again in the last third of the story, salvaging the book and making it an enjoyable novel. Overall, Whiteout has enough action, suspense, and romance to make it worth the read. 3 1/2 stars.

I really loved the intense action scenes they were fantastic. The characters had a lot of depth and possibilities. What Hold me back on the rating was the need for the couple to stop mid-survival to make out and think about relationship instead staying alive. A couple moments would have been perfect, believable, but the amount and time taken was over the top for me. You know adrenaline can make you hot to trot but come on. I had massive eye rolling going on. There was also some serious personality flip flops that just didn't work.
Will I read more ? Normally I'd say no, but her characters were so interesting I might give it another go and hope this author brings it together more.

Uncharted is the second in the Survival Instincts romantic suspense series by Adriana Anders. This book is packed with intense moments. The main couple, Elias and Lou, are thrown together and work to survive the unforgiving Alaskan terrain while being pursued by the enemy. Once they understand that they are both on the same side, their attraction to each other is almost immediate. They face difficulties head on and survive some unbelievable obstacles. In the mean time, Elias' elderly godmother Amka is holding her own in her small town that has been taken over by the bad guys. She is amazing and the scenes with her are some of my favorite parts of the book. Overall, I loved the action and suspense, but I wasn't really as into the romantic part of the story. It was just too insta-love for my taste although I did really like Elias and Lou as characters.

I did not read the first book in this series before reading Uncharted. While I was able to follow the story just fine, I do want to go back and read Whiteout so that I can understand more about the group that Lou belongs to and their mission which will continue in the next book of the series. I'm very interested in this series and reading more about these characters as well as finding out how they accomplish their goals.

My sincere thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it.½

I read the prequel to this story in an anthology. It focused on Ford's brother but was nice to have that sort of preview when reading this story. Ford and Angel work at a research station in Antarctica. Ford isn't very friendly but then the two are forced together to fight against the bad guys. I liked the book but wasn't as enthralled with it as other people. I found it to be a little too long and I was bored with the descriptions of the weather. I get why there were included, I just wanted more smexy times and less weather reports I think. Overall it was a fun story and I would read more from this author but it just solidifies that romantic suspense is not my jam as much as contemporary is.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy.

As a summer worker, Angel is about to leave Antarctica and return to the mainland. However, when she misses her plane, she is left behind with murderer's, intent on stealing ice core samples from the station. Ford Cooper, a scientist, is also left behind. Coop finds Angel, and together they piece together what is happening, and make the decision to trek across the ice over 200 miles to the nearest station.

This book was a complete bust. Although it was set in one of the most interesting places on earth, and had a fairly decent conspiracy theory plot, I quickly grew tired of the relationship between Angel and Coop. The two were attracted to one another yet determined not to like one another. Most of their scenes were spent describing each other in their heads. They acted like pre-teens who couldn't think of anything else but sex. Seriously, you are fleeing for your life across the Antarctic, and can't focus on anything but the other persons hair, sounds, looks, movement, etc. This completely killed the book for me.

In short, meh. The cold is brutal. I know what 60 below is and I'd have little will to survive let alone romance. Well written in a pace sense, but couldn't care less about the characters, romance, etc. Too long, hate a switch of POV in final chapters--and was that a cliffhanger end? Nope.

Get a blanket, warm slippers and something hot to drink before snowshoeing into this read. Baby it’s cold inside this book and then it HOT but that has nothing to do with the weather. It’s about two people who are running away from their lives and a horrendous plot to kill millions.
Favorite line “The Iceman Cometh” . So the story is set in a remote scientific station near the pole, frozen beyond cold. Angel is the new hire, the cook for the station. Coop, one of the scientist, is the stick in her side, Mr Grumpy. He is colder than the ice surrounding the place. He spends most of his time out on the ice so when something goes wrong and he comes back to a nearly empty station he has no idea what happened, till he finds a certain cook. The cook, Angel is traumatized, horrified and broken. It doesn’t last long she’s not there to die. She’s a hero here, and Mr Grumpy knows it. Together they take steps to survive with little to no chance of making it. Remember it’s cold, and they have to stay warm somehow when it gets dark and there is no generator. :P Here come the toe tingling bits, it’s slow and delicious. It’s not all warm generating going on the guys who destroyed the station are now looking for them.
What an intense read. It has it all, intense action, uncertain future, difficult hard won relationship, snark, and so much more. I loved and hated the characters as they ere writer. The good was so awwwww, the bad, ugg they were nasty bits of evil ! Fun read !
I received a copy of this from the publisher for a honest review

Military Romance - Novella
Kurt was O'Neal's crush from long ago. He was her brother's best friend. She comes across him pushing an empty wheelchair up a mountain. The reporter in her needs to know what this is about so she sets out to get to the bottom of it.

This is a novella, so obviously the story moves along rather quickly. I would have loved to have read a longer novel about these characters. I found the characters interesting, but wasn't sure I really believed their connection. Here again, I saw potential and wanted to know more about them which wasn't really possible in a novella. If you enjoy a complicated ex-military man as the focus of the story, this could be the story for you. I think I will go for the full length military romances in the future. I need more.