Shelli StevensRezensionen

It was a nice and funny romance full of amusing as well as more profound moments. It really drew me in and kept me super entertained.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Yeah this wasn't very good. There is romance here, but it's mainly just sex with a slight plot. The suspense plot was alright - it was straightforwards enough, if mostly background - it's more a plot device to get them together than anything else. The sex was problematic. Some of it's hot. A lot of it's rapey. Madison does everything up to and including handcuffing him to get him to sleep with her. Gabe ignores every actual invitation and instead feels her up while she's sleeping. It just seemed very very wrong.

Madison is okay - she wavers between decent human being, spoiled brat and mean girl. I really didn't like the aggressiveness with which she pursues Gabe. At some point - maybe take a hint that's he's not interested. I really hated the bit where she is in lingerie and squeezing the robber's butt because she thinks it's Gabe. Maybe I'm just not adventurous - but frankly it sounded fucking stupid. She knows there's been a robber in the area - was it really a stretch it just wasn't Gabe?

Gabe has a major chip on his shoulder about money and spends a lot of his time judging her for it. To be fair, some of the stuff he thinks is true - she is an idiot regarding the coffee shop, for instance. She has only one person who can make coffee in her shop - and it's not her?! It defies belief. But he also judges her for ordering takeaway and not being able to cook. And for not knowing that he got the bus to school or that the cabin he takes her to isn't his. I mean jeez, she asks a few innocent questions and he jumps down her throat. It was ridiculous and annoying.

Some of it was vaguely amusing but mostly it felt too long. 2 stars, closer to the 1.5 mark.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5 Stars)
Title: Command And Control
Author(s): Shelli Stevens
Character(s):
― Megan Asher: Red, Blue Eyed
― Trevor Wyatt: 33 years old
Setting: Wyattsville, Indiana
Tag(s): Romance, Contemporary
Content Rating: R
POV: Third Person
Smexy Level: Hot
Favorite Quote(s): N/A
Overall Opinion:
Wow, I liked this a lot more than I had expected. The overall story wasn't dragged out and the lead characters Megan and Trevor already had a previous established relationship that was tarnished by the soldier's PTSD. They were able to make amends and find love again despite how quickly I thought the author resolved his PTSD attacks but overall, I am pleased with this quick and easy read.

The relationship between Ellie and Tyson moves fast. They meet and then a couple of hours later he is at her house eating and making out with her. On day two she is at his parents house for the family barbeque. Then he can't understand why she does not trust him enough to tell him the truth. It takes more than two days to know if you can trust someone with your life.

This would have been my favorite story of this series except the ending was very abrupt. This was Todd and Kate's story and until the ending it was a good story and I'm not at all a writer but I could have written a better ending than this!

Top Shelf is the 3rd book in the McLaughlins series. This story features sister Kenzie. Kenzie has spent the past decade fearful of dating due to an attack when she was younger. Brett is a chief in the Navy and has been burned by several relationships in the past. Loved Kenzie's personality and her willingness to be upfront and honest about things. Book was well written and enjoyable.

I absolutely loved this book. Good writing, good storyline though tense, and I loved, loved, loved the Brothers!!

Kenzie hasn't dated since an attack nearly a decade ago. Brett doesn't do relationships after being burned a few times. Their attraction causes them to rethink their stances. Kenzie is feisty, Brett is stoic and at times a little too good to be true. A secondary plotline involving Kenzie's long ago attacker seems tossed off and resolved way too quickly. My favourite part is when Kenzie gets Brett drunk -- he's cute and funny and interesting. A nice romance with an engaging supporting cast.

Who can resist a sexy navy man? This book was well-written; with easy to relate to characters. Both Kenzie and Brett had their own hang-ups to deal with and the book kept a steady pace as they grappled with them. There was a sub-plot to Kenzies issues that ran parallel to the books main themes and added depth. Combining this was a suitable amount of raunchiness made for a nice easy read.

Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author (netgalley) We finally get Alex's book, the last of the McLoughlin and the oldest of the siblings. Alex and Delonna (his bartender) have flirted for each other for years but never acted on the attraction, they did not want to make it a sticky situation. Alex felt that Delonna was too young for him and also his employee, but when there is a threat to her life due to her loser boyfriend, Alex steps in and shows her his Alpha side and it is hot! Good bye guys we sure enjoyed your family!!

Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) So we finally got Kenzie's story and if you have been keeping up with the series you have also and if you haven't read the previous books, you should to give your more. Anyway, Kenzie has had a difficult time and since the rape attempt she doesn't date, she is living scared and she is tired of it. Kenzie had met Brett in the last book right at the end so we were wanting to know what happens with him. I have to say at first I was excited a hot sailor who doesn't, but then he disappoints me and I kind of wish that Kenzie had made go thru a little more hoops because she had finally been excited to go out with someone and then he is stupid. Luckily he ended up realizing it, but still more groveling should have been involved..So now my friends I am going to anxiously wait for Alec's turn. Enjoy!

**I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest voluntary review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by my source.**

If I hadn't guessed the main plot twist by the end of the first chapter, my review might be different.

For me, this book was very predictable and that dampened my experience. The big secret about their past was super obvious to me. But I went with the flow anyways because they do have a complicated past. But every time a new "twist" was hinted at, I correctly guessed the outcome every single time. It just took away some of the tension and anticipation.

I also struggled with the romance itself. It drove me NUTS how Ian would just go ahead and kiss her when she wasn't expecting it or clearly giving him "no" vibes. I like a confidence hero but Ian's ego could take up the entire planet. Which made it so hard for me to believe that he would give up his charmed playboys ways for Sarah. We don't get to see a lot of their conversations because most of the time they're so focused on the physical aspect of their relationship. I couldn't tell you why they thought they were soul mates besides great sexual chemistry.

Unfortunately, the ending also felt rushed to me. I definitely would have liked that drama to be teased out more and in the first half of the novel to give some depth.

Check out more spoiler-free book and series reviews on my blog SERIESousBookReviews.com as well as read book series recaps!

Full Review: TBP
Actual Rating: 4/5

One More Round (The McLaughlins Book 1) by Shelli Stevens

Sweet and fun romance with a lot of heart. I absolutely loved this book and ended up reading it in one (very late) night. Never having read a Shelli Stevens book before, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I was very pleasantly surprised at what she managed to pack into this book.

High school lovers Sarah and Ian are thrown back together after eleven long years apart. Their breakup was messy and left them with a lot of baggage but they've both managed to move on with their lives. Now Sarah is back in town to take care of her Grandmother's estate and they discover that eleven years haven't changed anything. How Ian and Sarah reconcile their past and plan for their future makes for a great plot and an engaging read.

I enjoyed reading about Ian and Sarah - I thought they were both extremely well written and well rounded characters. And who could resist the rest of the McLaughlins? Ian's brothers and sister are fantastic characters and I look forward to reading about the rest of the McLaughlin clan in the future. I hope to be able to read another book by Shelli Stevens soon.

I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.

Ian and Sarah dated in high school, but one night changed everything. Eleven years later, Sarah is back on the island. This is a story of second chances, forgiveness and love. I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading the next in the series. I received a copy of this for an honest review.

Received an ARC at no cost to author. This is the second book in this series. This is Colin's book with love interest Hailey. Colin was angry at Hailey since she set up Ian years ago, and due to that Ian and Sarah had suffered a lot of heartache and Ian missed years of Emily's upbringing. Hailey claims that she regretted what she did, but supposedly it was the only way for her to keep her brother from going to the foster system. Now the author kind of wanted us to have sympathy for Hailey, now don't get me wrong, her life was not easy, but I am sorry I really didn't see her regretting what she did. It took her eleven years to admit what she did, and she only did it because of Emily. I don't get that, it took you 11 years to own up to what you did? No, the McLaughlin's are way better people than me.. However, I still will read the next book, I want to know what happens to Kenzie.

Received an ARC at no cost to author. I had read this story years ago but it was under another name, however when I saw this I still requested it, I enjoyed back then, and I enjoyed it now. Sarah had broken up with Ian years ago, when she found him in bed with one of her best friends Hailey, she was so angry that she said some horrible things to him, I can't say that I blamed her, I would have been upset too. Ian is a known bad boy, and now he is a manslut, he thought he could see Sarah again and not have any feelings, boy was he wrong. Ian wasn't really nice to Sarah when he sees her again, but all the feelings he had for her returned and he admitted to himself he never stopped loving her. Sarah never stopped loving Ian, but she is keeping a huge secret from him, how will he react?..Well my friends you need to read. And as always, Enjoy!!

A very cute romance. Involving hot Scottish men an a beautiful island. Nothing crazy unique about the story but it is well written. Only thing about this book I cannot get over is how the main character kept her child from the father for ten years.

I really enjoyed this book. I was laughing out loud with some of the comments. This story is the first book in a series called The McLaughlins and I am smitten with all the Scots in this book.

This book is about Ian McLaughlin. The other family members, brothers Aleck, & Colin (Ian's twin) and a sister Kenzie. Kenzie's best friend Sarah comes back to settle the matters of her Grans house that was left to her in the will. Sarah used to date Kenzie's brother Ian in high school. There is a past and a secret.

Sarah will be spending one month on Widbey Island so she can keep the house and then sell it. Sarah has a daughter who is staying with Sarah's mother in Virginia. Sarah and Ian had a bad break up and her being back on the island has brought those memories back and the feelings for Ian.

You can feel the tension between Sarah and Ian when they have there first run in. They both hate each other and yet you can feel the chemistry between them. I will be looking for the next books in this series.

I don't have to love the heroine of a story, but I prefer not to actively dislike her. Madison is not likable. First, she's TSTL. She opens an espresso bar w/only 1 employee, but she can't make coffee. She worked in a cafe in Italy for a year & never learned to make espresso, but she's sure it'll be fine because she watched other people do it. She should have learned to make coffee before she opened a coffee shop. Madison is not exactly a business genius.

She's worse on a personal level. She hits on Gage in a fairly tacky sort of way, he's turns her down, she pushes him & then gets mad when he doesn't give her exactly what she wanted. After he leaves she starts plotting to get him to sleep w/her. Girl did not get the “no, means no” memo. She acts as if he owes it to her to have sex w/her because she wants it. She assumes that his issue is with the fact that he's her brother's best friend, but she doesn't actually bother to ask him and totally dismisses his feelings. If a man treated a woman like this it wouldn't be considered empowered or fun, the guy would quite rightly be considered a total alphole. It's not any more acceptable when Madison does it. She throws herself at him a second time, and when he calls a halt she actually calls him a tease for turning her on & not sleeping with her. That isn't even funny.½

A fairly typical romance, 'fall in love' in one day's time, but… I really liked the style, there was some good wit, and actually, it was a fairly believable story! I liked her writing style

A quick little paranormal read with a nice amount of steam!

The mixture of futuristic urban fantasy with paranormal shifters is a brilliant blend when added with the erotic scenes of passion and desire in this sensual escape.

Sarina Mackenzie had waited for her chance to visit Old Centuron for what seemed like forever. The former planet of her ancestors was of interest to her scientific mind and as their pod descended towards the land, her hopes that somehow, 100 years after a doomsday bomb had devastated the planet, some form of human life might have survived.

Reynard Williams watched as his fiancé stared out the window of the pod upon their descent. He had no real choice in bringing together by their marriage, their families. With this union the most powerful political and the most wealthy families would be joined for the good of New Centuron, and if his plans for his bride Sarina Mackenzie come to fulfillment the secrets that both of their families hid would stay a secret forever.

Caden could not stand by as the beautiful stranger was attacked by a beast of a man, one of the same men that had come with her on the ship. The leader of the Wolfan community, the ones the humans left behind when they abandoned them so many decades ago, heard her screams and ran to hold her as the pod she had arrived on left her stranded on their planet. Something about this human called to him but with the betrayals of those in the past he can’t hold back the taste of his distrust especially when one of their own is taken from them because of those she had brought with her to their world.

Realizing her only hope is to accept the offering of safety the village offers her, Sarina tentatively steps into the strange world of those left behind and soon finds that there was much more to the histories of both New and Old Centuron than she thought possible. With the only truths she had ever known twisted with the bizarre truth before her, Sarina must make a choice to follow her heart or her head when the chance to return to her life is within her grasp but fraught with more danger than she could imagine.

This brief futuristic fantasy escape was full of erotic pleasures and dangerously delicious action twisted with the sexy sensual shifters of this lost planet. I liked delving into this world and would love to find out more of what lies ahead for the people left behind and the truth behind what the human history has buried and changed to cover their own crimes of humanity.

Bitten by Books for AReCafe

2.5 Stars

Fairly predictable plot, and though there was dirty talking, it bordered on cringe-worthy instead of being hot.

Still, I was intrigued enough with the other Wyatt brothers to continue in the series.

Brandy is getting married. Stood at the Hunk-A-Hunk-A Burning love chapel, she realises that she doesn’t actually like her fiancé. Turns out she has good judgement, as the scuzzball only wants her for her cash because Brandy is a heiress to a fortune. Trying to escape from the chapel in a very cheap wedding dress isn’t going to be easy, so she escapes the area in the only way that she can; via the back of a motorbike. Marco can’t quite believe his eyes when a damsel in distress, dressed in the most hideous wedding dress, hops onto his bike and orders him to drive. For some reason he can’t say no, and so ends up taking care of the fuddy looking stray. When it becomes apparent that Brandy can’t go home, and so has no place to stay, Marco ends up offering her a room at his house and a job at his bar. With her ridiculous attire, and recent single status, he finds it push aside their burgeoning attraction because of her “vulnerability”. Unfortunately, after Brandy gets a bit of a makeover, Marco starts to struggle to keep his hands off her, and struggle to keep his temper in check when others seem to have the same issue. Tempers fray and the sexual chemistry ignites, but is it enough? With both of them hiding secrets, is it a realistic expectation for this to be anything more than sex? Moreover, when the secrets come out, will either of them feel the same way?

I liked this book. It was funny, well paced and very sexy (seriously hot sex ladies). Marco was rather dreamy too. He can’t quite believe that he is attracted to the little mousy teacher who wears cat jumpers, but he is. He believes he is doing the right thing by not acting upon their clear attraction, but, in reality, he is just a little befuddled that he finds her hot. When everyone else starts noticing that she isn’t exactly butt ugly, he goes a little caveman and starts shouting at everyone. As much as I like Marco, I did get a little annoyed by the character of Brandy. She was the biggest stereotype I’ve read in a book, and I ended up a little peeved by her. She starts as this fuddy little mouse, cat jumpers, awful hair and a complete naivety when it comes to life in the real world. Then she makes a split second decision to get rid of the fiancée (which I would too...the man was a creep) and she becomes a different person. She starts masturbating in stranger’s showers and, post makeover, ditching the cat jumper for miniskirts and fishnets. I had a massive problem with the makeover, because it seemed that the only reason that she did it was to get Marco’s approval. Now I’m all for a makeover, God knows my hair has been every shade L’Oreal sells, but to completely transform so you get some nookie? No chance, no man is worth it. It offended me slightly, but I let it go for the sake of the rest of the plot. After I did, I really did enjoy the plot. It was sweet, funny and a little cliché. The path of true love, of course, does not run smooth. We have secrets exposed (and rather daft ones at that!), scorned ex-fiancées turned stalkers and a whole host of internal conflict. It’s a fun, easy read that will make you chuckle without taxing any of your brain cells.

This was a very sweet, and somewhat scary as well, book. Phoebe really did need protection, and she got that, and a lot more from Craig. Very romantic, and nicely written, with some humour injected in the seriousness.