New Release Tuesday!

For your reading pleasure I present some of the new books releasing this week. There are way to many awesome looking books releasing this week and I could not fit them all on this list. Head to your local bookstore to see even more new precious pretties!

Lessons in French By Laura Kinsale

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Ecstasy Unveiled (The Demonica Series) by Larissa Ione

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No Prince Charming by Shiloh Walker

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A Tale of Two Demon Slayers By Angie Fox

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The Elusive Bride By Stephanie Laurens

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Odd Stuff by Virginia Nelson

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The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance

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Hold On Tight By Stephanie Tyler

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Twice as Hot By Gena Showalter

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“Wicked Sexy” by R.G. Alexander

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Here Comes Trouble By Donna Kauffman

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Question for Cheeky Readers – Would you rather see new releases from not as well known authors to help you discover something new, or keep a mix of well-known and newer authors? Sometimes I wonder if listing some of the “big names” helps readers or if they already know about those releases. Drop me a comment and let me know!

Book Review: Fugitive – The Cat Star Chronicles by Cheryl Brooks – 2 Hearts

FugitiveCover22 Book Review: Fugitive – The Cat Star Chronicles
By: Cheryl Brooks
Sourcebooks Casablanca
2 Heart Review

Disclosure: ARC provided by publisher for review

Hunted and in hiding, he'll risk anything to touch her...

Manx is a Zetithian warrior, with a special feline gene that gives him incredible sexual powers. Drusilla's scent drives Manx wild with desire...Coming out of hiding, he's willing to give his life to bring her joy unlike any she's ever known.

Saving his life may be the most dangerous thing she has ever done...

Famous artist Drusilla is on a painting sabbatical when she unwittingly rescues the most fascinating male she's ever seen. But staying with Manx will throw her ordered existence into chaos and mortal danger...

Right up front I want to disclose that this is the very first of the Cat Star Chronicles I've read. I had heard from readers who both loved and didn't like Mrs. Brooks Cat Star books. That's why I thought it was time that I give the series a chance and see if it was for me.

Unfortunately, it's not.

This is a popular series and in reading Fugitive, I can see how the story could find many readers that this would be exactly what they were looking for in erotic romance. The book was written to provide lots of scenes for readers who are really looking for lots of steamy sex.

For me though, I just couldn't get past the idea of Manx being an alien being that had to many cat mannerisms. I've read many books were the hero wasn't exactly human, but usually the heroine isn't totally human either. It was really hard for me to get past thinking of animal sex, which is why this really didn't work for me.

Now, I'll admit it – I love good sex scenes. I'm a fan of erotic romance and don't shy away from graphic scenes. (Though I would like to point out sometimes I just want a sweet romance behind closed doors too.) In this book though, I felt like I was reading the equivalent of a porno script. I didn't feel the romance, instead I read about all the positions and graphic body part descriptions that just weren't sexy to me.

The penis descriptions in this book also made this not a book for me. Yes, it's imaginative and unusual and I think Mrs. Brooks deserves some credit for creating this world and the um, parts of her heroes. They just aren't to my taste. The descriptions are very vivid, so if you are interested in a male member with very unusual functions and sort of powers, then you might like this book and series.

Even if I had been more into this new male species, I still felt this book was lacking in romance. I got the erotica part of the equation, but I felt that the world that was created by Mrs. Brooks makes it almost impossible to have a real romance with any of her heroes. To make my point I'll disclose more about this book than I normally would in my reviews. The hero Manx's juices basically makes females euphorically happy and his cum makes them instantly orgasm. The hero and heroine themselves reflect on how addictive this could be for women and that was my main issue. I felt that there was nothing to the story that showed Drusilla and Manx falling for one another emotionally. Instead, it came across that Drusilla was just addicted to the way that Manx made her feel.

I appreciated the idea that this was a Sci-Fi romance since I feel there are way too few of them. As a Sci-Fi lover I'm always on the lookout for a hybrid space romance. Again, I give Mrs. Brooks credit for creating some some very interesting new planets and creatures and would like to have read about them without the premise of Zetithians who are sexually addictive.

Have you read any of the Cat Star Chronicles? If so, what did you think and please feel free to disagree with me! Also, let me know of any good Sci-Fi Romances you've read lately.

Book Review: Breakfast in Bed by Robin Kaye – 3 Hearts

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Book Review: Breakfast in Bed
By: Robin Kaye
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Released: January 2010
3 Heart Review
Disclosure: ARC Provided by Publisher for Review

He’d be Mr. Perfect if he wasn’t a perfect mess…

Rich Ronaldi is almost the complete package – smart, sexy, great job – but when his girlfriend dumps him, Rich swears he’ll learn to cook and clean just to win her back…

She’ll be glad to make him over, but not for another woman…

Rich is the only guy Becca Larson’s ever met who hasn’t tried to change her. She’s happy to help him master the domestic arts, but she’ll be damned if he’ll start cooking in another woman’s kitchen – or bedroom…

I loved Rich. Completely and wholeheartedly (except for one little thing I’ll talk about later). Even when he was a domestic dud, I understood why and the way he was so eager to learn and please stole my heart. And what woman doesn’t love a man who knows when he needs helps and actually asks for it! If for no other reason alone, Rich makes this book totally worth reading.

That doesn’t mean I don’t also like the heroine Becca. I liked her very much and enjoyed seeing her come to terms with falling for Rich. One of the more interesting parts of the book centered on the fact that Becca comes from money and doesn’t need Rich to help her out finically. It’s a refreshing change from reading books where the female ends up with the rich and wealthy hero and has to run to him to help her out somehow.

I liked both of these characters and really enjoyed seeing the progression of their relationship. A sucker for those couples that just seem to butt heads all the time at first, Breakfast in Bed provided exactly the right amount of verbal warfare to make me very happy. I loved the sparring and wished that it had continued throughout the book. Not to say they didn’t still butt heads, but some of the exciting tension between the two let up in the last few chapters of the book and I missed it.

A very fun and funny read, I really enjoyed Breakfast in Bed, its hero and heroine and the extended families. The only thing that kept this book from being a TOTAL winner for me was how clueless Rich stayed until the end about relationships. During the story arc, he grew so much and it really showed him understanding Becca and how her mind worked. Then, toward the end it was like all of that disappeared and the mistakes he made were those I felt he had grown past. That made the big blow-up leading to the ending feel a little bit of a cop out to me. I was still very satisfied with the book and highly enjoyed it. I just wish the misunderstanding hadn’t been because Rich went backwards in development. Still, this is a story I highly recommend for lovers of contemporary romances.

Monday Morning Cuteness

funny pictures of cats with captions
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

New Release Tuesday

Here are just a few of this weeks new releases. I’ve also included some notable releases from last week since I missed that release post. Check out some of those covers…very nice!

Happy Reading!

Succubi Like it Hot by Jill Myles

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The Wolf’s Mate by R.F. Long

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At the Duke’s Pleasure by Tracy Anne Warren

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Midnight Craving by Lolita Lopez

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The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jefferies

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Bitten by Cupid by Lynsay Sands, Jamie Rush and Pamela Palmer

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Turn it On by Vivian Arend

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Wicked, Sinful Nights by Julia Latham

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Seeing You by Dakota Flint

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Primal Attraction by Sydney Somers

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Viking in Love by Sandra Hill

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Four Play by Shelli Stevens

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Book Review: Divorced, Desperate and Deceived by Christie Craig

th_0505527987 Book Review: Divorced, Desperate and Deceived
By: Christie Craig
Dorchester Publishing
3 Heart Review
Disclosure: Book provided by Publisher

Of the Divorced, Desperate and Delicious club, Kathy Callahan is the last surviving member. Oh, her two friends haven't died or anything. They just gave up their vows of chastity. They went for hot sex with hot cops and got happy second marriages – something Kathy can never consider, given her past. Yet there's always her plumber, Stan Bradley. He seems honest, hardworking, and skilled with a tool.

But Kathy's best laid plans have hit a clog. The guy snaking her drain isn't what he seems. He's handier with a pistol than a pipe wrench, and she's about to see more action than Jason Statham. The next forty-eight hours promise hot pursuit, hotter passion and a super perky pug, and at the end of this wild escapade, Kathy and her very own undercover lawman will be flush with happiness – assuming they both survive.

This was a fun book with a distinctive voice. Christine's writing is full of wit and humor and I love how she layers that with sexual tension to create books you will always instantly recognize as hers. With this third book in this series, you not only get Kathy and Stan's story you also get updates on the couples from the previous two books.

In this book the heroine is Kathy, an interesting character with a secret past that seems to overshadow any plans she has to move on with her life. She's controlled by her past and her ex-husband's cheating ways and I wish that she had come across as a little less of a victim. As well as she handles the craziness thrown at her and Stan, you would think she would have more self confidence and a better outlook on how she’s capable of handling life.

I really liked Stan and enjoyed the fact that he had pursued Kathy for years without getting any. In fact, I wish that this book had shown us more of Kathy and Stan’s flirting and interactions before they get into trouble. I have a feeling that would have been great fun.

One thing I loved about this book were the secondary characters. Joey, the hit man with a conscience, stole my attention and I almost wanted to hear more about his story than Kathy and Stan.

Christie really did well with the ending of this book and although I’m not usually a fan of epilogues, this one works and you’ll be left with a happy feeling at the end.

A laugh out loud book, it was fun and fast paced. I just didn’t connect with the heroine as much as I wanted to and wished for more Kathy and Stan time before the point that this book started. 

Getting Lucky Winners!

The randomly selected winners of a copy of Carolyn Brown’s newest book Getting Lucky are:

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tweetybrd22 & Cecile!!!

Ladies, please email your mailing address to me at cheekyreads @ gmail.com (no spaces) and I’ll send your information on to the publisher.

Congrats and Happy Reading!

Book Review: Switch by Megan Hart

Book Review: Switch by Megan Hart
Harlequin Spice
3 Heart Review 
Disclosure: e-galley provided by publisher

Don't think.Switch200
Don't question.
Just do.

The anonymous note wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the habit of reading other people's mail, but it was just a piece of paper with a few lines scrawled on it, clearly meant for the apartment upstairs. It looked so innocent, but decidedly-- deliciously--it was not.

Before replacing the note--and the ones that followed --in its rightful slot, I devoured its contents: suggestions, instructions, summonses, commands. Each was more daring, more intricate and more arousing than the last... and I followed them all to the letter.

Before the notes, if a man had told me what to do, I'd have told him where to go. But submission is an art, and there's something oddly freeing about doing someone's bidding...especially when it feels so very, very good.

But I find that the more I surrender, the more powerful I feel--so it's time to switch up roles.

We play by my rules now.

This book drew me in immediately because I loved the intrigue and mysterious nature of the heroine Paige. There was something about the way we were introduced to her that kept me reading forward to learn more about how she had gotten to where she was and what was driving her forward.  It didn’t hurt that she’s a lover of fine stationary, just like a certain blogger I know. Oh, and check out that gorgeous cover! Spice cover designers are the absolute best!

The characters as a whole were very relatable and I snickered at parts of the story that reminded me of what it was like living in a small town and desperately wanting to get out. The voice of the heroine rang true for someone from that background and I think readers will catch that as well.

One thing I thought was fairly obvious right away was who was sending the notes and that they indeed were meant for Paige to find. I won’t spoil it for you, but I think you’ll figure that out yourself pretty quickly.

I particularly like books with competing heroes, and this book has a touch of that. You really aren’t quite sure who Paige will end up with, and if you are like me, you aren’t too sure of who you want her to pick either.  For some readers this could be problematic, but I thought it was handled very well and added to the voice and flow of the story.

I did feel that there were a few too many side stories. Paige and her relationship with her parents explains much about her life and who she became, but I felt that many family scenes could have been edited out to make the book focus more heavily on the romance. Likewise, Paige’s relationship with her boss was a little more involved than I thought was needed. I liked the added dimension, but felt it tended to take away from what I really wanted to read about – the available men in her life!

Lastly, I would have liked to have had more sex. Yep. I said I wanted more sex. The book was hot, and I really enjoyed the drawn-out foreplay that the notes equated to, but I could have used more real, face-to-face sexual encounters in this story.

This was an enjoyable book that was written in a style that made me desperately want to read faster to discover what was going to happen. I loved that aspect of the book and thought it very well written. I will definitely be picking up more Megan Hart books in the future.

Interview & Giveaway with Carolyn Brown, Author of Getting Lucky

I'm excited to start this week off with a bang, and introduce author Carolyn Brown and her latest book Getting Lucky! Carolyn has authored over 40 books and writes some awesomely hot modern cowboys in her latest series. That coming from a me, the girl who doesn't really enjoy westerns! These modern cowboys will have you taking another look at heros in blue jeans and Stetsons.

Please welcome Carolyn to Cheeky Reads. Be sure to enter to win one of two copies of Getting Lucky, by answering Carolyn's question at the end of her interview.

Hello and thank you for having me on your site today to discuss Getting Lucky, the third and final book in the Lucky Series. Writing the whole series was so much fun that it wasn’t easy to see it end. The blog tour is like reliving all the fun and excitement of writing it.

Getting Lucky is the third book in your Lucky Series of cowboy romances. What is it about modern day cowboys that inspired you to write this series? Any particular cowboys you had in mind while writing? Cowboys make wonderful characters. There’s just something about boots, tight fittin’ jeans and a T-shirt stretched over a broad muscular chest that puts a woman’s hormones into overdrive. Throw in one that can hold his liquor and execute a good two-step to a country music song and what more could a woman ask for? I couldn’t name a particular cowboy or group of cowboys that I had in mind when I was writing this series. But cowboys in general are hardworking, hard loving, passionate and caring so it’s easy to see that any one or all of them could be a role model for Beau, Slade or Griffin.

I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of historical western romances but I really love your modern cowboys. For those readers who normally steer clear of westerns, would you tell them a little about your three modern cowboy heros and how utterly enticing they can be! Thank you! If the Lucky series makes you pick up western romances then I am a happy writer. Beau in Lucky in Love is lucky in everything but love until Milli Torres locks horns with him over a barbed wire fence. Who wouldn’t want to see those two find love when we all know they are meant for each other?

Slade Luckadeau, the hero in One Lucky Cowboy, would sure like to run Jane Day off his ranch. But she sets her heels and dares him to try to push her anywhere. Then the day comes when she has to trust him with her heart and her life. We have to go with them to see if they decide to kiss or kill each other on that journey.

Then Griffin, in Getting Lucky, doesn’t know why or how the new kindergarten teacher wound up with a daughter who is the spittin’ image of his child down to the white forelock but he intends to find out. Little does he realize what's in Pandora's box when he opens the lid.

But you asked what makes them enticing. It’s those same qualities I mentioned before. They love hard, work hard and fight for what they believe is right with passion. That should entice anyone to open the book and read it … after they stop hyperventilating over the covers!

Like most readers I'm all about connecting with the hero and heroine in a book. So, I always ask authors to describe their hero in three words. Three words: Strong, sexy and stubborn

What about your heroine? What three words would best describe her? Three words: Sassy, independent and smart

Now that we know more about your characters, what was it about them that had you wanting to write that HEA for them? Was there a particular scene that was the most fun for you to write? All the characters deserved a happy ending. They’d overcome obstacles and jumped through hoops to help me get their stories written. An editor once told me to put my characters in a tree and throw rocks at them. Sometimes the characters in the Lucky series must have felt like I was launching boulders rather than river stones. Sometimes I felt like they were being pretty persnickety in the way they wanted their stories told. We reached a happy medium and “drum roll please” together we told their stories. I loved the scene in Lucky in Love when Beau found out that Katy Scarlett was his daughter. And the one in One Lucky Cowboy when Jane and Slade’s former girlfriend have a catfight in the middle of a beer joint parking lot. Also the one in Getting Lucky when Julie sets Griffin’s sister on her ear for being rude. And then there was that scene where the three heroines finally made peace and started to become friends in Getting Lucky, and the one where … how much room do we have here?

I hear you have another series debuting later this year. What can you tell us about the series and the first book? The Honky Tonk series kicks off in June with I Love This Bar. It will be followed in August with Hell, Yeah; October, My Give a Damn’s Busted, and November, A Honky Tonk Christmas. Each book centers around a beer joint in Mingus, Texas called the Honky Tonk where every thirsty rancher and lusty woman in a fifty mile radius come to dance and have a cold beer. It’s the stories of four sassy lady bartenders who have no desire to ever leave the Honky Tonk and four strong cowboys who convince them otherwise.

I always find that Authors have the best book recommendations. Anyone you've read recently that you loved reading or a new author you've discovered? Reading is a passion that even supersedes cooking and I love to cook. And I’ll read almost anything. Didn’t ever get around to War and Peace but that’s probably because my high school English teacher (Hello Mrs. Williams) praised the guy who sat behind me for reading it and wasn’t so happy that I was constantly turning in book reports from the romance genre! I just read the new Sue Grafton mystery U is for Undertow. High Noon by Nora Roberts and the new James Lee Burke mystery are at the top of my TBR pile but we won’t talk about that pile. It’s like a teenage boy, growing all the time!

Where can readers find you next and is there anything else you'd like to share with us? I’ll be stopping by Love Passion Romance tomorrow and then The Good, the Bad and the Unread on Jan. 13. Check out my website at www.carolynlbrown.com for the rest of the blog schedule and for any new and wonderful news in my world.

I’m wondering which three words would readers use to describe their heroes if they were writing a book? Or how about three words to describe their heroines? Tell us your answer in the comments section and be entered to win one of two copies.
Contest open to US and Canadian residents only.


GETTING LUCKY BY CAROLYN BROWN—IN STORES JANUARY 2010
Book 3 in The Lucky Trilogy

Single mom Julie Donavan is looking for a place to start over. What she finds after buying a small house on five acres is nothing short of a nightmare.

Single dad "Lucky Griffin" Luckadeau has been crossing horns with his elderly neighbor for years. But when his daughter, Annie, decides she wants the new little girl who lives on the feuding property to be her friend, or better yet her sister, the sparks fly.

These two stubborn hotheads, who irritate each other beyond endurance, refuse to admit that it's fate that brought them together. And running from the inevitable is only going to bring a double dose of misery…


About the Author
Carolyn Brown, an award-winning author who has published 36 romance novels for the library market, credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. She was born in Texas but grew up in southern Oklahoma where she and her husband, Charles, a retired English teacher, now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. For more information, please visit http://www.carolynlbrown.com/. Be on the lookout for Carolyn’s new series, The Honky Tonk Series, in 2010!

My Blog Needs a Makeover!

I'm excited to be participating in Bloggiesta - an annual event where bloggers spend one weekend working on all the little blog projects that seem to get overlooked. This will be my first time participating, and I'm hoping life plays along and doesn't get in the way!

Hopefully, I'll get some cosmetic work done to the blog as well as write a few back-up posts for when life does get hectic. I'm also hoping to create a blog button so you can share this site on your webpages and support romance books!

Wish me luck and hopefully next week the blog will look a little different!

Happy Reading,

Sabrina

Book Releases You Shouldn’t Miss

There were a slew of great books that released the first week of January and I didn’t want to not mention them on the site. You’ll see reviews for many of these coming up soon, but I can tell you know that a few of these rocked my world. Although there were tons more releases, these are the ones I have read and can say you should check out!

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Coming_Undone

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Breakfast in Bed Winners!

Sourcebooks has been nice enough to give me not 1, but 2 copies of Breakfast in Bed to giveaway! I hope you enjoy reading the book and dreaming of your very own domestic god.

The winners randomly chosen are:

QLady48 & VirginiaC

Congrats ladies! Please send your snail mail address to me at cheekyreads @ gmail.com (no spaces) and I'll have Sourcebooks send out your book.

Happy Reading!