Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

RITA Reader Challenge: Unveiled by Courtney Milan

This review was written by Saira Ali. This story was nominated in the Best Historical Romance category.

The summary:     

Ash Turner has waited a lifetime to seek revenge on the man who ruined his family—and now the time for justice has arrived. At Parford Manor, he intends to take his place as the rightful heir to the dukedom and settle an old score with the current duke once and for all.

But instead he finds himself drawn to a tempting beauty who has the power to undo all his dreams of vengeance….

Lady Margaret knows she should despise the man who's stolen her fortune and her father's legacy—the man she's been ordered to spy on in the guise of a nurse. Yet the more she learns about the new duke, the less she can resist his smoldering appeal. Soon Margaret and Ash find themselves torn between old loyalties—and the tantalizing promise of passion….

And here is Saira Ali's review:

I don't read many… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: Unveiled by Courtney Milan

This review was written by Milena. This story was nominated in the Best Historical Romance category.

The summary:     

Ash Turner has waited a lifetime to seek revenge on the man who ruined his family—and now the time for justice has arrived. At Parford Manor, he intends to take his place as the rightful heir to the dukedom and settle an old score with the current duke once and for all.

But instead he finds himself drawn to a tempting beauty who has the power to undo all his dreams of vengeance….

Lady Margaret knows she should despise the man who's stolen her fortune and her father's legacy—the man she's been ordered to spy on in the guise of a nurse. Yet the more she learns about the new duke, the less she can resist his smoldering appeal. Soon Margaret and Ash find themselves torn between old loyalties—and the tantalizing promise of passion….

And here is Milena's review:

Courtney Milan has become one of… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

This review was written by Tessa. This story was nominated in the Best Regency Historical Romance category.

The summary:     

Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty . . . Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.

Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales where, it is rumored, his bad temper flays everyone he crosses. And rumor also has it that a wound has left the earl immune to the charms of any woman.

Linnet is not just any woman. She is more than merely lovely: her wit and charm brought a prince to his knees. She estimates the earl will fall madly in love—in just two weeks.

Yet Linnet has no idea of the danger posed to her own heart by a man who may never love her in return. If she decides to be very wicked indeed . . . what price will she pay for taming his wild heart?

And here is… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: Cooper Vengeance by Paula Graves

This review was written by Rachel. This story was nominated in the Best Contemporary Series Suspense/Adventure Romance category.

The summary:     

J.D. Cooper had left no stone unturned when investigating a cold case that hit much too close to home. Or so he'd thought. Thanks to small-town deputy Natalie Becker, new evidence had surfaced that might lead J.D. closer to the truth.

But Natalie had a stake in this situation, too, and claimed that joining forces was their best strategy - and their best hope. Problem was, after years of working alone to solve a seemingly unsolvable crime, J.D. found himself distracted by his beautiful partner and her passion for doing the right thing.

He'd never met anyone like her and that scared him as much as this unidentifiable madman ... until Natalie was made his next target.

And here is Rachel's review:

While the grade may not quite seem like it, I did enjoy this book. I simply wanted more -… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh

This review was written by Phyllis. This story was nominated in the Best Paranormal Romance category.

The summary:     

The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past...but Dmitri's need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.

Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel's right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality...the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.

As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: Chaos in Death by JD Robb

This review was written by szerade. This story was nominated in the Best Romance Novella category.

The summary:     

Eve and Rourke return to investigate a series of murders connected to a brilliant young surgeon in Chaos in Death.

And here is szerade's review:

A bit of background: because of a large amount of travel in the last few months and a new iPad, I've been re-reading the entire In Death series.  The upshot is that I've somehow managed to read all of the novels and short stories in the series since March, which might be overkill.  That said, this story has enough references back to other parts of the series that its probably not a great stand-alone read.

RITA Reader Challenge: Chaos in Death by JD Robb

This review was written by Phyllis. This story was nominated in the Best Romance Novella category.

The summary:     

Eve and Rourke return to investigate a series of murders connected to a brilliant young surgeon in Chaos in Death.

And here is Phyllis's review:

[It was] OK but brutal and repetitive. Three young ex-junkies [are] murdered horribly by some freak with a messed up face who danced around merrily.

It was so obviously part of the series. I haven't read the series – I tried a couple of the books, but I guess if you don't start at the very beginning and read every single one of them (and there are what? 40 or something?) they don't make much sense. Well, that's how I felt about this novella.

RITA Reader Challenge: Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

This review was written by HarperGray. This story was nominated in the Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category.

The summary:     


Having survived her perilous childhood as a royal captive of Rome, Selene pledged her loyalty to Augustus and swore she would become his very own Cleopatra. Now the young queen faces an uncertain destiny in a foreign land. The magic of Isis flowing through her veins is what makes her indispensable to the emperor.

Against a backdrop of imperial politics and religious persecution, Cleopatra's daughter beguiles her way to the very precipice of power. She has never forgotten her birthright, but will the price of her mother's throne be more than she's willing to pay?

And here is HarperGray's review:

Unlike Stephanie Dray, I have mastered my Latin, and it was precisely the fact that I had spent so much time around the language of Rome that I became instantly intrigued by this figure within Roman history about whom I… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: “Angel’s Wolf” by Nalini Singh

This review was written by Ren. This story was nominated in the Best Romance Novella category.

The summary:     

They soar through the night, unearthly creatures of legends and lore. Four masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance explore the rapture of the heavens above, and the darkness below in four all-new stories of angels and guardians, and good and evil.

A note: Ren's native language is not English, and she asked me to correct any errors I found. I tried to catch them but if there are errors, please pardon us both!

And here is Ren's review:

Angel's Wolf is one of four Guild Hunter's novellas by Nalini Singh. The story focus[es] on Noel, a vampire under Raphael's command, [who was] beaten so badly at Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter #2). Even [though] he [is] already healed, deep inside he feels hollow. Raphael assigns him to go to Nimra's court, the angel who rules Louisiana, and Noel believes that task is to get rid… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

This review was written by Jess. This story was nominated in the Best Historical Romance category.

The summary:     

A renowned rake, Cameron Mackenzie doesn't care if Ainsley Douglas has a virtuous excuse for sneaking around his bedchamber. He only cares that she's at his mercy. One kiss at a time, he plans to seduce her. But what starts out as a lusty diversion may break Cam's own rules.

And here is Jess's review:

First, let me start by saying:  I love me some Lord Cameron.  I get heated thinking about his erotic paintings and his hangovers and his many sins and hot damn.  I like the heroine, Ainsley, a frisky and smart non-virgin, who calls the woman Cameron is tupping early in the book a “selfish cow.” And I dig the entire dysfunctional Mackenzie family—a collection of dudes who know what to do with honey in the honey pot.

RITA Reader Challenge: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

This review was written by Brooke. This story was nominated in the Best YA Romance and Best First Book categories.

The summary:     

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past. Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around?

And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

This review was written by Emily. This story was nominated in the Best Inspirational Romance category.

The summary:      


When funding for Lucy's non-profit job is pulled, she is determined to find out why. Enter Alex Sinclair, former professional football star and heir to Sinclair Enterprises-the primary donor to Lucy's non-profit organization.

Both Lucy and Alex have something the other desperately wants. Alex has it all . . . except for the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancee in return for the money she desperately needs.

Bound to a man who isn't quite what he seems, Lucy finds her heart-and her future-on the line.

And here is Emily's review:

This book should get a prize for sheer readability. More than anything else I found this book well-written with a smooth tone and a plot that never felt stuck. It is very rare that I place… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: True Colors by Joyce Lamb

This review was written by Randee. This story was nominated in the Best Romantic Suspense category.

The summary:      


Detective John Logan moved to Lake Avalon, Florida, to put a lifetime of hardship and tragedy out of sight. But when Logan's darkest secret comes to town with revenge in mind, he puts the woman of his dreams in a serial killer's crosshairs.

And here is Randee's combined review of both True Colors and True Shot.

True Vision, True Colors and True Shot make up the paranormal romantic suspense “True” trilogy by Joyce Lamb. Three sisters have the ability to see into others’ minds if they have skin-on-skin contact with them. Each of the three’s power manifests itself slightly differently, but none of them would consider it a “gift” as it has the ability to debilitate them to varying degrees.

            Either the second or third could be read without reading the others first, although the experience will be fuller with the background contained in the others.… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: Nightfall by Ellen Connor

This review was written by KristiBug. This story was nominated in the Best Paranormal Romance category.

The summary:      


Growing up with an unstable, often absent father who preached about the end of the world, Jenna never thought in her wildest nightmares that his predictions would come true. Or that he would have a plan in place to save her-one that includes the strong, stoic man who kidnaps and takes her to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest.

The mysterious ex-Marine named Mason owes a life-debt to Jenna's father. Skilled and steadfast, he's ready for the prophesied Change, but Jenna proves tough to convince. Until the power grid collapses and mutant dogs attack-vicious things that reek of nature gone wrong.

When five strangers appear, desperate to escape the bloodthirsty packs, Jenna defies her protector and rescues them. As technology fails and the old world falls away, Jenna changes too, forever altered by supernatural forces. To fight for their future, she and Mason must… read more »

RITA Reader Challenge: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

This review was written by KristiBug. This story was nominated in the Best YA Romance category.

The summary:      


WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE In Deuce's world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained into one of three groups-Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms.

Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember. As a Huntress, her purpose is clear--to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade.

When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning. Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn't like following orders. At… read more »