Jonesin for action, looking for a good time

Synopsis
Aiden is a Navy SEAL who lost his leg while deployed on a mission in the Middle East. Now stateside, he is trying to get his confidence back and see if he can still get a woman or will she be turned off by his prosthesis. But then again, he does not want her to sleep with him out of pity either.

Marissa is a bartender in Key West who is so glad that Aiden walked into her bar. After some light banter, she is convinced that she needs to make a move on him before he leaves with some other chick.

The resulting interaction persuades both of them to think “long term relationship” instead of a “vacation fling one-night-stand”.

Opinion
My heart went out to Aiden. He sees his injury as a loss of his manhood. Once proud of his body in top prime form, he is embarrassed of his scars. He forces himself to wear shorts to get used to the stares and whispers of having a prosthetic leg.

While Aiden was concentrating on the part of the leg he did not have, Marissa was intent on showing her appreciation for the rest of his fine, muscular, toned body. She was a good strong female character that was able to deal with his lack of self-confidence. I liked how she would flip his comments to make it seem as if he offended her. That threw him off enough to break through his defenses.

Overall, the book had a good storyline, but the ending left me wanting an epilogue.

As with the rest of the books in this series, these novellas are HOT with plenty of steamy (graphic) love scenes. Once the main characters meet, it is one love scene after another. These mature adult stories are not for anyone with delicate sensibilities.

Coyote brings so much heat

Dec10

Coyote Heat ♥♥♥

Synopsis
On vacation in Key West with his SEAL team Arapaho, Miguel Cruz (team name Coyote) heads to the local bar to look for some action. He literally bumps into Cori, spilling her drink all over her shirt. She is obviously not amused. It is not a good first impression. Later he sees her again and uses all of his charm to change her mind. After getting over her initial annoyance at Coyote’s clumsiness, she is coaxed into having a drink with him.

Cori cannot deny the sparks flying between her and Coyote, but when she finds out that he is a SEAL, she put up emotional barriers to prevent heartache like the one caused by her ex-boyfriend.

Opinion
Like all of his SEAL team members, Coyote does not realize, until he meets THE ONE, that he wants to settle down <kind of cheesy but this is a romance novel after all>. Even though the story is one long love scene with interspersed conversation, it is evident that Coyote and Cori click and have chemistry to work. Since their romance was a short one, I wonder if Cori will be prepared for the intensity and determination of a relationship with a SEAL. If so, they will live happily ever after.

SEALS on fire but not in an animal cruelty way

Dec5

SEALS On Fire series ♥♥♥

Lately, I have come to dislike reading books in a series. It seems many authors call a group of books a series instead of writing one book with a complete story. This series is different than many others out there in that each book can be read on its own. I actually read Conquering Zeus first and my interest was piqued about the stories of the rest of SEAL team Arapaho. From there, I began to read the rest of the books. The posts for the next few weeks will be reviews on each book. However, I wanted to take the time to speak about my impressions of the overall set (which can be purchased through Amazon ).

1 Coyote Heat ♥♥♥
2 Dagger’s Edge ♥♥♥
3 Jonesin’ For Action ♥♥♥
4 Jagger’s Moves ♥♥♥
5 Melting Ice ♥♥♥
6 Touching Ghost ♥♥♥
7 Conquering Zeus ♥♥♥
8 Tripped Up (on my TO READ list)

This series is about members of SEAL team Arapaho and how each of them finds the woman that is meant for them. Each story is written by a different author with different writing styles, but the stories are still intertwined with each other. And some characters are secondary characters making minor appearances in the books about their teammates.

There is a common theme in the series: Live and love today because tomorrow is not promised.

I am not usually one that likes military romances, but these stories kept my interest. In several of the stories, the main characters only know each other a few days and they decide they connect on such a level, they want to be together. Again, usually, I am not one who can see the romance in that. But I make an exception for these men. Any person who has seen the ugly side of war is more likely to trust their gut instinct when it comes to matters of the heart and make a quick choice since they are accustomed to having to make life and death decisions swiftly.

All these novellas are HOT with plenty of steamy (graphic) love scenes. Even though there are different writing styles, one thing is for certain: Once the main characters meet, it is one love scene after another. These mature adult stories are not for anyone with delicate sensibilities.

Buy one or buy them all! The great part is that you do not have to read them in order either. This is my type of book series.
Since this is my blog, I am going to close with another gratuitous finely tone manly body picture. Bring the heat, baby!

Wife by Wednesday

Nov30

Wife by Wednesday (Weekday Brides Series) ♥♥♥♥

Synopsis

Blake is an English Duke in need of a wife or he will lose his family fortune by his next birthday. Those were the requirements of his father’s will to manipulate Blake from the grave. Samantha is a matchmaker for wealthy men looking for the right women to their business requirements. Her business is about logical sensible choices for marital relationships instead of choosing for love. A win-win for all parties involved.

After employing her to find his perfect match, Blake decides that Sam is the woman for him. Sam is understandably wary, but he makes her an offer that she cannot refuse. Considering that she has others she needs to think about, his proposal seems like the answer to a prayer. Blake is determined that he will outwit his father’s legal requirements and have a pleasurable time while doing it.

Opinion

The story was somewhat predictable, but entertaining and really funny. The supporting characters will add to the story and the entertainment factor. No romance would be complete without the half-truths and slight misunderstands along the way. Blake and Sam make a business deal in the beginning of their relationship and both knew that love was not supposed to be part of it. In the end, trust, not love, is the issue that decided the fate of their relationship.

Buy this book!!!! I loved it. Wife by Wednesday was such a cute story. This is a modern day simple girl-becomes-duchess story. And the funny thing about it is that the “simple girl-becomes-duchess” premise actually happens. I think England’s own Princess Kate is a good example of that. There might not be enough royals to go around for all the girls to have their own duke, but it goes to show that the storyline of this book was not too farfetched.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar – Savannah GA

Nov24

I had to go Savannah for a work conference and was looking for something different to eat. I wanted to go downtown because I figured that was the best area for a lot of different options. At the time it was raining, so walking around was out of the question. I searched on my phone for area restaurants and that is how I found Jazz’d Tapas Bar.

Jazz’d Tapas Bar is in Savannah’s Historic District on Barnard St. The bar is below street level lending to the cool, jazzy vibe. Not the best choice since it was raining cats and dogs because there were giant puddles near their entrance. But once inside, the atmosphere put me in the mood to order food and a tasty drink. This was the ultimate jazz bar with jazz/blues music playing in the background.

The thing about tapas menus is that you are usually hungry and want to try everything. Most menu items were between $7 – 10 each. I splurged and ordered 3: pork empanadas with a tangy sour cream dip, crab cakes with a herbed remolade, and roasted chicken over corn relish. I could not eat all that I ordered, so I took what was left of my empanadas for a late night snack. Since I was living in the moment, I felt that I had to order a martini. It seemed like the sophisticated thing to do. I forgot to take of picture of it, but it was a delight for me taste buds as well.

Everything was really delicious. My favorite was the empanadas. The pork filling was flavored with BBQ spices. It was a fusion of Southern BBQ and Latin cooking style.

I read that Jazz’d has received awards for their food and swanky digs from Cosmopolitan Magazine, Southern Living, and Savannah Magazine. I have to agree the food and ambiance were on point. If you are ever in Savannah and want to visit an upscale restaurant for food and drinks, keep this Jazz’d Tapas Bar in mind. They change the menu every so often, so you might not be able to order the empanadas, but whatever you order, I can imagine that it will be delicious.