I really like the dynamic between Eve and Roarke. As I only just now started this series I was surprised the dynamic between Eve and Roarke is reminisI really like the dynamic between Eve and Roarke. As I only just now started this series I was surprised the dynamic between Eve and Roarke is reminiscent of Gideon/Eva and other millionair/star crossed lover couples. The suspense was interesting and overall I gobbled up Naked In Death. A solid read.
Murder, southern small-town intrigues, hot passion, engaging characters and a whiff of paranormal. Carolina Moon engrossed me from start to finish. I Murder, southern small-town intrigues, hot passion, engaging characters and a whiff of paranormal. Carolina Moon engrossed me from start to finish. I was hooked with the murder on an eight year old girl named Hope and how it affected the brother, twin sister and her best friend. Tory is a multi-faceted character with a past that reverberated her strong personality. I sympathized with her as a girl and rooted for the woman she became. The way Nora Roberts meshed the mystery, the romance, both main and secondary, the past and the present in a setting of southern smalltown charm just made me read this story whenever I got the chance. The mystery and murder of Hope got depth with the point of views from her brother, Cade, twin-sister, Faith and her best friend, Tory. It was easy to connect myself with them as kids but also how it still affects them as adults. The evil doer remained a mystery until the end and there I was taken by surprise at the unraveling of the whodunnit. Romance and mystery enhance each other and again I thought the love and friendship had great dynamics. The romance was sweet and fiery and the friendships had quips and quirks to make it fun to read. The paranormal element is small and contains something Tory can do.
I have a fantastic time going into this small-town setting and becoming a part of it and the characters lives. That is the power of Nora Roberts, by the end of this story characters have become dear friends and involve the reader in all the good and the bad. I loved, I laughed, I cried and way too soon the story had come to an end. Carolina Moon will forever be one of me favorite stories!! ...more
Nora Roberts gave an attention grabbing opening rife with suspense and action. I met a fascinating girl whom grew up into a fascinating woman and in tNora Roberts gave an attention grabbing opening rife with suspense and action. I met a fascinating girl whom grew up into a fascinating woman and in this stage of the story a heart warming romance developed. It has been a while since I gobbled up a story from this author but with 'The Witness' I did just that!...more
Without much fanfare Bound By Honor arrived in my mailbox for review yet I found out it had quite a story to tell! It is a story of strong male characWithout much fanfare Bound By Honor arrived in my mailbox for review yet I found out it had quite a story to tell! It is a story of strong male characters who have a history which left me with a lump in my throat. It is a story of rich emotions where each male appealed to me in a different way. It is also a story where the supportive character almost took the spotlight…almost. For Damon and Tanner hold their own as they embark on a journey together. It encompasses sensual pleasure and emotional pain, along with strength of the soul and vulnerability of the heart.
It all started with Tanners promise to a dying Jesse he will go to his partner Damon after one year and do a D/s scene with him. It is with that very request that Tanner and Damon face each other for the very first time. As they were standing across from each other in one room, both dealing with a multitude of emotions, I got my first taste of the wonderful dramatic tension S.E. Jakes can deliver. In different ways both men were so deeply affected by Jesse’s death that the moment just made me fall for them. Here you have two commanding men yet their emotional turmoil just screamed off the pages.
Damon Price is ex delta Force with a rough and tough past. He is a co-owner of a BDSM club called CRAVE and a Dom. First and foremost I initially saw a man grieving over the loss of his submissive. A man in such emotional conflict with himself he makes mistakes. Gradually his actions, his personality traits made more sense to me as his backstory unfolds. I really fell for Damon the man but not all that much for Damon the Dom. The thing I love most about D/s is the psychological interaction between a Dom and his submissive which heightens the overall eroticism. I like being in the minds on both sides to get that emotional impact of a scene. What I found in Bound By Honor is definitely a fiery sexual chemistry but not necessarily an intricate D/s one. I felt the D/s was on the lighter side and had a different function, especially for Damon which made sense as his past is slowly revealed.
Both men came with issues and Tanner James has hidden desires to deal with. He always considered him a natural top but one scene going terribly wrong and Tanner gets a fierce wake up call. Damon uncoveres all of Tanner's most deepest and darkest desires for him to understand and acknowledge. The difficulty lies in the fact Tanner never thought to have submissive desires. His mind is struggling but his body knows exactly what it wants. His whole sexual identity is shaken up and brings inner conflict full of doubts, fears and new found pleasure. This welter of feelings is written all over Tanner’s inner dialogues and mannerism. In doing so S.E. Jakes deepens the character development to where I truly get to understand Tanner.
I got the notion the plot was used as a tool to reveal more of Damon and LC’s past. It was very interesting at first with the attacker and it incorporated a theme I don’t encounter much. While the set up captured my interest the plot was quickly abandoned to pop up in the last chapters. So the subtle suspense was quickly lost which could’ve been a great asset to the story. S.E. Jakes really focused the story on the emotional development and in this she sure as hell delivered. Because next to two stunning men, delivering a battle of wills and scorching passion, there was another man who irrevocably drew my attention. This was LC.
It was a good thing LC had enough appearance in the story to be a fantastic supportive character but not enough to draw away the attention from Damon and Tanner. Each time that man opened his mouth I was all focus on what he was saying. When certain aspects of his past came up my heart was bleeding for him. The verbal sparring he had with detective Paulo McMannus set my blood on fire and all I wanted was more. So you can guess my glee when I found out book #2 in this series entails LC’s story!
From the get-go the magnetism between Damon and Tanner hummed with an overload of conflicting raw emotions which I couldn't wait to unravel. The D/s element may not have been completely satisfying to my own preferences. The plot may not have added a nail biting suspense but S.E. Jakes delivered a few fantastic and distinctive characters and an intense romance. I am more than ready for more!
3.5 stars
Quotes for you to sample;
1: LC stared at him, and Tanner, in turn, stared at the floor for a long moment. And then he opened the door and realized he’d been anything but prepared for Damon Price. Tanner was big and broad and strong, stood six foot three and turned heads wherever he went. But Damon—he was well over six foot five, with jet black hair and chiseled features. He stood, hands at his sides in a deceptively casual stance, dressed in full black leather and looking like a fucking badass.
2: “I’m not good for anyone right now,� LC started. “Yeah, see, that kind of line will only make the boys fall harder for you, trying to prove you wrong.� “Are you one of those boys?� “I happen to be, yes. And I’ll try as hard as I need to, because the thought of having you in one of those rooms…that’s part of my nightly jack-off fantasy.� Paulo had the nerve not to blush and LC felt his cheeks heat. Dammit. “You’re getting shy with me now?� Would Paulo tell him the fantasy if he didn’t tell him to stop? Did LC really want to hear it?
3: Paulo fingered the edge of the gun that stuck out of LC’s side. “Pushing me away as hard as you can because you’re scared.� LC laughed a little. “You’re wrong about that.� “You’re trying to forget someone and not succeeding.� Paulo pressed both his words and his body against LC. “No, that’s not true. You’re scared you were succeeding. Because in my apartment, you came more times than I care to count and not once did I hear you calling out anyone else’s name but mine.� Paulo’s eyes glittered—half anger, half lust and all determination.
This was a story where the beginning was full of promise. There was a creepy villain, there were harrowing dangers, a whodunit plot to solve and highlThis was a story where the beginning was full of promise. There was a creepy villain, there were harrowing dangers, a whodunit plot to solve and highly intriguing characters. Everything worked in grabbing my from the first chapter where the fear was protruding from the villains victim. As the plot opened with a bang there was also the introduction of Logan who was a commanding man and Amanda, a courageous woman battling her inner demons. I was hooked and settled for a thrill ride in the romantic suspense from Lena Diaz.
However, after that strong opening the story gradually faded for me in to a blend of niggles, irritation and a weakening presence from the villain. It even lead to a few moments where I had difficulties continuing reading and all in all it took me three weeks to finish this story. I think this was a huge indicator that Logan, Amanda and the plot failed to keep me invested. Amanda Stockton is a survivor of a serial killer and ever since she’s ruled by her need for safety. She lives almost like a hermit, works at home and barely has a social life. Her personality was a combination of courage and terror. I think the author really did a good job of portraying her as a victim getting her life back after a horrendous ordeal. Amanda is likable in her personality, understandable in her fears and shows backbone in various decisions. I feel her characterization was the strongest in this story.
Then you have Logan; the smart, dependable yet commanding, sexy police chief. He is the blue print of a romance hero whom made me look forward to the electrifying attraction simmering between him and Amanda. He was very focused and charming to begin with but as the story continued he morphed in to this man who wallowed in his guilt and responsibility. I call it the ‘woulda-coulda-shoulda-syndrome�. At the start of the story the situation was explained why there was guilt but gradually the emphasis on this emotion was too much for me to bear. I love a flawed hero but I also want to see the progress and I didn’t really get that with Logan. In this case I wanted to slap Logan across the face telling him to grow a pair.
The romance was one with the ‘forbidden fruit� theme. Amanda is a victim in Logan’s active case and it became a push-pull between his ethics and his warm-blooded nature. Because it took me so long to read this story I never got that love vibe. Attraction simmering just beneath the surface ready to ignite, definitely! Yet this did not evolve in to a romance, the love was “just there� at a certain point between Logan and Amanda. I must admit, this might be due to the long intervals between continuing this story that I didn’t pick up on it. As the author drives home in plot and romance there was an emotion rife moment which got nipped in the butt again by the wallowing of Logan. He was in a frame of mind that it was best to let her go and then a page later it was; ”Perhaps she really does love me?� That’s when I was so done with him.
In those initial chapters the mystery began with a murder and the villains point of view. I was fascinated and I wanted more. I love the unforgivable villain whom I could love to hate and it had all the signs but then the plot got beaten to death with dialogues, police procedures and more dialogues where they wondered whodunit. Besides the ending there was very little action which could’ve infused the plot with chills and thrills, keeping me more invested in the outcome.
So there you have it; characters who had their good and bad personality traits and shared beautiful or hot moments but just couldn’t completely pull me in to their story. A romance which only sizzled on occasion and a plot that fizzled after an exciting beginning. Add a three week period of picking up this book, reading a few chapters and then still failing to grab me� Well, the sum of all the components told me one thing; I truly struggled with Lena Diaz’s He Kills Me, He Kills me not. ...more
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