Review: The Price of Success

The advantage of belonging to a critique group as large as the Minxes, is that when life gets hectic and one of your CPs needs their manuscript read, there's always someone else able to stepin and you're not under pressure to do a critique.

Which is how I managed to read Maya's The Price of Success completely fresh, just as a reader, and without having to think of things like sentence structure or character inconsistencies.

As a reader, I loved this book. As I said in my previous post, it's set in the world of motor racing (my favourite sport), with a truly strong, feisty heroine (my favourite kind of heroine), and a hero I could easily fall in love with (and did).

This story has all the intensity and passion that is Maya's trademark, and she manages to keep the sensuality levels high and constant with surprisingly few actual love scenes. From cover to cover the chemistry sizzles.

As a writer, I'm very aware of saggy middles in a book, perhaps because it's the part I struggle most with. This book doesn't sag at all. The pace is unrelenting, the story and characters so gripping, that I kept turning the pages and never once felt an urge to put the book down. No wonder Maya's been getting such great reviews and made the Top 10 books of 2012 list on Harlequin Junkies.

But my biggest, number one reason for loving The Price of Success? The references to The Vampire Diaries. Read the book and see if you can spot them!

So what's next from Maya? Happily, there will be many more Maya Blake novels for you to enjoy.  Her next book, The Sinful Art of Revenge, will be available in both the UK and North America in April 2013. This is Damon and Reiko's story and features another unconventional heroine. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

The Price of Success should still be available in all brick-and-mortar stores that stock Harlequins, as well as on the Mills & Boon site, from Harlequin, Amazon and Amazon UK in both paperback and Kindle versions. However you plan to spend this holiday season, treat yourself with this read.

But don't take my word for it. Read this book and post your own review. Or leave us a comment letting us know how much you enjoyed Maya's debut novel.

Fifty Shades Of Grey

It seems that there is no escaping the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' phenomenon. It's one hell of a publishing juggernaut, isn't it?

Well, curiosity finally got the better of me this week and book one in the trilogy found itself on my bedside table. Being honest, I wanted to know what the fuss was all about, which I guess is the reason that many other people are buying it too.
Before I tell you what I thought, I will confess to being Fifty Shades of Envious of the authors success, hats off to her for picking up the ball and running with it.

Right, so to my verdict. I'm seriously underwhelmed.

I'd been told to expect rough writing, and sure enough, it felt rough enough to take the skin off my fingers in places. The main character, Ana, bit her lip so often I wanted the damn thing to fall right off her face,  and if she mentioned her inner goddess once... while, lets just say she mentions it regularly. There are other oft repeated phrases, and once you pick up on them they really, really irritate. Like, REALLY. Enough to want to set fire to the book kind of really.

Writing aside, the story itself felt painfully thin to me. The heroine was at times too stupid to live, and I failed to empathise with either of the two main characters - for the life of me I just can't see why women are falling for this man in their legions. Sure, he's dominant - but not in a sexy way for me. Sex is obviously the main thrust of the book (forgive the pun, I can't help it), but to me the sex just felt, well, deeply unsexy. Sorry ladies. I didn't fall for Christian Grey, and I def won't be buying books two and three.

In the interest of fairness though, I may have been biased slightly by the fact that I read 'Bared To You' by Sylvia Day directly before reading 'Fifty Shades of Grey'.
It came recommended by a fellow minx, and wow, it's one HOT book. The two books are undeniably similar in some aspects, but for me 'Bared To You' stands head and shoulders above in terms of writing and complex character development, not to mention that it's much, much sexier. It's more sophisticated, more polished, more believable. It's just more. I am totally Team Gideon Cross, and will be buying book two of the trilogy when it's released in October.

'Bared To You' is the book I wanted Fifty Shades to be.

Book Review: Once A Ferrara Wife by Sarah Morgan

Before I knuckle down to review this book I must warn you that I have a serious girl-crush on this author. Her writing makes me want to track her down and tackle-hug her just for being so, so, soooo brilliant!! Ahem.

Once A Ferrara Wife is a reunion/marriage-in-trouble story with a neat twist that will have you on the edge of your seat, or like me, feverishly reading but secretly hoping the story goes on and on and on…!

Cristiano Ferrara and Laurel were married for only short while before incredibly horrible circumstances drove her to leave. Now she’s back in Sicily to attend the wedding of her best friend, who also happens to be Cristiano’s sister. From the very first page sparks fly between these two. Laurel doesn’t want to be there because of heart-wrenching memories, and Cristiano’s seriously ticked off because she walked away from their marriage.

But what makes this book stand out, I hear you ask. From the very first page, it’s Cristiano who is pouring out his feelings, risking his heart and fighting desperately for the marriage to work. Laurel on the other hand is a completely closed book. Circumstances in her past have made her untrustworthy and she would rather skin herself alive than reveal even an ounce of feeling. To say this neat twist was seriously sexy is an understatement. Hearing an alpha male say, “I’m crazy about you. I’ve always been crazy about you,” (paraphrasing) in the first few scenes makes for a completely different kind of hero, in my opinion.

Laurel’s journey was equally awe-inspiring. The pain of losing her child and the difficult journey of learning to trust the husband she thought had betrayed her in the cruellest possible way made my heart melt for her. I couldn’t even bring myself to hate her when I found out she was a fitness instructor with a body to die for, lol.

Seriously, this is a must-buy and definitely a must-keep. And a little bird told me (well, it was Sarah herself via the Harlequin Blog) that Cristiano’s hot brother, Santino’s getting his own story! All I can say it, I can’t wait for The Forbidden Ferrara to come out in May! In the scenes where he featured in his brother's story, my heart missed a few beats for him too ;)

Now for the even brilliant bit. I have a copy of Once A Ferrara Wife to give away to one lucky non-Minx commenter.

Just tell me the best book you read in 2011 for a chance to win, and good luck!

A book recommendation...

I've just finished reading "It Started with a Kiss" by Miranda Dickinson - if you're looking for a cockle warmer for your Christmas stocking, this could be just the thing. I really enjoyed it.
The story centres around twenty-nine year old Romily, who has a brief encounter with her ideal man... one perfect kiss, and then he's gone. She gives herself twelve months to track him down, and sets out on a quest that snowballs into a popular blog and newspaper coverage. Does she find him? I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say there are a couple of twists along the way that I didn't see coming. Running alongside the main story there's the fact that Romily is the singer in a wedding band, and their various gigs and weddings make a glorious romantic backdrop for the story to play out against. Throw in a cast of friends and family that spice the story up nicely, and it's a proper Christmas 'curl up on the sofa and escape'  sort of read - the ideal antidote to a hard days Christmas shopping!
'It Started with a Kiss' has only been on release for a couple of weeks, and I can see why it has already hit the Sunday Times Bestsellers list. It's warm and sparkly, one to read over the holidays with a big mug of hot chocolate.

Minxes Monthly book recommendations

On the last Friday of every month, some of the Minxes are going to share with you a book they have recently read that has impressed them enough to find a place on their keeper shelf. We hope our lovely blog readers will return the favour and recommend some books to add to our TBR piles :-)

From Lorraine:

Being limited to audiobooks following a brain injury has had one positive effect - I've tried new authors I might not otherwise have picked. And at last some Mills and Boon books are available to download from the UK audible site (until recently they were only available in the US). My tastes have always been 'heat' rather than 'sweet' but I decided to listen to Jessica Hart's "Cinderella's Wedding Wish" and absolutely loved it. The heroine prefers dogs to men and her dream is to renovate an old cottage in the middle of nowhere and live in isolation which does sound, um, a little familiar (I have three dogs and recently renovated an old, isolated croft house in the Highlands :-) I loved it not just because the heroine struck a chord but because it was warm, witty and a lovely escapist read/listen! It's always nice to discover a 'new' author to add to your list of favourites and although she most certainly won't be new to most of you, Jessica Hart has definitely made it onto mine.

From Romy:

Late last year I picked up the first of Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld novel because I loved the cover. How shallow is that?!

The Darkest Night hooked me so thoroughly that I rushed out to buy the next three books in the series, and so far not one has disappointed. The stories are darkly sensuous, and the pace is so unremitting the pages practically turn themselves. These books should come with a health warning: explicit, not for the squeamish, and highly addictive.


From Sally:

My pick came out a couple of years ago, but I've been revisiting it, as I had a Mills & Boon editor recommend it to me recently, as a very good example of how to do internal conflict really well. It came out in June, 2009, and isn't currently available on the Mills & Boon site except as a very reasonable (99p!) ebook. It can also be snapped up as a paperback on Amazon for 20p!.
The book, Hot-Shot Tycoon, Indecent Proposal (Mills & Boon Modern Heat) by Heidi Rice does in fact deal with the character's conflicts extremely well. The heroine, Daisy Dean, is bright, sparky, likeable and individualistic. Her hero, Connor Brodie, is totally gorgeous, but scarred, both inside and out.

What Heidi manages to do so well in Hot-Shot Tycoon, Indecent Proposal is draw a very compelling picture of a hero who is living in the now, and yet has unresolved issues that he is carrying around with him, that affect his relationships. There was much discussion in blogland when Riva launched, stating how difficult it could be to write a fun, flirty story, with characters who had real deep internal issues there needed to overcome. In this book, Heidi really nails how to do this, by having Connor's issues very firmly in the past, but the consequences of them very definitely in the present.



From Jo C:

A Doctor, A Nurse: A Christmas Baby by Amy Andrews won a Ruby from the Romance Writers of Australia for this book and when I read it I could certainly see why.

The heroine, Maggie, is considerably older than the hero who is a confirmed bachelor with his eye on his career so he can fulfill a promise he made to his dying sister.

I really enjoyed the vulnerabilities that Maggie had because of her age and her past. Nash is the most delicious hero as he makes Maggie forget all of her concerns and allows her to relax.

This is an incredibly hot read, think Modern Heat passion mixed with the sweetness of family life in a Romance. Absolutely the best of both worlds and this book has made Amy Andrews an auto buy for me. In fact, I'm busy adding back titles to my iPhone as fast as I can read them!

Why I Gobbled Up "The Virgin's Secret" In 3 Hours!!!

I don't normally do book reviews, mostly because I don't think I'm very good at it. But I just had to attempt a review after reading about Abby Green's The Virgin's Secret!

In a word, "wow!".

I started reading as way to pass a quick hour before I had to cook dinner. Dinner never got cooked. My kids went to bed after a hastily prepared sandwich *baaaaad mother!*

But this book hooked me from the first paragraph which set up the fireworks sooo astonishingly beautifully (yeah, it deserves two adverbs), I just couldn't put it down.

If you haven't read it yet, I'll try and give you the skinny without giving the story away (I hate it when reviews do that!).

Angel Kassianides' family have owned up to a terrible secret after generations of laying the blame on the Parnassus family and as a result they're outcasts in Athenian society.

Leo Parnassus has returned from New York to head up the family and bristles and broods from the outset in a way only a hawt, sexy alpha hero can.

But Leo is different. He's never set foot on Greek soil, speaks Greek with a New York accent and this makes him vulnerable. Angel on the other hand, even though she's half-Irish, is Greek through and through. Their first meeting (when they don't know they're enemies) is fiery without being combustible, but their second meeting sets off the fireworks within the volcano in a way that had me turning the pages with indecent haste!

The conflict is set up beautifully and you can't help admire Leo for the cunning way he sets up Angel to fall into his bed like a ripe, succulent peach. Of course, discovering she's a virgin sends him down the slippery to falling in love, but even that is done beautifully.

If there's one minor complaint about this book, it's the "eavesdropping" device which is used in part to bring about the black moment. Abby used the same technique in her Ruthless Greek Boss, Secretary Mistress, which is the prequel (I believe) to The Virgin's Secret.

Although this threw me out of the book (long enough to make a much-needed cup of tea) I was truly rooting for Angel to get her man and for Leo to win her hand, which he did admirably.

If you haven't read it yet, do, you won't be disappointed.

With this book, Abby Green has moved one step closer to my 'autobuy' list!

Very well done, Abby xx

Anything Goes Friday - Book Reviews

Today we're reviewing books we've recently read and loved. First up is Sally Minx, reviewing Kelly Hunter's Red Hot Renegade, then Romy Minx reviewing Michelle Reid's Mia's Scandal.

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Everyone loves a sexy hero, and from the moment that Martial Art expert Jake Bennett appears on page one of Kelly Hunter's latest Modern Heat he claimed the title, and made it his own.

The book opens at Jake's brother's engagement party, where he awaits the arrival of his long estranged wife, Jianne Xang-Bennett. Kelly masterfully hooks the reader by showing how all of Jake's family are concerned for his reaction. They know he still cares for her, and by showing their concern rachet up the tension until Jianne enters the scene.

The story is set in Singapore, and Jake is an unusual Modern Heat hero, in that he lives modestly in his dojo, where he teaches karate. He's not rich. Jianne is. And she's being relentlessly pursued by a dangerous suitor called Zhi Fu who has tracked her from China to make her his.

Jianne needs to persuade Zhi Fu that she isn't available, and what better way than to reunite with her estranged husband? She moves into the dojo, and soon they're not pretending to be in love any more, but are caught up again in a familiar attraction that threatens to overwhelm them. But Jianne left Jake for a reason, and isn't convinced that he will put her first. And Jake is wary of love after his relationship with Jianne broke up so many years before, and will have to learn to accept both her and her wealth to make the relationship work.

Red Hot Renegade is masterfully written, and a wonderful read. The setting, hero and heroine are all out of the ordinary for a Modern Heat, and all the more powerful for it. Bravo Kelly!

* * * *

Thanks for that review Sally. Jake and Jianne both made an appearance in Kelly's previous book Untameable Rogue, so I was already keen to read their story, but your review made me go out and buy it.

Mia's Scandal is part of the The Balfour Legacy, a series of special releases by Harlequin.

We often read Italian heroes but it was really interesting to read an Italian heroine for a change. Michelle Reid caught the flavour of Mia's passionate temperament and her difficulties with the English language without it ever being intrusive. What I really loved was that she was a truly spirited heroine, though she is also a complete 'innocent', having grown up in rural Tuscany. She stood up to the hero at almost every turn and gave as good as she got, even venting her temper on him. And she was never TSTL.

But the best thing about this novel was the Greek hero. Nikos might possibly even be the most enticing hero I've ever read. And yes, that includes Darcy! If you've read the book, please let me know if you agree.

Michelle Reid tends to 'head hop' a lot, but it is a testimony to how well this book hooks the reader that after a while it no longer annoyed me and I just had to keep turning the pages.

My overall impression, as much because of the evocative writing as because of the cover, was one of colour. Whenever I think of this book I'm going to remember it as black & scarlet. The book was sensual, seductive, and as delicious as dark chocolate. In spite of the constant POV shifts and the glaring use of the word 'likened', this book is going on my keeper shelf.

Anything Goes Friday

Minx Joanne here on this beautiful sunny Friday.

As regular readers will know, our Friday post is a 'pot luck'. The Minxes will be blogging about films, books, industry gossip--anything and everything. On some weeks, we may just leave you with pictures of our favourite men--for no other reason than because we can!

This week I'm posting a book review. I thought long and hard about the book I'd choose for this post. Did I want to post about the most recent book I'd read, my favourite in the last month. Arrghh, so many books, only one blog post :-)

The book I've chosen is my favourite Presents from the last year. As I'm a subscriber to this line, you can imagine just how many I've read in the previous 12 months.

My favourite made me smile at the interaction between the hero and his friend, sigh at the hero and heroine together and flat out bawl my eyes at the black moment. Now all those readers of category romance know that books that make you cry and the best, they are the wonderful ones that go on your 'keeper' shelf and you know you'll return to time and time again.

Most of all, the writing is to die for. It's what every budding romance novelist aims for when they sit at their keyboard hour after hour.

I'm hoping by now, you're all jumping up and down to find out the title of this book and see if it's one you've read. If you haven't read it, do yourself a favour and get yourself to Amazon or the Book Despository--whatever you favourite book place may be.

The story of the very alpha Spaniard Tristan Romero and his English heroine Lily begins in the English countryside and transfers to Spain for the most delicious marriage of convenience story. Tristan is hiding a huge secret from Lily, but is honest enough to make sure Lily knows they are marrying because of his duty to his family, but certainly nothing to do love--an emotion he tells her he knows nothing about. Lily is the complete antithesis to the selfish stereotypical model the media portrays.

I don't want to spoil the story, but really, the black moment had me crying. In public. On a train!

The book is Spanish Aristocrat, Forced Bride and the author is India Grey.

I'd love to know if anyone else has read this fab book or if you have one you'd like to recommend to the Minxes this weekend.

Thanks for visiting!