Review: "The Mistress" by Tiffany Reisz

Nora Sutherlin is in handcuffs, held captive by two men. . Under different circumstances, she would enjoy the situation immensely, but her captors aren't interested in play. Or pity. 

As the reality of her impending peril unfolds, Nora becomes Scheherazade, buying each hour of her life with stories—sensual tales of Søren, Kingsley and Wesley, each of whom has tempted and tested and tortured her in his own way. This, Nora realizes, is her life: nothing so simple, so vanilla, as a mere love triangle for her. It's a knot in a silken cord, a tangled mass of longings of the body and the heart and the mind. And it may unravel at any moment. 

But in Nora's world, no one is ever truly powerless—a cadre of her friends, protectors and lovers stands ready to do anything to save her, even when the only certainty seems to be sacrifice and heartbreak….

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The Mistress is the fourth book in Tiffany Reisz's Original Sinners series.  

I have really enjoyed the series to this point but I really had mixed feelings about this book.   Nora has been kidnapped and is being held captive for most of the book.  As a result, about half of the book is comprised of flashbacks.  It was nice to get a little more back story of Nora, Soren and Kingsley but I just felt like it was way to heavy on the past and not enough present.  We will be getting plenty of their early days in the future and I was really hoping this one would have focused more on the here and now. There's certainly plenty going on to deal with, one of which is Wesley.  This was another sore spot for me.  I felt like the Wesley we saw in this book was a totally different person than we've grown to know and love through out the series.  Soren redeemed himself a little with his actions and through some of the stories, as did Kingsley.  Grace was even more disappointing than Wesley. Again, it just didn't feel like the same character.  Some of her actions were... disappointing to say the least.  I have so much more to say, but I don't want to give away any spoilers.  I would still recommend the series as the other books, including the novellas, are well written with just the perfect blend of story and steamy romance.  The Mistress definitely wraps things up and is still worth the read, even if it wasn't quite on par with the rest of the series.

Advance copy provided by the publisher/author for a fair and honest review.

Review and Giveaway: "Being Me" by Lisa Renee Jones

Fascinated by the dark fantasies in the journals she’s discovered, and the two men who have now found a place in her life, Sara McMillan finds herself torn between her new life and her past. Now, more than ever, Sara identifies with the missing journal writer, Rebecca, and is certain that something sinister has happened.

In the arms of the sexy, tormented artist Chris Merit, Sara seeks answers about Rebecca and ends up discovering things about herself she never knew existed. Chris forces Sara to reconsider who she is and what she truly wants from life, but his dark desires threaten to tear them apart. Her boss, Mark Compton, offers her the shelter to understand just what those needs mean to her, and what they might have meant to Rebecca—but can she trust him to lead her to a final conclusion to Rebecca’s story?




Note about Inside Out reading order:  Following If I Were You, there are 4 serial novellas (that follow Rebecca's journal entries) prior to reading Being Me.  It is not necessary to read these between book 1 and 2 but please do... they are great and really add to the series.

Being Me picks up right where the first book left off, right at the big cliffhanger.   This series is a little different than my usual read as it is more of a mystery romance, but I am loving it.  I was intrigued with the storyline that began in the last book, with Sara discovering Rebecca's journals in a storage unit she purchases and the search for what happened to her.  The novellas were a great look into Rebecca's life and of course had me even more curious about who the mystery men in her life were and whether they were responsible for her disappearance.  We get just enough clues that by the time I read Being Me I was pretty sure I knew at least one of the men, but of course, just as I get confident Ms. Jones throws me for a loop.  Luckily, we did get some much needed answers... for both Sara and the reader.  

Sara has been unable to resist her sexy artist, Chris... who can blame her!  He's got everything she wants in a man and more, but fears that she's losing herself by being with him.  She's trying to find that happy balance of allowing herself to fall for him while still keeping her own identity.  This is even harder to do when she already feels like she's living Rebecca's life in her attempt to get answers.  Just to add a little more turmoil for her with Chris, she soon discovers that he has plenty of his own demons as well.   

Mark, the gallery owner where she works, proves to be a powerful and alluring distraction for Sara also.  She is well aware that he has many secrets however, and her concern for Rebecca has her on the fence about him and his associates.  

This is such a hot, sexy and mysterious series!  This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.  The first book felt like more mystery than romance where the rest of the series was really well balanced.  Ms. Jones has created an extremely well thought out and executed series which is harder to pull off than you might think.  I loved seeing the relationship between Sara and Chris build.  Not only did it get much steamier but you see them really connect emotionally and they're forced to deal with their pasts.  It's great to watch them grow as a couple... a very hot couple!  I just want to rave about this book but I don't want to give anything away so there are certainly some major aspects of the story that I have skipped over so I can't wait for you to read it!

For an excerpt from the first book, If I Were You, see my previous post here.

For more information about Lisa Renee Jones and her books, visit her website at http://www.lisareneejones.com/.  Being Me is scheduled to be released June 11th, 2013.


An advanced copy of this book/series was provided by the author/publisher for an honest and fair review.

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Updated: June 10th, 2013

We've just added a great giveaway for one lucky winner to win ebook copies of all 4 journals in the "Inside Out" series.  

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Series Spotlight: Jennifer Lyon's Plus One Chronicles

"Plus One" is a popular new adult contemporary romance trilogy by Jennifer Lyon.  The first book, "The Proposition" was released in February of this year and has been getting great reviews. Now comes the second installment released May 28th, 2013, "Possession".  I love that so many series are doing these quicker release dates now... yea for us impatient readers.  Review to come soon!

Rich, sexy and volatile, Sloane Michaels has a dark agenda that keeps his heart on ice. His extreme wealth gives him the control he craves and his skills as an ex UFC fighter the tools he’ll need to extract his ultimate revenge. But when the woman he never believed he’d see again crosses his path, Sloane is caught between the vengeance he needs and a sexual conquest he craves.

Kat Thayne has been in survival mode for six years, hiding behind the sweet creations for her bakery. But when a random carjacking brings her face-to-face with her darkest fears and hottest fantasy, Kat is forced out of hiding and offered a dangerously passionate proposition. One she knows she isn’t strong enough to refuse.

Savagely sexy billionaire Sloane Michaels ruthlessly controls his life and everything in it. Even his sex partners are carefully negotiated plus-one arrangements, including his latest, the fiery bakery owner, Kat Thayne. But Sloane’s control is challenged when his mentor becomes seriously ill, and his need for Kat, his need to possess her at all costs, rivals only his single-minded goal of vengeance for the murder of his sister.

After surviving an attack six years ago, Kat Thayne escaped her fears in the protective world of her beloved bakery. Then Sloane Michaels storms into her life, making her feel beautiful, strong and sexy. Yet as Kat pushes her boundaries and uncovers a dangerous secret in her past, Sloane’s controlling side emerges. Worried that Sloane will possess her mind, body and soul, Kat fights to keep her hard won independence. But just as Sloane demands her complete surrender, she discovers he has a dark side that could destroy them both.







For more information on Jennifer Lyon and her books, visit her website at http://jenniferlyonbooks.com/.

Be sure to stop by and visit all the other stops on Jennifer Lyon's blog tour here.

"Claim Me" Giveaway and Blog Hop

In Release Me, powerful multimillionaire Damien Stark made Southern belle Nikki Fairchild an unforgettable indecent proposal which she couldn't resist. Now their sensual, erotic, powerfully emotional romance continues in Claim Me, the next in J. Kenner's bestselling trilogy.

For Damien, our obsession is a game. For me, it is fiercely, blindingly, real.

Damien Stark's need is palpable - his need for pleasure, his need for control, his need for me. Beautiful and brilliant yet tortured at his core, he is in every way my match. I have agreed to be his alone, and now I want him to be fully mine. I want us to possess each other beyond the sweetest edge of our ecstasy, into the deepest desires of our souls. To let the fire that burns between us consume us both. But there are dark places within Damien that not even our wildest passion can touch. I yearn to know his secrets, yearn for him to surrender to me as I have surrendered to him. But our troubled pasts will either bind us close...or shatter us completely.
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I highly recommend this series and am glad to be part of the blog hop and allow you a chance to win one of these great books or one of the infamous scarfs that Damien puts to good use (wink, wink).  

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                                                                    Must be at least 18 years old to enter.  USA only.

Stop by some of the other stops along the hop...