Buffy's Ramblings

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: When author Zoe Scott arrives in Applehill, Georgia, she relishes the seclusion of the old farmhouse she has rented, but the first night of peace is shattered by strange noises in the night. Zoe begins to wonder if she should believe in ghosts. Deputy Nick Wheeler answers her frantic, angry call to the police about the noises in the night, and when he comes out to do a report, sparks fly between the hot deputy and the skittish Zoe. After a break in at the farmhouse, the stakes get higher. Nick decides he will do what it takes to protect Zoe from whoever wants to harm her-- ghost or man. And he'll get the handcuffs out if he has to to keep her safe. Thoughts: This was an enjoyable read with spicy handcuff fun in the bedroom, but the storyline felt a tad shallow and the romance a bit awkward. I’m a fan of the notion of love at first sight, but while Nick seem...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: Zane has been called upon to act as an ambassador between his weretiger clan and the female assassins who call themselves The Wakened Veils. He must work with the lovely but headstrong vampiress, Kesi. When she meets the handsome, blue-eyed weretiger, Zane, Kesi is overwhelmed by desire but knows a permanent relationship between them can never be. She will do everything in her power to keep from loving Zane, even if it means destroying him along with her heart. Thoughts: I love the big cat shifters, so I was immediately drawn to this one and was excited about it. Zane definitely gets some face time in tiger form, so yay! We get a quick little look into the weretigers’ culture and everything, but mostly it’s Zane interacting with his dad, and then we move into the interaction with the Wakened Veils. We get a little background and insight into them as well, but...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: Race Reed doesn’t want a wife, but to save his ranch he needs a baby. To gain custody of her stepsister, Claire Jensen needs a husband, but she wants love. Wants and needs are bound to clash when they run The Baby Race. Race Reed reserves his love and attention for the abused horses he cares for on his ranch. Because his mother changed husbands as often as she changed clothes, doesn’t believe in wedded bliss. Now to save his ranch he needs the money his paternal grandmother is offering as a marriage incentive. The bizarre contest she’s set up between him and his two cousins to produce her first great-grandchild is another matter. His only option – cheat in The Baby Race. Claire Jensen wants two things out of life, home and family. During her younger years she never questioned her father’s nomadic lifestyle as he hunted for treasure, but as she grew older she longed...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: Sophie is just your average teenage girl who's world gets turned upside down by the handsome stranger in her dreams. Or so it seems... She no longer knows where her dreams end and reality begins. Thoughts: The blurb for this book had me really intrigued, but after reading, I’m a little confused and disturbed. First of all, the thirty pages this book is estimated at included a several page peek at book 2, so this one is actually more like eighteen to twenty pages long. It’s really short and is mostly all about Sophie trying to decipher what’s real and what’s not with her mystery dream stranger. I believe it’s because of the length that I’m left so confused. Separating reality from dreams wasn’t that difficult, but we’re given zero information about the mystery guy and why he does what he does. Seducing a seventeen year old out of her virginity purely f...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: Focused on the bottom line, corporate paralegal Linda Underwood answers to no one. Her world is torn apart when a bear shifter turns her romantic weekend rendezvous into a desperate struggle to stay alive. Now a recently-turned shifter herself, she is determined to beat the affliction by ignoring her newly awakened beastly impulses. After the accidental death of his wife, shifter Flynn Cromwell finds solace in a remote mountain cabin, immersed in his computer network security work. When he discovers Linda's ravaged body near the brink of death, he's compelled to protect her. Can Flynn save Linda from her own stubborn nature and defend her from a vicious shifter with a taste for her blood? Can Linda soothe the beast within, even the score with her maker, and gain Flynn's trust as well his heart? Thoughts: I don’t know if it’s because I was reading a r...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: The last of his kind… Rekkus is the last of the great Black Tiger weres and he is happy to stay that way. Working as security for the Wiccan Haus, a magical spa for inner healing, he has enough danger – and women – to keep him busy. Unfortunately, the Fates are not content with him being comfortable. Alone and discouraged… Dana has walked away from all she has known, her fiancé, family, apartment, and job. Now, having a ticket to the Wiccan Haus may be the only way she can move on. But what she finds isn’t what she expects, nor is it what she thought she was looking for. Meet the unusual residents of the Wiccan Haus. The staff can get a little hairy and not all of the guests eat what’s served in the dining hall. But the proprietors always do what they can to make the resort into a place of healing and peace, using all of their years of practice. At the Haus, ...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: Shot by a member of his military team, Justin Lawson retreats to the Wiccan Haus. Holly Walters refuses to accept her boyfriend's out-of-the-blue rejection without an explanation, even if getting the answers forces her to be trapped on a bizarre island for an entire week. She's going to use every minute to work Justin out of her system once and for all. Justin's body and spirit begin to heal under Holly's loving ministrations. As she talks about never seeing each other again, he realizes he never wants to let her go. But the rogue assassin who had gone after Justin before is after him again. Before he can fight to make Holly believe in their love, he'll have to fight for both their lives. Thoughts: I don’t have any experience reading a series where every book is not written by the same author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect compared to the fi...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: Aislinn never wants to see another doctor. Their painful and pointless treatments have done nothing to improve her rapidly deteriorating health. She hopes that the staff of Wiccan Haus can at least offer a change of scene, if not a return of a little of her former strength. She's delighted to meet Punda, a masseuse, on her arrival and charmed by the cottage in the apple orchard where she will stay. Dr. Hugo Peralta visits the island at the insistence of his boss. The distinguished brain surgeon is in desperate need of a respite before overwork makes him one of his own patients. He is surprised but pleased with the privacy and serenity of his cottage--across the orchard from Aislinn's. An idyllic location on a magical island where love can blossom--if the Rowans can help the trio save Aislinn from whatever is killing her. Thoughts: So I was surprised to f...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: A street-wise hustler, Stormy has been running most of her life from the creature that killed her family. However, when she meets Fury, a being so stubborn he could give a mule lessons, running is no longer an option. When he claims he’s her protector and the other half of her soul, Stormy would rather take her chances with the beast chasing her. His dogged determination to protect her and his seductive expertise spark to life dreams she’d all but given up on: dreams of belonging to a family, and of having a life where running is nothing more than exercise. But with vile creatures hunting her, demanding her blood, and pack members who want her head instead of her help, Stormy will have to find away to place her trust and heart in Fury’s care. If she can’t, then neither of them will have a future to dream about. Thoughts: In the prologue alone, you’re so intrigu...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: Hunter Brooks has spent the last decade staying as far away from the Sherman family and Jacinda Sherman as possible. No matter how much Hunter might want Jacinda, honor dictates a man doesn’t go near a best friend's baby sister. But now, she is safely married so all should be safe. Can Hunter pay J.C.'s price and still come out on top? Her whole life, Jacinda Sherman let everyone tell her what she can and cannot have. That includes Hunter. Now she's grown up, divorced, and what J.C. wants J.C. gets. This time, Hunter won't be leaving without J.C. getting what she desires. Can these two lovers find a way to live happily ever after? Or will life throw a wrench in their carefully laid plans? Thoughts: So right off the bat you have to love the adopted family dynamic. You get enough back story and interaction that you practically feel a part of it. ...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: Sierra Rawlings loves to work, ride, and play hard, but it’s her hidden desire for neighbor, Dalton Grant, that really keeps her on her toes. But she needs her independence more and his habit of bossing her around is too much to bear. Three years ago, Dalton thought he’d roped and gentled Sierra. One night of passion under the stars had him thinking of forever, but even as he made his plans, she ran from him, and he’d never been able to comprehend why. The annual summer rodeo brings them together and their hidden desires flare hot. But just as they are beginning to understand each other, a dangerous opportunity arises, forcing Sierra and Dalton to learn a painful lesson about trust. It’s time for these two stubborn people to cowboy up and admit their feelings, before anger and a bull named Body Bag steal their last chance away. Thoughts: It starts off with a ba...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member—a man trapped in a hell of his own. Neither can resist the instant hunger that calms their torments…and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction—and a soul-shattering test of love… Thoughts: I can’t necessarily say that I loved this book, but I really liked it! The couple were good together, once they figured out the other wasn’t out to kill them of course, and I liked how much they’d do for each other a lot. However, I wanted to smack Maddox for not just talking to her instead of assuming she was Bait, and Ashlyn was often too st...

***This book was originally reviewed for Storm Goddess Book Reviews .*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Summary: She was his for one glorious night; then she fled, wounding his ego and his heart. She can't run now, but does she want to? Corporate attorney Samantha Greco needs some peace and quiet to come to a decision about her career. Instead, while an icy nor'easter rages outside, she finds herself trapped in a cottage on Fenwick Island with Aiden Rourke, a man she used five years ago when she ran from the heartbreak of her fiancé's betrayal. Aiden Rourke has loved Sam for years. For one glorious night she was his. But then she fled, wounding his ego and his heart. Thrown together again, they soon discover time hasn't diminished their fiery passion for each other. Only Aiden has ever been able to melt Sam with just a look or a touch. But the fear that she's like her mother, who used men mercilessly, scares Sam to death. The storm outside is nothing comp...