Showing posts with label Alison Kent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alison Kent. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

TBR Review: Kiss & Tell by Alison Kent

The February theme for Wendy's 2015 TBR Challenge is "Recommended Read." Kiss & Tell seemed like the perfect choice. The ebook has been sitting unread in my Kindle since 2009 because a friend, a big Alison Kent fan, recommended the author's works. Additionally, I am in the mood for spicy contemporary romances and this book fit the bill.
----------

We have Miranda Kelly, a lovely, sexy woman keeping a few secrets about her past and present and Caleb McGregor, a man of dubious character in what seems to be a permanent sexual haze. This Harlequin Blaze is made up of secrets and a hot, sizzling fling that takes place in a week's time.

I am not giving away spoilers by including the following information as it is included in the book summary. Miranda is keeping two secrets: she moved back to her hometown to hide after having been hounded by the media during a very public divorce. Additionally, since coming back home, by day she is a florist at her own shop and by night, Candy Cane a sexy singer performing incognito at Club Crimson where she wears wigs and sexy costumes to hide her true identity. Club Crimson is where she meets Caleb McGregor who is in town to attend a wedding. Miranda hasn't been with a man since her six year old divorce and Caleb, who falls in lust on sight, catches her eye. With a song and a kiss, the two embark on a steaming hot fling that places Miranda's secrets in danger of discovery and her heart on the line.

Caleb and Miranda embark on an adult relationship, a sizzling affair with certain boundaries and a time limit. They both understand the limits and stick to this understanding even as their feelings for each other begin to change. There are no misunderstandings between them -- and no whining during or after! During their time together this couple spends plenty of time having sex or engaged in sexual play, but they also take the time to get to know each other, slowly revealing their secrets to each other. There are good, valid conflicts and the paths taken to resolve them are not overly dramatic. Most of all I enjoyed the fact that these two people like each other. In this case the adult factor wins.

There is also a secondary storyline pertaining to Miranda's best friend and her two daughters. This storyline is peripherally intertwined with the conflict that crops up between Miranda and Caleb -- Caleb's secret. As a reader I became invested in the secondary characters' conflicts, unfortunately the resolutions to their problems are glossed over and kept off the pages. My second problem comes with the time line and how it affects the central romance between Miranda and Caleb. One week of lusting, hot sex, keeping secrets, and final revelations strikes me as too short a period to achieve a happy ever after.

So far, Alison Kent's romances have been mixed bags for me. I enjoy the characters and romances. Kent writes some steamy sexual scenes that are off the charts, as is the case in Kiss & Tell and I find her adult romances very attractive. However, my experience to date shows that somewhere along the line some aspect of the storyline is left under-developed. Of course this is an older book as are the other books I have read by this author. I need to pick up a current release to find out if there is a difference in execution. Recommendations anyone?

Category: Contemporary Romance
Series: None
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Grade: B-

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

November 2009 Reads & Minis

November is done! I can't believe it... I read almost half the books I read last month, and didn't like some of them as much as I did my last month's reads, but those months/weeks/days don't come around too often. I did, however, find a few wonderful surprises along the way.

I got hooked on the paranormal Guardian series by Meljean Brook and that's great for me. I've had some disappointments this year and my PNR list of authors has dwindled down to three must-read authors -- this is an excellent addition to my list. I also have a new-to-me author whose backlist I'm going to explore, Cheryl St. John writes historical romances set in the west. I love the genre and can't wait to read more books by her. And, I was very happy to read Lisa Dale's latest book and hope to read more. I'm thinking maybe I found a new contemporary romance writer I'll be following in the future. So, a productive reading month, if not in quantity, for the most part in quality. :)

1) Demon Angel by Meljean Brook

2) Joe's Wife by Cheryl St. John

3) Demon Moon by Meljean Brook

4) Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts - Upcoming Review

5) It Happened One Night by Lisa Dale

6) The Cowboy (Bitter Creek Series #1) by Joan Johnston

The Cowboy by Joan Johnston was a DNF for me. I read as far as the end of the 3rd Chapter and closed the book. There's a feud going on between the H/h's families and while at college, these two young people meet and fall in love. In the opening scene, while the two are in bed together, she receives a phone call telling her that her brother was tragically paralyzed in a football game accident. The person who made the unlucky play and hurt her brother is the hero's brother. She decides right there and then that she has to end their relationship. He begs her to go with him and marry him, to confront their families and end this feud. She won't do it even though she secretly knows she's pregnant. Yes, pregnant. *sigh

Eleven years pass and the hero finally returns home. When they meet again, (by Chapter 3) she accuses him of LEAVING HER! All of the sudden it's HIS FAULT! All of this while she is still trying to hide the fact that the child belongs to him. See, she married another man 1 month after he left and is now a widow. I have no patience for this type of storyline and that was the end for me. I actually thought of reading the trilogy by Ms. Johnston... the other two are The Texan and The Loner, but decided against it. Frustrating, just frustrating.

7) One Good Man by Alison Kent

A Blaze category romance. I was actually enjoying this book. It was a pretty fast read and it had really hot moments between the H/h, a Texas Ranger and the victim of a crime. The romance was one of those fast, "I think I have feelings for him/her" within the first 24 hours (insta-love), but okay... it was HOT. But, but BUT, their whole story was entrenched with the crime. You couldn't really separate the two. After the climax to the story where the villain is caught at the end? The how, who and why were NOT answered... Can you believe that? I read this WHOLE book and it felt incomplete. I cannot describe my frustration...to read all the way to the end only to get no answers. Frustrating! However, this is a Blaze, the H/h had their hot HEA and if you don't find not finding out these details frustrating, then you might enjoy this book. I have one more book by Ms. Kent on my TBR pile that I'll be reading.

8) He's No Prince Charming by LuAnne McClaine

Okay... this book is hmm... I don't even know how to describe it! I started it, put it away and started to read it again. The heroine is an ex-teen star singer and the hero is a has-been bull rider. The hero is bitter, lonesome and he comes off as okay, but the heroine in this book just killed me! This girl/woman.. I'm not sure how old she is in the book (I might have missed that), acts like a bubble head, air-head, child/girl/woman... and I just did not KNOW what this man saw in her. She might have been just a wee bit too superficial for my taste. The woman in the secondary romance was more appealing than the heroine, at least to me she was. Maybe I just didn't quite appreciate the "Three Stooges" style of romantic comedy in this book. The book does have a very nice Southern atmosphere to it that I enjoyed and I'll try one of her other books with this same theme to see if it works for me.

9) Almost Like Being In Love by Steve Kluger (M/M)- Upcoming Mini

10) Slow Burn by Tori Temple (M/M)

This is a very short Sip by Torquere that covers one very hot encounter. I love Tori Temple, so it was worth the read for me. :)

11) Cowgirl Up and Ride by Lorelei James - Upcoming Mini

12) Long Hard Ride by Lorelei James (Re-read)

I re-read A Long Hard Ride in preparation for Rough Raw and Ready since two of the main characters in that book are introduced in this installment. (Not that I minded too much re-reading this book *g*) Lorelei James style, this is the story of Colby McKay & Channing Kincaid. -- how they meet on the rodeo circuit and their sexual adventures before they fall in love and reach their happily ever after. This is a hot installment with lots of M/F/M, M/F, & M/M & one M/M/F/M scene included. A Long Hard Ride is the perfect title for this book. It's not really my favorite in the series, but that's mainly due to the short time it takes for Colby and Channing to realize they're in love and I had other issues. As for the erotic part of the book, there's no question that it was hot and I enjoyed that part of it plenty!

13) Rough Raw and Ready by Lorelei James - Upcoming Mini

How was your reading month? Any good ones?


Sunday, August 9, 2009

Reviews at Musings


Upcoming Reviews:

















Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale is a book I've had on my TBB list ever since I saw it highlighted at the Galaxy Express last March under their 'Steampunk' recommendations. A book I looked forward to reading and saved to savor like candy for the end of the Challenge. *g*

Out of Bounds by T.A. Chase was an erotic trip through the world of sports. He addresses the prejudices still rampant in that world and the pros and cons of being "out" for an athlete -- but also the decisions that must be made by the man. I'll be reading more T.A. Chase.

Reviews Posted at Musings:



The Edge of Impropriety by Pam Rosenthal, a historical romance from a new-to-me author. I was curious about this book and just had to give it a shot. My thoughts are posted at Musings as more impressions than review mode. A book that surprised me in more ways than one.

No Limits by Alison Kent is a contemporary romance book that I won at the author's website in a contest. This is another new-to-me author and I read this book without any expectations or knowledge as to style. This book had an interesting mixture of characters and atmosphere.

Islands by Samantha Kane, a beautiful love story set in World War II with wonderful characters and atmosphere. This one made me sigh.

Summer has taken its toll and I'm not reading as much as I usually do, but I'm right on track with the M/M Challenge. One more to read, and after this week... one more to review. So, that's okay, right?

After I'm done with those... I'll have to tackle the huge TBR pile this challenge has created... all the wonderful new authors discovered and backlists to investigate. It seems I'll be overflowing with hot new reads to keep me warm come the winter. :) Plus, this second half of the year, I'm planning on reading more Fantasy / Sci-Fi Romance and Contemporary Romance.

See you at Musings!

Edited: All reviews can be found here at Impressions. 

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Review: No Limits by Alison Kent


Simon Baptiste's latest SG-5 mission just went south in a major way. It seems like a good time to take are of some business back home in Louisiana. Simon knows it ain't going to be pretty. He's got old enemies in Bayou Allain who won't exactly roll out the red carpet. But Simon's first night back is more than he bargained for: Not only has the homestead gone to hell in a hand basket, but there's a half-naked woman hiding inside it -- a woman whose face Simon knows all too well. It's Michelina Ferrer; the sultry spokes model for her family's Ferrer fragrance empire -- and Simon's been starting at her picture on a billboard outside his Manhattan apartment for weeks...

Micky Ferrer came down to Bayou Allain looking for her old college friend, only to discover that Lisa Landry has been missing for days. As soon as Micky starts asking questions, someone runs her car off the road. She's hiding out in the old Baptiste place when Simon shows up -- and he's the hottest thing she's laid eyes on since she got to town. Simon agrees that something strange is going on and that Lisa's disappearance may be tied to it. As he and Micky search for answers, the sweltering heat makes it hard to keep their heads straight on their hands off each other...even as they unravel the small-town secrets that some people are willing to kill for...
Alison Kent is a new-to-me author, and No Limits a no expectations type of read. I understand this book is part of a long series -- the SG5 -- however, I think it reads well as a stand alone. The above book description is very thorough in the way it outlines the plot, so I'll just outline my thoughts.

No Limits gives us enough Cajun flavor without really steeping us into the culture or the true southern atmosphere of the Bayou. We get a sense of that flavor from some of the phraseology, usage of language and pacing, but the details are not really found here to provide heavy atmosphere.

Micky, as in Micky Mouse, reminded me of a cross between a super-model and the type of celebrity we see pictured in tabloids all too often. Although initially developed as an immature young woman who acts before she thinks and is adept at running rather than taking responsibility for her actions, her character does show some growth throughout the story. Simon is a character you'll recognize easily. He is a sexy ex-military, ex-mercenary who now works with the SG5 team. He is an alpha male who is not overdone in this story, although a bit brooding. I found the dialogue and tension between these two characters better than the chemistry.

King, Simon's cousin, is one of a memorable cast of secondary characters. A wonderfully brooding Cajun, King caught my attention from the beginning and kept it to the end of this story. Some of the most heated sexual scenes in this book are between King and Paschelle -- King's friend with benefits. As a secondary story, King and Paschelle's troubled, sexual relationship became my favorite part of the book. I certainly looked forward to every single scene where both these characters were included.

The mystery/suspense in the book was a disappointment for me. The villain of this piece is known almost immediately as is the reason for the crime. There didn't seem to be any surprises at the end.

No Limits was a mixed bag for me. I thoroughly enjoyed parts of it and thought Ms. Kent's secondary characters made the story -- from Judge Bear and pitiful Lorna to sexy King and Paschelle. However, I felt the suspense was lacking and the ending felt more like a "happily for now" than a "happily ever after." This book gets a C+ from me.

You can visit the author here. You can read an excerpt here.

Originally posted at Musings of a Bibliophile August 8, 2009