Nikki from Co2BL

I love hockey. It's pretty much the only sport I will willingly watch at any given time with no complaints. I also love hunky alpha male characters. Adding those two together, it should go without saying, I love Toni Aleo's Assassins series! This novella was no different! It was a great quickie story to give us a glimpse at Jordan, the goalie Tate replaced after he had a knee injury in the last book. I really liked Jordan! He was the perfect blend of hottie hockey player with just enough down to earth sweet guy thrown in! :) Aynslee was a spitfire leading lady who I really enjoyed reading about. They went so well together, I was actually kinda sad this was only a novella. All in all though it was a great, albeit shorter, addition to the series! Just enough to tide me over til the next full length book comes out!

*My only complaint, and thus the reason for 3 stars, the editing was pretty bad and considering Ms. Aleo was picked up by a publisher I expected the editing to be better.

My copy was given courtesy of NetGalley

Review in progress....

This was somewhat disappointing yet also a cute short 'in-between' read. Disappointing because 1. The sexy times were very fade to black and with that hot cover I was anticipating much more :( 2. The mc's fell in love after knowing each other a few weeks, which can sometimes be done ok but in this case it was too fast for my liking. Other than those two (mega) issues, it was a cute and funny short romance to read before I start a longer book. I really liked Jake's blog entries! Those were my favorite parts. Even though this one wasn't a major hit for me, I liked the author's writing style and will be checking into her other stuff! :)

1. I really need to find me a cowboy! ;)
2. It's been a minute since I read a book that made me laugh so damn hard I was snorting, crying and running to the bathroom before I peed myself!
3. I have a new favorite author to add to my "Nikki is stalking" list!
4. This was the most awesomest book evah!
5. The sex was hot
6. The characters, all of them, were fabulous and well written.
7. The story line was great and flowed very nicely; I never wanted to put it down, as made obvious by the fact I read it in less than 24 hours! (pretend he's reading)
8. I have about a gazillion highlights on my kindle of awesome lines! Ok, maybe not that much...
9. The h/h were a perfect balance to each other and even though they didn't know each other for a long period of time, their feelings for each other felt real and genuine and it never bothered me there was a hint of the 'love at first sight' aspect to the story.
10. Did I mention the hot monkey sex with a hunky cowboy?!

So there you have it folks, the Ten Things I Loved about Shine Not Burn!

The spoiler contains quotes from the book, just trying to save space!


“I had zero fear of Mack being the wrong kind of guy to invite up to my room. He totally didn't come off as rapist material. Me, on the other hand, I wasn't so sure about.”

“I really liked this cowboy. Mack. But I didn't know a single thing about him other than the fact that he doesn't wear underwear and he's got a big cock-a-doodle doo that he definitely knows how to use. Yee haw.”

“... something about being here in this neon-glitzy place, my shoes off and my boobs pushed up to my neck made me feel bold. Daring. Ready to grab the world by the balls and make it beg for mercy. Rawr.”

“It was the best night of my life and not just because you kept calling me King Dong.”

“What are you looking at?” I asked…
“City slicker. What are you looking at?”
“A stupid wookie man-bear-pig who doesn’t know how to mind his own business.”
And my personal favorite,
“I, Gavin MacKenzie, sexy
cowboy man of Baker City, Oregon …
being of sound mind and hot body … do
hereby declare that I love you, Andie
Marks, lawyer extraordinaire, and want
to be married to you until I’m so old, I
either die or my pecker falls off.I will have sex
with you whenever you want, and I will
always give you the option to be on top
if that’s what will make you happy.
Blowjobs will always be optional but
appreciated.I will change diapers when called
for, both for our children and for you
when you’re old and decrepit. I will
never spit in public or burp too loudly or
say mean things about your friends.
I promise never to raise my hand
against you in anger or tell you that
you’re useless or threaten to hurt people
who you love. Ten-four, over and out,
happily ever after. Those are my vows.”

Review in progress..... But fair warning... Read near a cold body of water, or just a warm body! ;) This one is hot

Review in progress....

It's been a good, long while since I've read an honest to goodness good (or any, really) murder mystery. Yet again, KA excels at what she does best - writes the most awesome stories with an awesome flair! She has a very unique style that some may attempt, but could never really replicate. For You reminded me of my first reading love; long before romance I was a die hard (no pun intended) mystery / suspense fan. It used to be the only kinds of books I read, starting with the Fear Street series by R.L Stine when I was in middle school. Not until about 3 years ago did I find the romance genre. I'd forgotten, what with all the smut I read these days ;), how m/s books could be so captivating! Then again, this is a KA book and I got my romance too! ;) So for the record, I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK! :) Although, I have decided that I think I should relegate KA books to the weekends from now on. It's just too damn hard to put them down so I can go to bed at a reasonable (well, not too reasonable...) hour so I can get up in the morning for work! If I dedicate my weekends to KA, then I can stay up as late as I want to read as much as possible! And that was my only issue here. I wanted to read it continuously but I was denied that option. This was such a great story of a young love that was torn apart by an unseen force and it finally finding its way back together years later. There was so much here, I honestly don't know where to begin. The characters were amazing. Alec "Colt" Colton was the definition of alpha male, hottie cop with a big heart. February "Feb" Owens was the town's sweetheart who went astray for a while but finally found her way home. I loved them separately but I especially loved them together. When the details of why and how they broke up came out, I was devastated on their behalf. And watching them come back together was beautiful to see. I liked that it wasn't too slow in happening but also didn't happen too quickly. Feb put up just the right amount of resistance, then gave in and went with the flow without the dreaded too much hassle. The secondary characters were all great as well, even the ones we disliked. The plot was so well done and I loved how it wasn't majorly obvious who the killer was and then when we found out, I'll admit I was curious as to how the story could have so much length left after we knew who the bad guy was, but of course KA knew what was going on and it totally worked. There wasn't anything I would have taken out to shorten it! I was literally on the edge of my seat the whole time in anticipation of what was gonna happen next. It was like watching a really great movie on the big screen. Now on to book 2! :D

I think this one may be my favorite so far! I loved Ben and Abi! Their pasts were heartbreaking and the way they came together was simply beautiful! Again I have so many highlights on my kindle but I don't even know where to start with a longer review! All I can say is I absofreakinglutely loved this book and the entire series thus far! I can't wait for Jason and Katie's story next!!!

And again, absofuckinglutely AWESOMSAUCE!!!!!! I was planning on writing my review for book one before reading this but I couldn't wait. Now I'm in love with both Anscombe brothers! There are no words! Nicola Claire has just blown me away with her talent! I have the biggest, dumbest grin on my face too! The epilogue alone is worth 5 stars! LOVED IT!!!

I abso-freaking-lutely LOVED it! I have no words right now! I also have about 20 pages of highlights on my kindle to comb through for my review! Full review to come! ;)

I haven't even read Withstanding Me yet and I already need this book!

That moment when you finish a book you actually enjoyed... After having dnf'ed 2 back to back and not finding anything that looks good!

Jake Knight, aka my new book boyfriend, is one hot, bossy man in charge! I swear, he could tie me up to a four post bed anytime! ;) He fell in love with his best friend, proceeded to warn off every man in his employ to stay away from her, and bides his time til he knew she was ready for him. He wooed her like a man should woo!

He made a leisurely perusal of her face. “Am I what?” The words were softly spoken, but Kim’s spine stiffened. There was a threat there somewhere, and she’d never been good at backing down. She licked her lips slowly and then said quite precisely, “Are you well-endowed, Jake?” Her question was worth the look of surprise that flickered across his face. But then the surprise was gone and a very unexpected satisfied smile settled in its place. He took her hand. For a moment, he stroked her fingers gently, and when she didn’t pull away, he moved it toward him and held her palm flat against his groin. Kim gasped. “What do you think?” he asked.

I think I need a freaking cold shower!

Not to mention, his 'equipment'...

He flicked it open and then lowered the zipper. His cock sprang free, and he wrapped his fist around it. She couldn't drag her gaze away. He was huge, hopefully fully aroused because if he got any bigger he wouldn't fit. No way. "Bloody hell, Jake. It's a monster."

Holy hell! Ladies, I'm in love with yet another fictional character! Jake is awesome! Here's a few gifs that reminded me of their Scotland weekend getaway... ;)




Kim is a woman who has dealt with some harsh times in her young 24 years. Her mother died when she was ten, she had a strained relationship with her father, and to top it all off, she marries a jackass to beat all jackasses. He physically abuses her and demeans her to the point she starts to believe him. But she gets away and vows never to be any mans doormat again. Working for her bff Jake's security firm aids in her endeavors. The only problem with her... she's completely blind to his feelings, unlike everyone else who works there. This makes for some pretty humorous moments!

“Jake will be here in a minute,” Dave said. “So?” Dave shook his head in exasperation. “Seems as apparently it’s out in the open now, I may as well tell you, along with warning the lot of us off touching you, Jake’s made it perfectly clear that if you come on these nights out, we’re expected to see that you don’t get into any trouble.” “Trouble?” she queried, a frown forming between her eyes. “What sort of trouble?” Dave nodded in the direction of the dark-haired man at the bar. “That sort of trouble.” “I don’t believe this. Who does Jake think he is? My father?” “I doubt that’s quite the role he has in mind,” Dave said wryly. “But you’d better talk to him about that.”

I really enjoyed this story. I am always a sucker for the friends to lovers and here we not only have that, hot sex, but a hero who isn't afraid to admit he wants a wife and kids and the "happily ever after", we also have a heroine who is scared to death of backtracking and becoming a doormat again, but she doesn't run from Jake. Not really anyway. ;) The supporting cast was pretty funny and added great comic relief. This was a book that came to me at the perfect time. I feared I was coming into a bad funk, after having to dnf 2 books (which is a rare thing for me) and not really finding anything that called to me. This is my first from Ms. Croft, and it will not be my last! Her writing was great, the cast was hilarious and the story flowed and I didn't want to put it down! Yay me! :)

4.5 Stars!

This was an awesome book! I literally could not put it down! I ended up reading it all in one day! The story was very intriguing and it captivated me from the first page! I laughed so much and was so enthralled in this unusual tale of Wolvers, not werewolves! The characters and plot was very well developed and written and I was very pleased with this book! The only reason I rated it a 4.5 was because there were a few moments when the heroine made me roll my eyes a little at her random silliness. Nothing major though and I would definitely read more form this author!

I really hate dnf'ing a book. I especially hate writing negative reviews. But sometime, it just has to happen. This book was just not a good fit for me. That is the nicest possible way for me to explain it and I won't go into too much more detail for fear of running off at the mouth.. erm... keyboard, and I would really hate to be out right rude. Basically the heroine was just stupid. She made more TSTL choices in the first 11% then those dumb bimbos from 80's horror flicks. Awful. The hero had so much potential, and after some discoveries, my interest was definitely piqued, but unfortunately it took too long to pan out, if it even did. I made it to 40% so if they did come to fruition, it was after that. Which in my humble opinion, means it took way too long to get the ball rolling. I just felt like the story was dragging it out and I feel like it has to do with the fact that there are 3 (yes, you read that right, 3!) books planned for this series. Not to mention there's a cliffhanger, which I abhor! And yes, I read the ending just to make sure it didn't somehow magically get better and I needed to go back and stick with it. It didn't. The only reason I'm giving this one star is because it evoked so much emotion, even though it was negative.

This was a sweet story about two young adults who struggled with finding themselves. I really enjoyed it. Cole was a hot and hotheaded guy who liked to show his emotions by using his fists. Whitney was pretty repressed by her wealthy and snobbish father. After catching her boyfriend cheating, she goes to stay with her mom on her farm for the summer. When she meets Cole there is definitely something there. After a few bumbling starts, they strike up a non friendship. It was fun to read this because even though they had their dramas, there was never the point where one ran from the other. Yes, they had a few 'time outs' but they had pretty good communication and worked through each issue as it arose. Very refreshing. I enjoyed Whitney's mom (hilarious!) and her sister (ballbuster!) Her ex was a douche of the highest caliber and I was supremely happy when he got his ass handed to him! Her dad was a lesser douche who turned it around towards the end and I was very relieved for that. The ending was sweet but I was definitely left wanting more. I hear Mallory, the sister, will have her own book coming out soon and we'll get to see more of Cole and Whitney too! I can't wait! :)

This is most definitely the most emotional Rock Chick book I've read! I cried off and on from pretty much the very beginning to the end! I FREAKING LOVED IT! Sadie, her life and all the craptastic things that happened to her just broke my heart and I wanted to just give her a big ole hug! Hector did not disappoint the Hot Bunch! Man he was possessive and bossy and HOT! I loved when he got 'jealous of the dog' licking Sadie's neck! And of course what would a Rock Chick book be without first, the rest of the gang, and second, a couple of awesome gay besties?!! Ralphie and Buddy were fantastic! :) I really loved this one. No, Hector and Sadie didn't replace my favorite Rock Chick or Hot Bunch guy, but they were great to read about and I was happy to see Hector get his hea! Sadie was wonderful to read about too. How she handled all the crap thrown at her... In the words of Hector, will of fuckin steel! RC Regret was a tearjerker for me. I don't know if I was just extra emotional or what but there were lotsa times I found myself having to put my kindle down so I could clean my glasses from all the tears! Lol. Total awesomesauce just like the rest of the series!!! I'm kinda sad there's only one left now!