To Be Determined

"Sissy reeked of warmth, honesty, and a slight insanity that made Dez completely comfortable."That line perfectly describes Laurenston's books for me. I didn't love this one. It was actually two stories, and both of them involved commitment-phobic heroines and heroes who fall in love at first site. The first story had Mace in love with Dez since he was 14. He hadn't seen her since, but he had already decided she was the one for him when the story started. Not my favorite trope--it was a done deal from page one and while Laureston's voice and style were as enjoyable as ever I didn't care about this couple. The second story was better...several scenes of Ronnie and Brendon getting to know each other and having a blast. I liked seeing how those two genuinely liked each other.

There were 32 incidences of smirking in this book, mostly by the main characters, but plenty of the side characters got in on the smirking action. While it's safe to assume that this was due to a combination of bad word choice by the author and lack of editing, the smirking was so perfectly in character for these obnoxious assholes that I can't exactly complain.But I'm getting ahead of myself...I actually want to start with what I liked (or almost liked) about this book, because Painted Faces had so much potential that it made the final result that much more disappointing.I liked the setting--I've never read a romance set in contemporary Dublin, and that made for a fresh feel. Cosway did a great job of making the city feel like another character (a likable one!).Of course, I liked the drag queen hero. While there was a traumatic past as an explanation, I didn't feel hit over the head with it, and Nicholas' choice of career wasn't treated as a problem because of that past. I also enjoyed how much he truly just liked Freda exactly as she was, and how personality-wise they really were a perfect fit.I actually liked Freda. I liked that her insecurities made her loud and obnoxious and a goofball instead of withdrawn and socially inept like so many other romance heroines. I liked that she was mostly okay with her size and didn't call herself fat when she wasn't (except for a wildly out-of-character comment near the end that I'm going to ignore for now). I even liked how snarky and judgmental she was towards pretty much everything and everyone, that the woman is a total misanthrope...Or I would have liked all that, and Freda, if the author knew when to quit. This story is told in the first person present tense, which means we get Freda's thoughts and interpretations. We get ALL of her thoughts and interpretations about everything that pops into her head and every person she encounters. And while her snark and misanthropy were funny and refreshingly different at first, it got old...a little goes a long away with that type of personality. And while she's often aware of her faults, she can be incredibly dense about others' reactions to her behavior. She does things to annoy Nora--her roommate she describes as anal--for kicks, and then feels hurt and acts like Nora is a bitch and out-of-line for being mean in return. And about Nicholas liking Freda, warts and all? That's because he's an even bigger asshole than she is. He finds her rudeness hilarious, and he obviously sees her insecurity as a sign that he could get away with anything with her, and unfortunately, he's right. Hours after meeting her, he grabs her and tells her he wants to fuck her, because, "I thought you were making all the passive aggressive comments because you were into me." And he does that constantly throughout the story-invading her space when she's made it clear she doesn't want that. After constantly declaring how much he likes and wants her, he comes on to another woman in front of her, has sex with that women and makes a big morning after display in front of Freda, and the later tells her that he was thinking of her while he was inside that other woman. Charming, no? I'm not even against a character having sex with other people before he/she gets together with hero or heroine, but the way it was done here was the absolute wrong way to do it. And for all of Freda's judgmental nature, she's willfully blind to how fucked up Nicholas' behavior is. Every time she reacts negatively to his actions--telling him off after he grabs her in the beginning and slapping him after the comment about his one night stand--she blames herself, thinks she overreacted. It's like she thinks drag queens are above criticism...she makes it clear several times that she doesn't consider herself judgmental precisely because she has no problem with men dressed as women. That's all it takes to have an open mind, I guess. And she never stops making excuses for him, up till the end. When she forgives him for hurting her--in his typically cruel way--a lot of it has to do with his traumatic past. She's in love/lust with him, yes, but unlike with every other person in her life there's no honesty with herself about his faults. She doesn't accept that the man she loves can say and do horrible things; instead she excuses him and convinces herself that he will magically be better because he loves her and truly didn't mean to be a dick. Those two are either really going to live happily ever after or they're going to crash and burn spectacularly in a couple of years, probably after one of them finally grows up while the other stays exactly the same. This book was so frustrating. If any one book can be proof of the importance of a good editing, it's this one. I'm not a big stickler for grammar, though it's bad enough to be a deal breaker for many (mannekin for mannequin was my favorite), but what this book needed more than anything was content editing. So much potential for a truly great story with unique characters, wasted.

This reunited lovers story didn't work for me at all, partly because I'm usually not a fan of the trope. But there are some books with this theme that I love, and the two other stories in this anthology that I've read have been so great, so I decided to give Ticket Home a try. The main problem I had with this story was the conflict that led to the breakup. The heroine leaves the hero because he's a workaholic, which, fine, that's definitely stressful for a relationship, but she never tried to discuss that with him while they were together. It made it impossible to understand her anger and resentment, and I felt annoyed on the hero's behalf. He works his ass off to make a success of his company, and his girlfriend walks out without ever giving the tiniest hint what the problem was. And while the heroine does come to realize this near the end, it was too late for me.

Ridiculously adorable. Most of the story involves the characters flirting with each other, and it was so well done I spent most of the time with a dopey smile on my face.

Dear authors,If you feel it necessary for your courtesan heroine to only have had two lovers--and for her to feel the need to declare that to the hero--just don't do the courtesan thing, okay? Stick to the virgin you so obviously wanted to write. I lost my love for this series 2-3 books ago. I said I was done after the last one. I should have listened to myself.

I couldn't decide whether to rate this 4 or 5 stars--I wasn't crazy about the pacing of the story and there were some little things that distracted me, but when I finished I wanted to immediately reread. That gets a book 5 stars no matter how many nitpicks I can come up with.

"I tell them things about Indian nations and white male privilege that disturb their comfortable worldviews.""But having a baby is like having a bad boyfriend.""I liked him better when I didn't know his name.""I don't need him anymore.""I can't decide if he deserves a second chance."Best heroine ever. Even when falling in love and feeling angsty over it Mandy's brain doesn't turn off--she's a practical woman who seriously thinks about the consequences of her actions and therefore doesn't jump at the chance to forgive and forget. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about this story. Such real characters, so much emotion, and it all fit the novella length perfectly. I only wish it were longer because it was so lovely, but the story was complete.

Secret baby, tortured alphahole, martyr heroine, one Big Misunderstanding one after another...typical HP in other words, and exactly what I was in the mood for. Bonus points for the heroine actually recognizing that she's beautiful and that men like her for it, because what usually happens is that we get a pages long description of a goddess and then are told that the heroine is completely unaware of how gorgeous she is. I also really liked that she knows how to hold a grudge when it comes to the Alexis, and she regularly tells him off for his behavior and assumptions about her. She's a martyr is many ways--she becomes destitute because of choices she makes to help the father who abandoned her when she was a child, FFS--but her spine makes its presence known when the hero oversteps.This book would have been 3-4 stars but the misunderstandings were too much. There was enough drama without them, and they made both characters look stupid.

I liked the setup and the characters, but the romance fell flat for me. Madeline Hunter is very good at showing her characters longing for each other, and that was missing in this book. The declarations of love felt like they came out of nowhere.The plot was interesting enough that I'm going to read the first book of the series.

I used to be a big soap opera fan and since this book was free I though, "Why not?" The author clearly knows soaps (and I'm convinced A New Dawn = Days of Our Lives), which made for some fun moments, but overall I found the story pretty boring.

3.5 stars. Very short, just one scene. It reads a bit like a prequel, and while I'm not a big vampire fan I'm intrigued enough by the tiny glimpses of this world that I'd like to a full length book in this setting.

I'm not sure quite where to start. I'll admit upfront that I just don't get total power exchange, and unlike with many other kinks I know of, there's no, "Well, it's not my thing but I can see the appeal for others" with this. It's not a morality thing--it's just that it's baffling to me. I have less trouble with non-con stories (as long as there's no claim that what's happening is okay). I picked up this book after eavesdropping on a twitter conversation about the use of safe words and how, while often mentioned, safe words are rarely actually used in BDSM romances. Someone recommended Power Play as an example of a story where safe words are used and respected, and I decided to read it because even thought I'm not particularly interested in TPE, I'm not offended by it either, and the premise sounded interesting. Jonathan is the Dom in this book and--brace yourselves--a billionaire. I know, I hate them, too, but it turns out billionaire heroes are less annoying when the other person isn't a completely clueless virgin doormat. He and Brandon--who doesn't identify as a sub and hasn't "bottomed in years"--meet at a bar and have a sexual encounter in an alley. Jonathan forces Bran to his knees and sticks his dick down Bran's throat, which turns him on so much he comes in his pants. They meet up again a few days later at Jonathan's place, where he handcuffs Bran to the bed and fucks him. Afterwards, Jonathan offers him the $3 million Bran needs to buy the business he wants in exchange for 6 months of sexual surrender. Brandon agrees after several days when he realizes he has no other way to make that kind of money. He's clearly not enthusiastic for several reasons, but he's attracted to Jonathan and needs the money. Jonathan insists he sign a contract right there, after asking Bran what his limits are. The only two things Brandon comes up with are no blood--which Jonathan agrees to--and condoms at all times--which Jonathan refuses to consider because barebacking is so important to this journey they're embarking on but they compromise by going together to get tested. Brandon signs the contract and moves in two weeks later.And that's where the story starts to lose me, because it's so obvious that Brandon has no idea what he's getting into. He knows nothing about the lifestyle, can't even imagine the kind of practices that exist. Jonathan knows this and, I guess because he's so excited to play teacher, insists that Brandon sign over his life without giving him the chance to even do a bit of googling. And that would have been fine, if this were a story about an asshole using his money to get what he wants with no regard for anyone's feelings; if this were a story about that asshole's redemption, maybe. But instead we're clearly supposed to sympathize with Jonathan from the beginning. Never mind that the ideas of limits and consent are kind of meaningless when one of the people involved is deliberately left in the dark about what he's consenting to. The next four weeks are Jonathan making rules and punishing Brandon for disobeying. Brandon--who was abused by his father, which Jonathon knew about because he had Brandon investigated (he IS a billionaire, after all)--is angry and resentful most of the time, constantly triggered by Jonathan's actions and not even allowed to have a conversation about what's happening and how he feels. And we're regularly shown how hurt Jonathan is by all this. He truly doesn't understand what Brandon's problem is. I kept wondering...is Jonathan evil or is he stupid? Because it has to be one or the other; there's just no way for someone to do the things he does, to the person he's doing them too, and then be completely mystified by the reaction he gets unless something is not quite right in the head. After one particularly brutal encounter that ends with Jonathan feeling horrible about himself and me actually having tears in my eyes, he...decides to be even more brutal to force Brandon to leave. Evil? Or stupid? I just don't know!Oh, and about those safe words...yeah, Brandon uses them, but Jonathan made it clear early on that he would decide if Brandon truly meant it, and if he felt that Brandon was using them too much without "needing" to, the contract would be void. So there's that.Brandon does leave. And then he goes back after realizing that Jonathan had changed him and he wants what he can give him. Never mind that, except for their encounters before the contract and a brief period after, we never saw Brandon be anything but angry and in pain. No, there's just that leap from glad to get out and wanting to go back. And Jonathan sits back and expects Brandon to grovel. There is a great moment where Brandon tells Jonathan exactly how he fucked up and Jonathan finally getting it, but it was too late for me. The book ends with a happy-for-now ending and there's another book that continues their story, which I don't plan to read. I would have liked for this book to be condensed to the first few chapters and then continue on from there; the problems I had with the book just went on too long for me to get past them. You'd think I'd rate this book 1 star considering my issues with it, but it's very well written, and even the most disturbing scenes were gripping. There were a few moments where I was leaning towards 3 stars, but my dislike of a character that the narrative was insisting I should sympathize with killed this story for me.

I picked this up because of the adultery angle, but I was quickly disappointed when it became clear that the heroine's husband had essentially given her permission to cheat. I didn't see the point in continuing if the bulk of the conflict was removed. That, and massive amount of exposition had me giving up early.

I feel a glom coming on. Shelley Laurenston characters are over-the-top and just plain fun. Her world-building and plots aren't perfect, but I often have a smile on my face while reading, which counts for a lot more. One thing I want to talk about because I don't think I've ever seen this in romance:Miki gets pregnant near the end of the book. Sarah (heroine of book 1) asks her if she plans on keeping it. This was asked in a completely matter-of-fact tone, no judgement implied. And Miki seriously considers her options. !!!When does that ever happen? That one scene bumped this book from 4 to 5 stars, because, seriously, in a world where abortion is safe and legal, many women who are unintentionally pregnant will consider abortion without much angst or drama, but we'd never know that from reading romance. That's some subversive stuff right there. AND! Sarah and Zac, who didn't want children in their book, STILL don't want children. So they go ahead and get sterilized. And, again, there's no value judgement there. No weirdness with Sarah and Zac not wanting children while Miki and Connall are having a baby. It was all so, "To each her own," and I loved that.

This felt more like a detailed outline than a complete story. What was there was great, but I needed more. I never really understood any of the three characters' motivations, and the story jumped from their first encounter to them all being emotionally attached.

I want more romances with characters who are wild-life experts. They just do something for me. The "I love you"s happened a little too quickly, but overall this couple worked for me. While I often feel there's something off with her suspense plots, Jill Sorenson is very good at writing characters that feel completely human, like friends or relatives you love with all your heart but still want to shake every once in a while. The plotting in this book was stronger than the others I've read by this author, and there was a lovely subplot involving Shay's (the heroine) brother.