Tag: Ann Jacobs

Guest Review: Tip of the Iceberg by Ann Jacobs

Posted March 13, 2011 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith‘s review of Tip of the  Iceberg by Ann Jacobs.

Nothing but a deathbed promise to his wife could have brought Casey Weldon back to his old college town.  He has signed on as athletic director, but he soon learns that the recruiting violations that brought him there are symptoms for something far more sinister.  Not everyone appreciates Casey’s efforts to clean things up, so he needs added security.  But TJ Thomas is more than just a campus cop–she is temptation he can’t ignore.  The sensual pull between them is too strong to deny.


Trapped alone together by a raging blizzard, the only thing TJ can’t protect Casey from is herself.  One touch, one kiss fans the blaze between them and the fiery storm they unleash personally is every bit as fierce as the one outside.  TJ brings every sexual fantasy Casey had to life, and the simmering sexual discovery that unfolds takes them both by surprise.  Before they can have a future together they must trap a murderer, and Casey must let go of the past and his guilt over loving another woman besides his dead wife.  He has to persuade TJ with loving domination that she’s the woman he wants, not for just one night but forever.


This Ann Jacobs novella has been around for awhile and is a stand alone story about a NFL pro quarterback.  He has several years left of good health and playing, but he promises his dying wife Susan, that he will leave his playing days behind, return to his alma mater to be their  athletic director in order to relieve her concerns about their children being raised in Los Angeles.  Casey has dearly loved Susan and her illness and death has left a huge hole in his life.  He’s not sure he knows how to be a single parent, but he follows through on his promise to her and brings their children back to the small college town where they met.  What he encounters makes him wonder if he wouldn’t be safer in Los Angeles.  With a campus murder and the discovery of point shaving on the varsity basketball team, the danger to himself and his kids spurs him to send them away to his sister’s for a visit.  It is in this atmosphere of danger that Casey and TJ meet and begin to realize that they are strongly attracted to one another.  Casey’s guilt over this attraction is profound, yet he knows that it has been months since he and Susan were intimate, and the “dry spell” has been difficult.

As Casey and TJ explore this new connection, they each discovery that there is a desire for a darker, rougher kind of sex between them.  Casey’s relationship with Susan had been very bland by comparison, so much so that he realizes that he had been denying something essential in himself in order to fit in with her boundaries–with what she was willing to accept between them.  Not only must they deal with the tension of ferreting out the staff and students who are involved in the crime spree on campus, but they must also make some choices and explore some possibilities that will have long-range consequences for their future together.

Ann Jacobs writes intensely erotic romance and this story is no exception.  She also tends to bring some mild BDSM into her stories and again, that is an ingredient here.  But that aspect of Casey and TJ’s romance doesn’t take over nor does it totally define their love affair.  She has also written a number of stories about professional athletes, their relationships, the pressures of their careers and what happens after the glory fades. She is one good story teller and I found this to be one of her really good ones.  I think, once again, that she tends to keep her stories too short for my taste–I would have loved to have had an expanded exposure to Casey and TJ and to the resolution to the campus crime spree.  I felt those aspects of the story were passed over for  my taste.  That is my own preference, and says more about me than the story possibly.  Also, once again, I think the cover art of this novella is deplorable.  Its graphic says very little about the story content–not a football in sight–and like so many Ellora’s Cave publications, the covers are just not the quality I find from other publishers.  That is a highly personal preferences, but in this day and age, even some faint background images would be appropriate here.

 In any event, I really enjoyed this novella and felt that in spite of the brevity of the tale, Jacobs did a very good job of involving the reader in the story and bringing Casey, TJ, and the other characters alive significantly.  All that being said, I found this to be a satisfying reading experience.

I give this novella a rating of 3.75 out of 5, not as a reflection of its quality, but because of its length.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can here in e-format.

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Guest Review: Commitment by Ann Jacobs

Posted February 26, 2011 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith‘s review of Commitment by Ann Jacobs.

“No promises, no pain,” is Gaelen Reston’s mantra.  But her long-time lover, Brent d’Angelo, wants a woman to cherish for a lifetime.  He just has to persuade Gaelen that a real-life commitment doesn’t mean the end of their fiery fantasies.

This is erotic romance fiction through and through and there are few characters other than Gaelen and Brent.  Brent’s family put in a very minor appearance as does one of his brothers and a co-worker of Brent’s, but ultimately this is a gentle, quiet, sexy, erotic, romantic story that has lots of underlying pain to it.

Gaelen has come from a home that made dysfunction a really dirty word.  It was a home where there was never freedom from hurt and wounding, where siblings were used as weapons by their parents against one another, and where she came to believe that family and marriage were her worst enemies.  That’s why, when she and Brent fell in “lust” five years earlier, they agreed that their affair would never intrude on their real life, that they would only attend obligatory social events connected to their professions during the week, that their get-togethers would never occur at one another’s domicile, and there would never be any talk of the future or of any promises that would bind them together.  Fear–the kind that paralyzes, overwhelms unexpectedly, and causes one’s perception of reality to become seriously skewed is at the heart of this story.  Gaelen is obviously a warm, loving, and passionate woman who knows down deep that Brent is the love of her life.  Allowing him into the deepest recesses of her heart and soul is a risk she just can’t seem to take.

Brent is one of those wonderful, balanced and caring men who is comfortable in his skin, who loves with his whole heart and soul, and who agrees to Gaelen’s terms of their relationship because he knew that was what she needed.  Now he is pushing her, getting her to agree to spending his “vacation” for two weeks at his house, pushing her to think about what their life would be like to wake up each day together, to make a baby together, to know that they were there for one another at a deeper level.  Brent is a plastic surgeon who, in addition to making people cosmetically beautiful, takes cases that other surgeons refuse–repairing facial  birth defects for children of poor families, spending extra time with victims of cancer, etc.  He is just one really special man.  Yet he continues to realize that he needs Gaelen in his life and if her fear continues to rob them of a fuller life together, he will take what she is willing to give. 

This short story is a wonderful, amazingly erotic and romantic story.  Ms Jacobs has proven to be an expert storyteller, and she moves these characters through this time in their personal history gently but relentlessly.  It is also one of those stories that has a far deeper meaning and makes a serious point about the times in many people’s lives when playing at relationship seems to be the route to take.  But ultimately couples must own up to the fact that commitment means surrendering one’s fears as well as one’s gifts and talents and emotions.  Love is wonderful, but genuine love is demanding–it is never satisfied with holding pat when insecurity and the unwillingness to risk become more important that allowing the relationship to grow.  It’s sort of like holding one’s breath:  it seems to do OK for a while, for some longer than others, but eventually oxygen deprivation takes over.  Just as Gaelen came to see, no one can stay in one “place” or stance endlessly. 

I enjoyed this short story and felt it had the marks of good fiction.  The characters were realistic, the story was taken out of contemporary life, and the underlying realities are more common than most of us realize.  All in all, a very good read.  I would love to see Ms Jacobs write a really meaty, full-length novel.  She tells such good stories but after awhile, novellas and short stories are frustrating.  For that reason I have marked down this rating–wonderful content;  it just was so very short. 

I give it a rating of 3.75 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

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Guest Review: Hot in the Clutch by Ann Jacobs

Posted October 23, 2010 by Ames in Reviews | 1 Comment

Ames‘ review of Hot in the Clutch (Gridiron series, Book 3) by Ann Jacobs

After twenty years in the NFL, Dave Delaney’s playing days are over and he’s back home in Hedgecock, Texas, coaching football at his old high school. He’s tired of meaningless sex and his empty lifestyle. Dave is ready for change and sets his sights on the girl who got away.

Diane Connors is attracted in a big way, but Dave is used to being chased by groupies almost young enough to be his daughters. He’s still a chick magnet with a wild reputation, and she’s gun-shy after escaping a miserable marriage with a bully—another local jock.

Thing is, neither of them can forget what might have been.

I thought Hot in the Clutch was ok. The characters are a bit older – Dave had to leave the NFL due to an injury and Diane is divorced and now a single mother. But I think that age lends itself to the novella in that it makes it more realistic. Diane divorced her abusive ex-husband when he turned on their young son. And she doesn’t want to get married ever again but when she sees Dave back in town, she figures there’s nothing wrong with a fling. Because even though sex with her ex was awful, she knows with the right partner things can be good – and that makes her so sensible! I like sensible and practical heroines. And Dave, Dave wants to settle down – and he wants to do that with Diane. So you can see how their age makes this a bit more believable. If these characters were younger, them willing to move so quickly wouldn’t have been realistic.

Also, Dave always had a thing for Diane, even back in high school. But she was already with her ex back in their high school days and so Dave never made a move. I enjoyed the fact that he had been attracted to her before.

This is book 3 in the Gridiron Lovers series but reads fine as a stand-alone.

Coming in at 90 pages, Hot in the Clutch is a quick read. So if you’re interested in a hunky, albeit injured jock getting together with a woman who knows what she wants, check this quickie out. 3.25 out of 5.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave.  You can buy it here in e-format.

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Guest Review: Coach Me by Ann Jacobs

Posted August 13, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 1 Comment

Judith‘s review of Coach Me (Gridiron Lovers, Book 4) by Ann Jacobs

Master me, thinks Susan Anderson when she finally lays eyes on Colin Zanardi, former NFL MVP and now coach of the Savannah Rebels. He is only in town for a few days, but he’s the Dom she’s been dreaming of, yearning for. She just has to convince him to play with her, show him h ow submissive and obedient she is, and demonstrate just what she can do for that gorgeous body of his.

It’s been a long time since Colin has played with a true submissive. Susan is eager to be dominated. By him. He is the perfect Master to tame her, and settling down this firecracker is a challenge Colin can’t resist. He can think of so many things he wants to use on her–a sex swing, a spiderweb, a roomful of sex toys. He’ll play her scene, tie her, blindfold her, order her to pleasure him–for their mutual satisfaction. Colin is more than ready to turn this hometown party girl into his own private sex slave.
This is another novella in a series that features the game of football, and the author has kindly included information about the game, complete with a glossary. For those of us married to football fanatics — my son is even a high school football coach — those were pages I skipped, but for those who are fuzzy about the game and the terminology, I thought this was a good kind of information to include.
Also, I have to say up front that when I read the publisher’s blurb I was sure that the main characters were less than honorable — Susan sounded like a slutty sex fiend and Colin like someone who was just going to throw his NFL machismo around. I was very pleasantly surprised when I got into the story. Susan had been happily married for nearly two decades to a husband that had been her Dom and Master–a relationship she enjoyed and cherished. She was now widowed and missed her hubby terribly. But it had been two years. And she was still a woman in her forties who was very aware of her own sexual needs, had attempted to find someone who could be a sensitive and loving partner in the way she needed, and had so far found no one. Colin seemed like a far better candidate than anyone she had considered, and she was now desperate enough to try to build a relationship with him. She wasn’t an aging “groupie” hungry for sex with a former star. The townsfolk gossiped behind her back that she was a sexual predator. But she knew that this was because she was an “outsider” and always would be, especially now that her husband was gone. She thought Colin was sexy and she loved the fact that he was willing to return to his hometown to be a founding participant in her effort to do some charitable work for her community–by bringing back the four players from that high school that had gone on to college and NFL fame.
Colin was hurting too. He had married the daughter of his professional team but that relationship had gone by the board, and now his new team was his family. Yet he longed for something more in his life than just sexual groupies. And when he arrived at Susan’s home, he immediately was attracted to her, saw clues all over her home of the nature of the relationship she had shared with her deceased husband, and he found himself more attracted to her than he had been to any woman for quite some time. It had been a very long time since he had “played” with a true submissive.
This is a sexy story, and the sexual encounters between Colin and Susan are laced with BDSM. But there is genuine caring between them, a genuine regard that slowly grows curiously over a very short period of time. Colin’s ex had played his games but had set limits. Susan, on the other hand, offered herself with no limitations. And so they explored these possibilities and began their journey of discovery together.
There are some very good scenes that involve the other three NFL quarterbacks that are participating in this charity weekend, and the author has written about these encounters with a sure hand. Those of us who understand the game somewhat can find there a reliable knowledge that informs her writing. I think the story line is well crafted, the plot is believable, and the sexual encounters don’t get out of proportion with the rest of the story. Jacobs has written in such a way that while this is certainly erotic romance to the core, it is believable. It is not like some I have read recently where the story seems contrived in order to “hang” the sex scenes on it like a Christmas tree.
This is an entertaining read. I have read other Ann Jacobs writing and have found all of them to be well-written and well-researched, with a good balance between all the elements of the story. This is not really very long and won’t take a major time commitment. But it is a fun read and I think it will be an enjoyable one, especially for those who have some athletic knowledge or background.

I give this novella a 3.75 rating out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

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Guest Review: Illusions by Ann Jacobs

Posted June 24, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 1 Comment

Genres: Romantic Suspense
Judith’s review of Illusions by Ann Jacobs

Master magician Drake Conover is dark, dangerous and irresistible to women. But a terrorist? Agent Erienne Duval doesn’t think so, but it’s her job to find out by any means necessary—including seduction.


This is one of those novellas where you know going in that the proverbial “spit is going to hit the fan” before all is said and done! You have a hero, Drake Conover, who has been deeply wounded by the abandonment of his mother, the death of his father, thoughtless remarks about his physique when he was a poor kid, and a deep insecurity as a result of all these happenings in his life. Add in the fact that he is handsome and now a wealthy, world class performer, who draws women to him without even quirking an eyebrow. He knows that they are there because they want to be seen with him for their own publicity needs, not because they really care about him. This man has major trust issues!

Now we meet the heroine—a CIA agent who has been sent, undercover, to be a “volunteer” liason between Drake and the community organization which is sponsoring a charity performance in his home town of Philadelphia. Her superiors are convinced that Drake is in the pay of terrorists and is passing secrets to them. Erienne must determine if this is the truth and if so arrest Drake. If not, then she must determine the real terrorist, because secrets are being passed and somehow that activity is connected to Drake. This is a love story, so it is no surprise that Drake and Erienne are attracted to one another—not just in a passing way, but with powerful sexual pull. They become involved, they fall in love, and we still have the undercover story to deal with and Drake’s trust issues. Oh brother, what a mess!

I have to own up to the fact that I knew this was all going to blow up, but I was not prepared for the creative way the author resolved the conflicts between these two. She did a really good job, and the real perpetrator was not revealed until almost the end of the story. That really kept me on the edge of my chair. I liked Drake a lot, as he was a man who was searching for authenticity in a relationship and was a kind and caring person. Erienne was a woman who wanted joy in her life after losing her partner and fiance in the recent past. She was not sure she could really love someone again—it’s called “taking a chance on love” I think – and her discovery of Drake’s growing attachment to her changed her focus for the future. I was also impressed that the author managed the plot and characters very well within this shorter literary format. That’s not always easy to do and some authors try to write a novel and then squash everything into the last ten pages to get the story told. Ms Jacobs did not do that—she told this story in a way that kept the reader’s interest, moved the plot and its inherent conflicts along, and brought it all to a very believable conclusion. Good job!

There is a lot in this short story to like and I think loves of sensual romantic tales will enjoy this story. And I am looking forward to reading more of Ann Jacobs’ work in the future.

I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5.


You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.

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