Tag: Delilah Devlin

Guest Review: His Every Fantasy by Delilah Devlin

Posted September 25, 2014 by Judith in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith’sHis Every Fantasy review of His Every Fantasy (Sultry Summer Nights #2) by Delilah Devlin

 The last thing ex-SEAL Sergei Gun needs is a complication. As part of a powerful black-ops company, he’s led an extraction team into the Mexican jungle to rescue two men who have been kidnapped. Everything has gone according to plan until Serge discovers a third hostage-an exquisitely beautiful woman with a secret haunting her stormy gray eyes . . . a woman who refuses to make this rescue easy. With no choice but to bring her back to the compound deep in the sultry, steamy Louisiana bayou, Serge vows to protect her, body and soul . . .

Kara Nichols never imagined that she’d capture the interest of a powerful man like Serge. Yet from the moment they met, she’s fantasized about his strong hands caressing her naked skin, his musky scent lingering on her sheets. What began as a simple rescue mission ignites into a passionate affair. As Serge teaches her the tantalizing art of surrender, Kara finds herself more than willing to shed every last one of her inhibitions and submit to him fully. But the dark, dangerous forces that captured Kara aren’t ready to let her go so easily . . .

In a nutshell, this is a story about a former SEAL whose team was sent in to rescue two American business executives and they found a  woman being held captive as well.  There was no way they were going to leave her behind and thus began the relationship of sorts between Sergei Gun  and Kara.  Anyone who has read Ms Devlin’s previous work knows that she writes erotic romance fiction under the guise of many contexts and  genres.  In every case the stories are hot and romantic and filled with characters who are individuals most of us would like to meet and get to know.    This story is no exception.  It is filled with people who have strength within themselves that is put to the test in many ways.  Often, as is the case here,  there are unexpected happenings and complicated emotional involvement between the characters.  But one characteristic of this series is that all the  on going characters are former SEALs and have the bonds that loyalty under fire created.

Mostly this is a continuation with expansion of parts of book one.  The two oil executives who prompted the Mexican raid for their rescue appeared first in book one of this series but their situation was unresolved.  Kara, the young woman who was rescued at the same time, now realizes that her life has been drastically changed by her abduction.  She can never really go home.  The man who romanced her right into being kidnapped is a powerful Mexican cartel overlord and one who will never allow himself to be defeated.  He will continue to come after her until she is either caught or dead.  Her biggest concern involves her uncle, her mother’s older brother and a man who has never really shielded her from any of life’s hurts.  Now, as an intern in his law firm, she wonders if he has been a part of her abduction.  Needless to say, the mystery surrounding this entire situation is compelling.  Add to that the almost instant connection between Kara and Sergei, a man who has carefully guarded his heart since a woman he loved was brutally killed in Afghanistan years ago.  How can he allow Kara to become important to him and how can he let her go?  As always, it is the kind of situation Ms Devlin seems to know how to handle and one that often pops up in her work.

I have been reading Ms Devlin’s work for years and find that even though many of her themes pop up repeatedly, I don’t get bored with her writing.  Somehow she brings a freshness to each of her stories that keeps readers bound to the pages of her books.  In this case, all the men of this personal security firm are involved in the BDSM lifestyle and there are definitely aspects of that in the developing relationship between Kara and Sergei.  It is not hardcore by any means but seems to be appropriately used to build trust between two people who have learned that trust is a precious and often illusive commodity.  And as is so often the case, learning to trust forms the foundation of a journey of self-discovery just as much for Sergei as for Kara.

All in all, this is a find book, one that will delight Ms Devlin’s fans and one that is easily read and in my case, very much enjoyed.  It is beautifully written and edited and that is always a joy in itself.  Most of all, Ms Devlin has a way of bringing unusual characters to life and making them real to the readers.  Boone and Tilly, two of Sergei’s best friends and characters featured in book one, are of immense help to Kara in coming to terms with her situation and helping her to understand the dynamics of dominance and submission.  Tilly is also one of those women who knows how to accept others unconditionally and having that kind of friend is altogether new for Kara and the kind of friend she has long desired.  In all these characters we see personalities of friends we would like to know.  Even the men who are often brusque and tight-lipped are nevertheless the kind of people who one instinctively trusts.  They are the kind of characters one often finds in Devlin books.  I was delighted to find this book on Netgalley and am delighted to give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.

This title is available from Forever Yours Publishing.  You can buy it here or here in e-format.  This book was received by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


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Guest Review: Smokin’ Hot Firemen: Erotic Romance Stories for Women edited by Delilah Devlin

Posted August 17, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

16129226Tracy’s review of Smokin’ Hot Firemen: Erotic Romance Stories for Women by Delilah Devlin (Editor),Jo Davis (Foreword), , , , , Rachel Firasek, , , , , , , , , ,

Who can melt any woman’s heart with a single smile? The sexiest icon of all- a fireman!

They enter fiery structures with selfless courage—the very definition of the word “hero.” Women understand their allure… A soot-covered face, sweat dripping from hard, chiseled muscles, the sharp snap of suspenders — yes, only a fireman can make suspenders sexy! Delilah Devlin’s burning-hot book includes thrilling stories teeming with gorgeous firemen from some of today’s hottest romance writers. In “Saving Charlotte,” Sabrina York’s firefighting Dom rescues a woman tied to a red-hot bed; from Cathryn Fox comes “Temperature Rising” where a fire chief fulfills some very steamy fantasies; Elle James’s “Chasing Fire” sees a daring smoke-jumper parachuting into the hot zone of a forest fire then setting his girlfriend ablaze with erotic heat; and Magic Mike ain’t got nothin’ on Delilah’s own fireman-turned-exotic-dancer-for-a-night “Johnny Blaze.”

Smokin’ Hot Firemen imagines the romantic possibilities of being held against that massively muscled chest by a man whose mission is to protect and serve.

I don’t know any woman who hasn’t had at least one fantasy about a hot fireman. Seriously, how can you not? I’m a happily married woman but when I see muscled firefighters I can’t keep my eyes to myself (I can look at the menu, but I eat at home. ;)) So when I saw this anthology I snapped it up.

The stories are exactly what you would think but so much more. Some stories showed us married couples, some couples were already dating when the stories took place, and some were stories of firefighters saving the women from a variety of circumstances – each one handled in a different way. All of the stories are pretty short but they each packed a punch. There were only a couple that I really didn’t care for and with all those stories, that’s a pretty good percentage of “likes.” 🙂

A few that stood out to me:

Hook Me Up by Adele Dubois was a cute story of a woman in her nightie who climbed a tree to get her cat down (yep, the old cat in the tree story) but then got her leg caught between two branches and was hanging upside down. A passing fire truck, on its way home from a call sees her and saves the day. The couple doesn’t see each other right away due to fire station regulations but eventually get together and it’s hot.

Chasing Fire by Elle James. The story of a Chance, a fire jumper who is sleeping with Maggie who does not want to be in a relationship with or in love with a fire jumper because she doesn’t ever want to be told that the man she loves is dead. Chance wants marriage and kids but she refuses to even consider it. When Chance is called on duty to a fire that rages for over a day Maggie understands that she can’t live without Chance no matter what he does for a living. Chasing Fire, for me, was more emotion driven than the rest of the stories (although Her Hero by Catherine Paulssen was a close second) and I like that. Don’t get me wrong – it was just as hot and sexy as the other ones just different.

Stoke by Tahira Iqbal was about a nurse who was on her way to work when her car starts smoking and eventually catches fire. She is injured but saved by a man who wants to care for her both in the hospital and much longer after that.

This is a book that you can read all at the same time or just read a couple of stories in between your other books if you need a break. As I said, most of the stories were very good, very sexy, very hot and all involve hot firemen – how can you go wrong?

Rating: 4 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This title is available from Cleis Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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What I Read Last Week

Posted July 29, 2013 by Tracy in Features | 3 Comments

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was going to physical therapy for a rotator cuff issue. Well, the therapist discharged me back to my doc – not because I’m better but because I wasn’t getting any better. Ug. So he injected my shoulder with cortisone and told me not to move my arm for a week and to stop taking my naproxen. A) Not move my arm for a week? Really? Damn near impossible! B) I lasted 4 days without the naproxen and was in such pain I finally broke down and took one. sigh I just want it better! Oh and I’m bringing this edition of WIRLW to you one-handed (as my other arm is in a sling to try to keep it immobile) – so if there are a lot of typos, so sorry.

I have a request this week – if you’re the praying sort then please send up a prayer for David. David is my youngest daughter’s best friend’s father (make sense?) and a friend of the family. He was playing with his daughter and they were walking/running backwards, he fell and cracked his skull big time. He has bleeding on the brain and is in ICU. At last report he was improving slightly, which is good, it’s just slow going.

Ok so you’re here to hear about books, right? Then let me get on with it… 

First for the week was a story called Bedding the Wrong Brother by Virna DePaul. The story is about a woman who has been told that she’s bad in bed. She wants her best friend, Max, to teach her how to please a man but he plays a fast one and replaces himself with his twin, Rhys. Rhys and Melina have had the hots for each other for years but never did anything about it. Obviously they’re upset at the switch but it all works out and it was a sweet romance. 4 out of 5 

Next was Friday Night Alibi by Cassie Mae – the story of Kelli who runs an alibi service for wealthy kids in her town. You can read more in my review by clicking here. 4 out of 5 

Lover at Last by JR Ward is Blay and Qhuinn’s story…finally. I was satisfied with that relationship in the book but felt that she definitely could have spent more time on it. Ward always has a ton of other things going on in her books and this one was no different which was a bit frustrating. I must say that I think this is my fabor BDB cover – just uber-yummy. lol 3.75 out of 5 (read for Book Binge)

Next up was The Trouble With Being a Duke by Sophie Barnes. Anthony meets the woman he wants to marry at his mother’s masked ball but doesn’t know who she is. He finds her but even though he’s a Duke – especially because he’s a Duke – Isabella’s parents refuse to let her marry him. He doesn’t give up though and I loved that about him. Flavored with a bit of Cinderella at first it was a great story (releases 8/27/13) 4 out of 5 

Smokin’ Hot Firemen: Erotic Romance Stories For Women is an anthology edited by Delilah Devlin filled with lots and lots of – you guessed it – smokin’ hot firemen. The anthology on the whole was really good with only a few stories I could have done without. Definitely erotic but could be sweet as well. I liked it. 4 out of 5 (read for Book Binge) 

A friend of mine recommended a series called The Rocker by Terri Anne Browning to me. I read book 1, then immediately picked up 2 and then 3. The stories are full of editing and spelling errors which could have easily been fixed and there’s an inordinate amount of crying. That being said, I couldn’t put them down! lol 

The Rocker That Holds Me is book 1 and shows us 4 rockers, Nik, Jesse, Shane and Drake who make up the band Demon’s Wings. From the time they were all living in a trailer park they took care of Emmie (Ember) who was abused and starved by her druggie mother. The boys grew up and became famous and when Emmie was 15 she came to live with them and helps them in tons of different ways. They all love her deeply but Emmie has always loved Nik in a “not a friend” way as well. The book gives us great yet heart breaking background on Emmie, her journey to adulthood as well as how hard it is to see the man you love sleeping with groupies constantly. This is Emmie and Nik’s story but we get a boatload of everyone else as well. 4 out of 5 

The Rocker That Savors Me is book 2 and is Jesse’s story. The group has bought a home in Malibu and Emmie hires Layla as a housekeeper. From the moment that Jesse sees her he knows she’s the one. It takes Layla a little longer but eventually she falls as well. Layla has custody of her two sisters as well – 6 year old Lucy and 17 (at first) year old Lana. Problems with Layla and her father (and her father and Jesse) come up as well as a misunderstanding. This one was much lighter than book one with far less drama. Don’t get me wrong, there was definitely drama, but not as much as book 1, not still really good. 4 out of 5 

The Rocker That Needs Me is book 3 and this one is Drake and Lana’s story. Lana is 18 now and though Drake and Lana tried to be friends they just couldn’t keep it that way. After Lana gets her heart hurt when Drake sleeps with a groupie while drunk (he’s ALWAYS drunk) she decides that a local college is out and she decides to go to NYU to get away from the daily sight of Drake. This lasts until Drake takes a gig as a judge for a rocker program (kind of like the X Factor or America’s got talent but with rockers) and ends up in NY. The story was good but both the hero and heroine drove me nuts at time. Neither was all that mature – even though Drake was 32 he’d spent most if not all of his adult life in a bottle and didn’t know how to handle some things. I understood this but it was still annoying. lol We get to see all the characters from every book in all the books and I love that. It’s not like they cease to exist just because it’s not their HEA. They’re a family and they are close knit and stay that way. I’m looking forward to Shane’s book. 3.5 out of 5 

Not Planning on You by Sydney Landon was next and this story is about Gray who has had a thing for his soon to be co-worker, Suzy, for almost a year. She’s refused to go out with him but she finally caves. After an accident where she is then laid up and he takes care of her quite sweetly she falls in love with him. Unfortunately he’s got a woman from his past who’s stalking him and then says that the baby she’s carrying is his. Gray then turns into an ass and treats Suzy horribly, imho, and there’s nowhere near enough groveling at the end of the book. This was a decent read but Gray pissed me off. lol 3 out of 5 (read for Book Binge) 

Last for the week was Defiant in the Viking’s Bed by Joanna Fulford. This story was about an Earl’s niece, Astrid, who is promised in marriage to a horrible man, just like her uncle. She plans to run away with another Earl, Leif, to be his mistress as even that is preferable to her fiancé. Leif is captured and the uncle makes him believe that Astrid set the whole thing up. When Leif escapes he takes Astrid as his captive to pay her back for her scheme. This story was even better than I thought it would be. Leif has issues with marriage and family because of his first wife and of course believes that Astrid betrayed him, which she didn’t. He eventually sees the truth but won’t commit to her which causes strife. Definitely put this one on your to-be-bought list if you like a good Viking story. (releases 9/17/13) 4 out of 5

My Book Binge reviews that posted last week:
Awakening by Serena Grey
Anybody But Him by Claire Baxter
The Care and Feeding of an Alpha Male by Jessica Clare

Happy Reading! 
 


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Guest Review: Warlord’s Destiny by Delilah Devlin

Posted October 9, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith‘s review of Warlord’s Destiny by Delilah Devlin

Mora has no illusions that she is anything other than the sacrificial lamb to insure peace between her peace-loving planet and the warlike world that demands a royal union with one of their own. However, when she meets the rugged warlord who will be her husband, Mora decides in that moment to win his heart–nothing else will do.

When Lord Tetrik suspects that his wife harbors tender feelings, he wonders if he can be the husband she desires. After all, love for a woman is a frivolous thing–not a warlord’s destiny.

Once again Delilah Devlin has pulled out the stops and given us a story that is well-written, easy to read, interesting through and through, and oh so romantic.

Princess Mora was the sister that was considered plain, way too chunky, and probably destined to be a royal spinster. Her sister was the belle of every ball, slender, graceful, and had every male in sight chomping at the bit to be her spouse. But the royal family of Mora’s country had an agreement–a royal promise–that their daughter would be given in marriage to Lord Tetrik’s country for the period of one year, unless she conceived. If she remained barren she could either decide to remain with her husband or return to her family. Everyone expected Mora’s sister to be the princess sent to Lord Tetrik. Mora was convinced that her parents thought little of her as a royal alliance builder-she was way too plain. But since they had made this alliance under duress, it was decided that Mora would be the sister to travel through time and space and fulfill this promise.

Lord Tetrik was truly a warlord in the ancient style of the Vikings. He was the man, the one who determined the life or death of all his vassals, chief of whom was his wife. He claimed Mora because he was obligated to do so. Wedding and bedding her was one of those things that was expected. He would retain her in his bed until she was with child. Even if he and she formed a bond, he would never love her–love was not a familiar emotion for a warrior. He would give her children to love and a home to run and thus fill her life. Beyond that he had no obligation other than to insure her safety.

But something strange happens between these two. First, Mora simply accepts her fate and seeks to cooperate as much as she can. Tetrik also decides that he has gotten the right sister–one look at Mora’s sister and he knows that she would be HIGH MAINTENANCE. Second, Mora seems to genuinely like him. That actually throws Tetrik off balance and was seriously unexpected. The discussions and negotiations over the wedding night are rather humorous. Third, his second in command and his warriors seem to really like her. Rather than thinking her plain and fat, he sees that she is beautiful in her own way and her lush curves are far more prized in Tetrik’s land than in Mora’s.

This is one of those stories that keeps the reader spell bound because of the way their relationship develops. Tetrik and Mora are discovering things about themselves as well about the other. Each finds a connection with the other that brings them closer than expected. Each becomes reluctant to think about the other not being a part of their life long-term. It is a story about the ancient tradition of political alliances and arranged marriages which actually works out right. It is charming to watch Tetrik’s tentative attempts to please Mora and let her know of his growing regard. It is a love story that is filled with colorful characters, humor, and warm fuzzies.

So I recommend this novella as a read that will satisfy the pulls and tugs of the romantic’s heart. It will be a fun read because it is so well done. But more than that, it will be a way of entering into an ancient time when the loving was hot and the hugs were warm, and when two people were surprised by the love that they discovered together.

I give this story 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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Guest Review: Fun with Dick and Jayne by Delilah Devlin

Posted July 10, 2010 by Ames in Reviews | 0 Comments

Ames‘ review of Fun with Dick and Jayne by Delilah Devlin

He didn’t know the nightly peepshow was just a naughty invitation…

Garrett knows what he’s doing can get him into trouble, but he can’t help himself. Every night, as he arrives home, the blonde across the alley gets busy with her boyfriend with the blinds open. He’s spent the past two weeks getting an eyeful and falling deep into lust.

But when Garrett sees a man in a black ski mask sneak into his sexy neighbor’s bedroom, he doesn’t know he’ll be the one captured.

Jayne has a nice life with a nice lover who sees to her every need, but she’s still drawn to the lonely man across the alley. She’s been sharing her deepest fantasies with him from afar, but is ready to up the stakes. When she talks Richard into enacting a dangerous scenario, everything works out as planned. Only Garrett’s not happy about being played. And he’s got reservations because she already has a lover and he’s not into threesomes. Guess she’ll just have to convince him otherwise.

What a fun, sexy time!

Garrett is a policeman and lately he’s been getting his thrills by watching his neighbors’ peep show. So he knows what he’s doing is wrong, but when he knows his neighbors know he is watching, it’s not too wrong, right? But Jayne takes things a step further by wanting to include Garrett in the bedroom play. Garrett is interested (what red-blooded male wouldn’t be?) but he doesn’t poach on other guy’s girls. So he declines. But Jayne and Dick want Garrett in their bedroom and in their lives, so they’re going to lure him over anyway they can.

Like I said, this was a fun read. It was quick but you get to know the characters and Dick and Jayne aren’t really what they seem. I also understood where Garrett was coming from. A fun, quick, romp. If you like menage a trois novellas, this one is for you.

Fun with Dick and Jayne gets a 3.75 from me.

You can read more from ames at Thrifty Reader.

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


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