Tag: Wild Horse Press

Guest Review: Moonlight Protector by Jessica Coulter Smith

Posted October 5, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Tracy‘s review of Moonlight Protector (Ashton Groves Werewolves, Book 1) by Jessica Coulter Smith

Cole Andrews, biologist by trade and werewolf by blood, is tired of being alone. He and his two brothers live in the large Victorian home that had belonged to their parents. He’s always wanted to find his mate and start a family. Now that he’s in his thirties, he’s starting to give up hope. He’s already seen all of the women available in his small town of Ashton Grove and so far none of them are “the one.”

Marin Thomas is fleeing for her life. After being abducted and held hostage, she is determined to escape the maniac once and for all. Stealing his car, she travels as far and as fast as she can – until a car accident lands her in some woods near Ashton Grove, Georgia. Fighting for her very life, she finds herself begging a wolf for help.

Is Marin the mate that Cole has been waiting for? Or will she end up with one of his brothers? One sniff tells him that she belongs to his pack. The only question that remains is who will win her heart?

The blurb pretty much covers the basics of this book. Marin was given to dealers by her brother to pay off a drug debt and then sold to the highest bidder. She was raped repeatedly by her “owner” and then given to several of his friends. She manages to escape but gets in an accident. She pleads to a wolf for help before she passes out. It just so happens that Cole Andrews is the wolf that she is pleading to. Cole gets his brother Gabriel, alpha of the pack, and they get her to their house. Gabriel, being the alpha of the pack can scent that Marin is part of his pack, though human, and therefore will be a mate to him or one of his two brothers – but Marin will do the choosing. Cole already knows that he wants Marin to choose him because he feels a strong pull to her. Cole watches over Marin during her recovery in his wolf form.

Here’s where things got a little tricky for me in the book. Marin wakes up and Cole has involuntarily shifted back to human and, of course, is naked in bed with Marin. She’s dreaming, he’s dreaming and they end up kissing, until interrupted by Gabriel. Ok, Marin has just been through this totally horrifying ordeal and been raped repeatedly yet she feels safe with the brothers. Then the whole kissing scene comes and I’m just shaking my head. I just can’t suspend belief like that. A woman who is raped is not going to fall into a man’s arms (one she doesn’t know) and feel desire. From having a friend that was raped years ago I know that it takes a long, long, long damned time for a rape victim to recover and feel comfortable with anyone touching them. I’m a very forgiving reader and can suspend belief with the best of ‘em but this was just too implausible. Going on in the book none of her issues are dealt with and not even mentioned unless to tell someone the details. I don’t know it was too unbelievable for me.

The book goes on with Cole and Marin getting together, her getting a job at his work and of course being stalked by her “owner”…the scum of the earth that raped her. Of course there’s an HEA which is always wonderful.

I have to say that I liked the premise of the book (besides the rape recovery issues) but it was told in a way that I felt like a story was being narrated, but it was done unemotionally. I couldn’t relate with the characters – even the brothers because I was being told what was going on, not shown. Little, unimportant parts of the book were described in detail and I found myself skimming a few paragraphs here and there and didn’t feel like I had missed anything.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

This book is available from Wild Horse Press in e-format only. You can buy it here for the Kindle or here in e-format.


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Guest Review: Broken Together by BethAnn Buehler

Posted September 20, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Judith‘s review of Broken Together (Rebel Canyon, Book 1) by BethAnn Buehler.

When renowned photojournalist Bryn Baxter’s world is nearly destroyed by a mortar attack as she films a documentary in the middle of the Afghan war, her father brings his only child home to Rebel Canyon and smothers her with around the clock protection in the form of a handsome private security escort.

But Beck Reynolds would rather eat dirt than protect another “lost soul”, especially the daughter of his former Commander. Not only does the assignment put a kink in his evening playtime, but despite his every effort, the woman he’s charged to protect hasn’t said a word to him for nearly a month.

As Bryn tries to reclaim her life, she throws herself into the dark world of Dominance and submission. A world where, unbeknownst to Bryn, Beck is already an accomplished Master. While Bryn attempts to explore her own sexuality, Beck is forced to save her from one dreadful situation after another, his desire to own Bryn–body, mind and soul–growing stronger each day. Little does he know, however, that he’s stirring a hunger in Bryn that she’s denied herself for far too long.

With a soft touch and a wicked approach, Beck is determined to teach Bryn the pleasures of his secret world. But can he save her from herself?

Bryn is a successful photographer that has gained popularity and success because of her deep sense of integrity toward her art, her insistence on personally deciding what she will photograph and with whom she will work, her insistence that she retain creative control over the publication of her work, and her desire to help her viewers see the world through a different set of lenses. She is reluctant to take this “gig” with a movie star for whom she has little respect as an artist and less as a person. Yet the financial offer is more than she can resist. Thus, she and this publicity hound of an actor end up in Afghanistan, under fire, and things heat up from there.

Because of the publicity associated with this photographic “sortie” into a war zone, Bryn’s father engages the services of a former military arms expert who served under him in the past. Even though Beck doesn’t want to take this assignment, his great respect and past friendship with Bryn’s father move him to accept the post as her “body guard” and security team leader. Beck is surprised to find out that the girl that is badly wounded and in a military hospital in Germany, refusing to speak, and seemingly overwhelmed emotional and psychologically by her experience in the Middle East is the same beautiful and erotic woman he first saw at his BDSM club “Dredge” some months earlier. She did not see him that evening, and thus does not know that he is a Master at Dredge.

The relationship between these two is not an easy one. Both have come to a crossroads in their personal lives. Bryn is at a point in her career where she can accept a commission or reject it as she chooses. But her personal life is empty. Yet when she returns and as she gradually eases into the very guarded acceptance of Beck’s presence in her life, she becomes increasingly aware that she really doesn’t know what she wants. There are some issues that surface–her drinking has become problematic, her attitude toward men has soured since the Middle East and the reasons for that must rise to the surface, her ever-present leanings toward becoming a “submissive” and training with a Dom/Master just don’t seem to go away. Add in the sexual attraction she feels for Beck coupled with the resentment of him that comes and goes, and you have a very tense emotional “soup” that doesn’t resolved itself until the very end.

Suffice it to say that this is not a simple, easy read. There are some serious issues here and the characters are people who are not unwilling to deal with their realities. Byn’s best friend and attorney is herself a Mistress in the BDSM world and Rachel’s brother is Bry’s long-time friend and also an important cast member. But the most complicated character apart from Bryn is Beck, a man who knows who and what he is, believes that he has the qualifications and expertise to bring Bryn into a full knowledge of herself, a person who is willing and able to meet Bryn’s deepest needs, but who flounders from time to time in trying to help her find the best and most effective way to see herself and move forward. He is willing to be by her side to the end of his days, even if she rejects him.

There were times when I got really impatient with Bryn–her emotional roller coaster ups and downs were quite extreme at times. That is, until some of the deeper secrets of her Middle East sortie came out and reasons for her distress became obvious. I like Beck a lot–he was able to take charge, but when he felt he was not being effective he was willing to take direction and counsel. That, to me, is the mark of a mature person and one I was glad to see becoming a part of Bryn’s life. She needed him, if for no other reason than he was, like her father, a stabilizing factor.

So while this was not an easy book to read, I appreciated the author’s insistence and perseverance in dealing with some gutsy issues and not backing away from the need to find a resolution for these two. It was an interesting plot and story line, the characters were strong and well-developed, and the conflicts gave the story its flair and spice. It was not overly erotic, but there certainly was sexual tension throughout. I think romance fans who like a book into which they can sink their teeth will appreciate the “meaty” nature of this read. I am looking forward to additional books by this author. Are there going to be books about Rachel and Jamie? Hope so. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

This book is available from Wild Horse Press. You can buy it here in e-format.

Read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.


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Guest Review: Executive Officer’s Wife by Lila Munro

Posted September 2, 2010 by Book Binge Guest Blogger in Reviews | 0 Comments

Meet Libby Calhoun, the independent strong-willed daughter of a Marine Corps sniper.  She’s learned to take care of herself over the years, and after one failed marriage she isn’t looking for love, a husband, or children.


Golden-eyed Chase Wayland isn’t looking for love either.  The former Marine turned private bodyguard learned his lesson from a deceptive ex-wife.  Trust isn’t something he easily gives in to.  Then Libby happens.


Living under the same roof for what could be months won’t be easy when their mutual attraction threatens to disrupt the strictly business policy they both adhere to.

This is a novel that takes seriously the culture and ethos of the Marine Corp as it follows the experiences of Libby Calhoun, only daughter of the senior NCO on a recon Marine base and who has lived half of her life apart from her dad due to his recon deployments through his 30 year career. Her mother died shortly after her birth due to breast cancer, so Libby’s only maternal figure is a Hispanic woman from New Mexico who has been a part of her life from nearly the very beginning.

Now her father is once again deployed–probably his last before his 30 year retirement, and he has been taken prisoner by terrorists. Libby’s life is also in danger as a possible hostage so she has been given a security detail, driver, and a personal bodyguard–Chase Wayland, a former recon Marine himself. Now he has his own very prosperous security company and as one who knows the ins and outs of the Marine Corp, is in charge of Libby’s safety. Unbeknownst to each of them, they meet when Libby is working behind the bar at her godfather’s bar (as a volunteer and just “staying busy”) and they “hook up” in a very intimate way–a weekend fling even to the point of not sharing their names. When Chase learns that his one-night-stand is in reality his client, he goes into “professional mode” and their hanky panky ceases abruptly. It has only been a way to “work out the knots” for him anyway. Yet neither of them are able to move past that initial night, and eventually they resume their affair. The condom breaks, and Libby become pregnant. By this time they each have come to realize that they love the other, but as is so often the case, they fail to make their true feelings known and so the conflict continues, fueled by insecurity, fear of commitment, or being vulnerable to someone else. Libby refuses to marry Chase, yet he has determined to make Libby a permanent part of his life, even to the point that he re-enlists in the Marine Corp, now becoming Major Wayland and the new executive officer of the recon base. Libby finds out she is having twins, wants desperately to marry Chase, but refuses to do so unless it is because he loves her and not just to “give the babies a name.”
There is lots to like about this novel. There is suspense as Libby is put in danger. There is Libby’s own struggle with having her life taken over by the necessity of the security around her–she has always been very independent and in control of her life. She has been married briefly and now divorced for four years. She knows how to live on her own, so Chase’s constant presence, the pressure and worry every time she tries to carry on her normal routine, and her fear for her father’s life, force Libby to re-evaluate her priorities and how important this “control” is. She is slowly introduced to Chase’s humumgous family and she finds that his sisters, brothers, and extended family fill a hole that she didn’t want to admit was in her life. And this novel also is an educating experience about the life of dependent families in the Marine Corp–their loyalty to one another, their availability to one another when they are in need or hurt, their jockeying for position and rank–all are a part of this unique way of living and thinking.
As a former military wife I was thrown back in time and found myself re-living some of my own experiences–life on a military base, the loneliness when hubby had to be away for many months, and discovering the bond that exists between military families. But the real core of this novel is the journey that Libby must take away from her loneliness–an emotional isolation which had become so much a part of her that she just thought it was normal. She had to learn, possibly for the first time, what it was to share her life, her thoughts, her feelings and her future. It was a journey that Chase had to experience so that he could let go of his first marriage–a relationship that had been filled with lies and betrayal and rejection of him as a man and as a Marine. He was a man of substance and had “made his way in the world.” He was financially set and his future was secure. But he had to learn to let the irascible Libby thaw his heart and help him to become alive again. This is a gentle and engaging love story and while it is not “over the top” erotic, it lives and breathes the connection between these two characters and their affair.

This is a new author for me, but I am impressed with the quality of the writing, the consistent story line development, the interesting and captivating characters, and the evident research that went into this project. It will be a very satisfying experience for romantic fiction fans, and for those who like a story set in the military world, this certainly has lots to offer. I think it is a worthy use of the reader’s time.

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

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

This book is available from Wild Horse Press. You can buy it here in e-format.


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