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Dangerous Grounds (Seattle Steam #1)
by
Shelli Stevens (Goodreads Author)
Something is hot in Seattle, and its not just the espresso...
Madison's needs are simple. All she wants are two things: Make Ooo La Latte the newest trend in espresso, and seduce the sexiest cop in Seattle. But things aren't going exactly as planned.
First, Gabe's a little hung-up on the fact that she's his best friends little sister, and he's determined to keep his hands of...more
Madison's needs are simple. All she wants are two things: Make Ooo La Latte the newest trend in espresso, and seduce the sexiest cop in Seattle. But things aren't going exactly as planned.
First, Gabe's a little hung-up on the fact that she's his best friends little sister, and he's determined to keep his hands of...more
Kindle Edition, 254 pages
Published
January 1st 2008
by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Nov 17, 2008
Auntee
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of erotic romance
Recommended to Auntee by:
Kathrynn
Shelves:
erotic-romance
Well, this book was well on it's way to a five star rating from me, but it just fell short of the mark because the ending was a little off for me. But for sheer sexuality and eroticism, it rates a 5+!
Madison Phillips is a beautiful, 25 yr. old rich girl, but determined to make it on her own. After getting her MBA and living in Italy for a year, she returns home to Seattle to open up her very own espresso shop called Ooo La Latte, determined to make it a success. Maddie's been trying to get over...more
Madison Phillips is a beautiful, 25 yr. old rich girl, but determined to make it on her own. After getting her MBA and living in Italy for a year, she returns home to Seattle to open up her very own espresso shop called Ooo La Latte, determined to make it a success. Maddie's been trying to get over...more
Nov 02, 2008
Kathrynn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
own,
2008,
erotic,
romance-contemporary,
romance-suspense,
theme-bodyguard,
theme-police_officer,
reviewed
What a neat modern-day, erotic book! Nicely written with style. I will look for more by this author. The book wasn't just about SEX. In the beginning, it was more a hot book than erotica, but things did pick up to earn it the bump up to erotica. It does not go into detail every time the couple has sex.
There is a viable threat to Maddie with the Espresso Bandit. He is robbing businesses and is a cold-blooded killer. Maddie came from a very affluent family and decided to open her own Coffee Shop....more
There is a viable threat to Maddie with the Espresso Bandit. He is robbing businesses and is a cold-blooded killer. Maddie came from a very affluent family and decided to open her own Coffee Shop....more
I'm on the fence on this one. I liked it, but I wouldn't read it again nor would I necessarily recommend it. I liked Gabe and the premise of the book, but I found several aspects of the book made it difficult to really enjoy. I just couldn't make myself like the main character, Madison; she's spoiled, self-centered, and difficult to take seriously. I couldn't understand how Gabe and Madison could run into town for a dinner with family when she had to hide out at a remote cabin so the robber woul...more
To be honest, I have no idea why this book is reviewed so highly, as it is easily the worst romance novel I have read this year.
Our protaganist, Maddie, is a rich and beautiful 25 year old woman. She goes to Italy and falls in love with espresso to the point where she will no longer drink regular coffee, and decides to open her own coffee shop back in Seattle. Two problems- 1. She never learned how to make coffee and burns every espresso shot she makes. Her coffee is unpalatable and everyone sp...more
Our protaganist, Maddie, is a rich and beautiful 25 year old woman. She goes to Italy and falls in love with espresso to the point where she will no longer drink regular coffee, and decides to open her own coffee shop back in Seattle. Two problems- 1. She never learned how to make coffee and burns every espresso shot she makes. Her coffee is unpalatable and everyone sp...more
I really enjoyed this book finished it in just a few hours, it was very fast paced I just couldnt put it down!
I loved both characters Gabe is a very sexy cop (who doesnt love a man in uniform), he is a laid back down to earth sexy type of guy! At first I wasnt sure if id like Maddie because she seemed to be snobby because her family was rich and mommy and daddy could get her anything she wanted but she wasnt she grew outta that stage and went to college and opend her own buisness!
There romance...more
I loved both characters Gabe is a very sexy cop (who doesnt love a man in uniform), he is a laid back down to earth sexy type of guy! At first I wasnt sure if id like Maddie because she seemed to be snobby because her family was rich and mommy and daddy could get her anything she wanted but she wasnt she grew outta that stage and went to college and opend her own buisness!
There romance...more
If there is a shocking event in a character's past that informs everything he is and does, and it is impossible to extrapolate this event from hints in the text, then it behooves the author to TELL US what that event was, otherwise the character comes across as shallow and prone to dramaqueenitus. This was Gabe. I was pretty much done with him by halfway through the book due to his unexplained dramaqueenitus.
Our heroine Maddie also has a deep dark unexplained mystery in her past (two for one spe...more
Our heroine Maddie also has a deep dark unexplained mystery in her past (two for one spe...more
I thoroughly disliked this book, all of it.
The plot was incredulous. Madison, a spoiled brat, travels to Italy for a year and falls in love with coffee. She then decides to get an MBA and open an espresso shop, but it doesn't occur to her that she may need to learn how to make coffee.
Her brother returns from a tour in Iraq and at his homecoming party, she comes on to his best friend, Gabe, a police officer. She turns her down, unable to think past the fact that she is his best friend's sister....more
The plot was incredulous. Madison, a spoiled brat, travels to Italy for a year and falls in love with coffee. She then decides to get an MBA and open an espresso shop, but it doesn't occur to her that she may need to learn how to make coffee.
Her brother returns from a tour in Iraq and at his homecoming party, she comes on to his best friend, Gabe, a police officer. She turns her down, unable to think past the fact that she is his best friend's sister....more
My first book by Shelli Stevens, this was almost a DNF, However, it had some good moments of compelling story-teling and a few stretches where I didn't actively dislike the heroine, Maddie. Especially in the beginning of the story, she was immature and spoiled plus TSTL at times. Once her lust/love interest Gabe stopped being described as a love em and leave em type, he had some potential. He even had a moving backstory that comes to light in the second half of the book. But for much of the stor...more
Madison is a recently dumped, educated, spoiled, well-intentioned, sometimes irritating 20-something who owns a coffee shop. She is proud owner and a hard headed women that is constantly being rescued and coddled by her well-to-do family.
Gabe is an independent, also educated, hard working, masculine, 30-something playboy cop. He is the opposite of Madison in almost every way. He thinks he shouldn't be having sex with Madison, his best friends sister. He is strictly a no relationship man with a j...more
Gabe is an independent, also educated, hard working, masculine, 30-something playboy cop. He is the opposite of Madison in almost every way. He thinks he shouldn't be having sex with Madison, his best friends sister. He is strictly a no relationship man with a j...more
I give the first 75% of the story an A and the remainder a B. I really liked Madison and Gabe. I had a few issues with them, but overall thought they were good people. She was a bit spoiled but seemed to be maturing out of it. I thought there was a lot of dialogue between the characters which I enjoyed. Since they knew each other for a long time, their quick romance didn’t seem far-fetched. I really enjoyed watching them fall in love. The book moved extremely fast, and I finished it in one sitti...more
Unlike some, I enjoyed the crime aspect of the book. It definitely brought some realism where the romance department failed. I enjoyed the dialogue, but wasn't completely sold on the main female character. Her personality seemed a little too split for my liking. Sometimes being the most self centered, arrogant, spoiled brat that the world has known and in the same breath apologizing and admitting she was wrong.
Gabe, for me, was spot on.
Like most others I didn't feel like the ending of the book...more
Gabe, for me, was spot on.
Like most others I didn't feel like the ending of the book...more
A free kindle read from Amazon definetly worth a read. I actually quiet enjoyed the female character as spoilt as she was, maybe selfish and carefree - I enjoyed her straight forwardness and quirkiness as well. She went for what she wanted !! She come across as spoilt rotten, snobby but I didnt mind her character at all. !
Gabe was certainly hot to trot and ignited the pages, an intriguing enough storyline, with mystery, suspense, hot smokin scenes and a bit of everything one could want in a rom...more
Gabe was certainly hot to trot and ignited the pages, an intriguing enough storyline, with mystery, suspense, hot smokin scenes and a bit of everything one could want in a rom...more
Feb 24, 2011
Aimee (Coffee Table Reviews)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011
I was in need of a nice light romance. Not sure if this counts as light, but it definitely was what I was looking for! Normally I'm all for alpha men who pursue the women they want. In this, while we get the alpha male, we also get the alpha woman who is pursuing the man she wants. Definitely a nice shake up from the norm.
Maddie and Gabe were wonderful characters. I just adored them. I'm such a romance junkie, I loved watching Gabe try to resist and I loved watching Maddie go after what she real...more
Maddie and Gabe were wonderful characters. I just adored them. I'm such a romance junkie, I loved watching Gabe try to resist and I loved watching Maddie go after what she real...more
This was free on the kindle. So I automatically assumed it was pants!! WRONG!!! So, wrong. Loved it. A nice hot love story. A good size book ( not those napkin size books that contain 500 words!!). Its a book, an actual book. Gabe is a wonderful character, not taking any nonsense from Maddie was just part of the fun. I loved that she was messy and extremely bad at cooking eggs (Microwave!! Just wrong.) It had its ups and downs in their getting-to-know-stage. The steaminess was just right, not to...more
Feb 26, 2011
~KarenH~
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ebook,
xx-2011-reads
I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't anything really special. Not a waste of time, and I'll probably continue on with the series at some point, but there's no rush. I found the lack of communication between the h/h a little annoying - why didn't they ever ask for an explanation once in a while rather than just assuming the worst all the time?
On the plus side though, the author did a great job on the descriptions of the area. Very specific and visual without being too long and boring, and above al...more
On the plus side though, the author did a great job on the descriptions of the area. Very specific and visual without being too long and boring, and above al...more
This book was actually pretty painful. Luckily it was free on Amazon. I found the main character to be spoiled and selfish. I actually felt second hand embarrassment for her. The writing was fine and it was nicely descriptive. I do enjoy a little plot with my porn so I appreciate that it was nicely descriptive in more than just the sex.
In the interest of full disclosure this was actually a DNF for me. I read about 75%. Maybe it got better but I disliked the characterization so much thatI just c...more
In the interest of full disclosure this was actually a DNF for me. I read about 75%. Maybe it got better but I disliked the characterization so much thatI just c...more
I was excited to get this book after I read the sample. The author has a good sense of humor, and some *ahem* determined characters. But other than some nice sex scenes and some kick ass makeup sex in a broom closet. I just wasn't impressed.
I have to say that the situations the characters were in, and their reactions to them felt forced. And the characters were a little hard to like at times.
I was interested in how the book ended, and I really enjoyed certain scenes. I'd check out the author a...more
I have to say that the situations the characters were in, and their reactions to them felt forced. And the characters were a little hard to like at times.
I was interested in how the book ended, and I really enjoyed certain scenes. I'd check out the author a...more
.I've read this book 3 times and never reviewed it. Why? Because I'm embarrassed to say I liked it. It's pretty steamy. It's Erotica OK. I don't like that word though. Makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. Maybe I am? Well, it was free on Kindle one week and I grabbed it. Once I finished it I went directly to see if the author had written anything else. She's got a bunch! There were 2 more books in this series and so I paid for them. Read them. Loved them.
Madison has opened a coffee sho...more
Madison has opened a coffee sho...more
Jul 03, 2012
Farmers Wife
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
loved-this,
smut
OMG. This was one of the best 'smut-love' books I've read in awhile. Loved, loved, loved the chemistry, the story line, the main characters and of course the STEAMY S-E-X!! Love love luuuuved it!
And, this was a story about a guy (a hawt cop guy with intimate talents) and a sassy gal and how their relationship develops unbeknownst to them as they enjoy their carnal attraction. The guy, being the good guy he is and best friend to the MC's brother, fights it but boy-oh-boy can the MC be influential...more
And, this was a story about a guy (a hawt cop guy with intimate talents) and a sassy gal and how their relationship develops unbeknownst to them as they enjoy their carnal attraction. The guy, being the good guy he is and best friend to the MC's brother, fights it but boy-oh-boy can the MC be influential...more
I liked this book overall. The heat was wonderful. The plot paced well, only a few pieces felt forced. My real problems arose with the heroine. At one point she showers and gets herself ready in a very short amount of time and leaves with her hair still wet. I was left thinking she was low maintence, but later in the story she gets worried because the hero rushes her to get ready and she doesn't even get a chance to put make-up on. Now, I totally understand her worry, I get that, but not this gi...more
This has the best friend's sister plot which was realistically worked out with fun banter between the H/h. I would have like to see more of the brother; Eric. Of course the new couple couldn't hide the relationship from Eric, who had been gone fighting in Afghanistan, but still observant and all to knowing of he best friend and only sister. I liked that Maddie ended up saving her self (not a real spoiler so don't worry). I love a strong do-it-yourself woman. This was a freebie for kindle and one...more
#1 Seattle Steam series
A book featuring an expresso shop, a robber nicknamed The Expresso bandit, and a romance? Sounded fine to me!
Meet Madison, our heroine and coffee shop owner, as she hopes Gabe, her older brother's best friend, hunky cop Gabe, will stop by for her Grand Opening:
Page 20:
"... because she'd made a point of looking ultra-sexy today. Low-rise jeans showed off her tiny pink thong, if she happened to bend over, and a clingy black T-shirt that read They're Real hugged her breasts."...more
A book featuring an expresso shop, a robber nicknamed The Expresso bandit, and a romance? Sounded fine to me!
Meet Madison, our heroine and coffee shop owner, as she hopes Gabe, her older brother's best friend, hunky cop Gabe, will stop by for her Grand Opening:
Page 20:
"... because she'd made a point of looking ultra-sexy today. Low-rise jeans showed off her tiny pink thong, if she happened to bend over, and a clingy black T-shirt that read They're Real hugged her breasts."...more
This book was free for a limited time on B&N so I quickly downloaded it because it sounded interesting. I really liked it and plan to continue to read the series. Although I always love a good romance, I prefer to have a bit of suspense or mystery going on at the same time. This book has that! Loved the romance part of it... even though they both were pretty dense at times (a common thread I see quite often in romance books). The characters were believable and well developed. Their personali...more
Aug 25, 2010
Stephanie
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ebook,
chocked-full-of-smut-not-much-else
Talk about a book with tons of potential that never quite reaches it, well that is this book.
The heroine is a dimwit hussy and has more TSTL moments than all of the heroines in all the books I've read in the whole month of August. The hero does such a fast 180 from we cannot have sex because you are my besties baby sister, to lets get it on like donkey kong.
Now about 3/4 the way through the book gets a little better, but the end just stinks....word count must have been up. We get I love you's...more
The heroine is a dimwit hussy and has more TSTL moments than all of the heroines in all the books I've read in the whole month of August. The hero does such a fast 180 from we cannot have sex because you are my besties baby sister, to lets get it on like donkey kong.
Now about 3/4 the way through the book gets a little better, but the end just stinks....word count must have been up. We get I love you's...more
I think I'm being generous with the 3 stars. The story started out fun, but by the end all of the I-didn't-speak-up-and-tell-you-how-I-feel-and-now-you-hate-me misunderstandings got super old. And for a smutty book, the sex stuff kinda bored me which isn't really a good thing. I did enjoy a lot of the banter between the main characters, and I give the author credit for having an actual storyline. If you enjoy romantic suspense novels, this is probably one you'd enjoy.
Mar 12, 2011
Emmi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
format-ebook_short,
genre-romantic-suspense
I'm really liking Shelli Stevens. Another quick read, but packed with tons of goodies. Both characters were totally flawed but in the best of ways. I liked Gabe immediately: protective, strong, determined, sexy. Madison took me a bit to warm up to, she was a bit spoiled and naive in the beginning but when it came down to is she was a good person with her own insecurities, spunk, and free spirit.
Liked this one a lot and am definitely going to continue with the series.
Liked this one a lot and am definitely going to continue with the series.
*You should only read this book if you're 18 years old or over*
This is my first Shelli Stevens book and I plan on reading her others. I liked how there was an actual story/plot among the smut. Sometimes with this genre the stories aren't the best and I don't really care about the characters. However, I really had an interest in Maddie and Gabe and how their story evolved. Plus the hint of danger that brought Maddie and Gabe together was a nice twist.
This is my first Shelli Stevens book and I plan on reading her others. I liked how there was an actual story/plot among the smut. Sometimes with this genre the stories aren't the best and I don't really care about the characters. However, I really had an interest in Maddie and Gabe and how their story evolved. Plus the hint of danger that brought Maddie and Gabe together was a nice twist.
Pretty good, especially for a free book on Barnes and Noble for the Nook. I'm impressed. This is the first "Romance" that I have read other than the Notebook in Iraq when I ran out of the other things to read and this is much more mixed with Erotica than that. Much more. I may be biased too because I like reading stories from my home town and this is set in Seattle . . . but even without that I think it's probably a five star in my book. Well written.
This was almost a DNF for me. I had to fight to keep reading it. Madison is a horrible character. I really struggled to find anything about her to like. The conversations were painful and cheesy and had me rolling my eyes. The book did get better about 3/4 of the way through, almost felt like a different person was writing, but then went right back. I can not recommend this to anyone, nor will I be reading the rest of the series.
This would have been a 4.5 star read but since it has some formatting problems on the set up each scene changing, lost in translation problem, and to make matters even aggravating the ending sucked... I turned the page thinking "hey, where is the ending???"
There is so much that this author could of done but lacked with this book...
The storyline & concept of the idea BRAVO...
but revisions are need to make it BETTER!!!
There is so much that this author could of done but lacked with this book...
The storyline & concept of the idea BRAVO...
but revisions are need to make it BETTER!!!
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Shelli is a New York Times Bestselling Author who read her first romance novel when she snatched it off her mother's bookshelf at the age of eleven. One taste and she was forever hooked. It wasn't until many years later that she decided to pursue writing stories of her own. By then she acknowledged the voices in her head didn't make her crazy, they made her a writer.
Shelli currently lives in the P...more
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Feb 23, 2009 01:44pm
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