Either I haven't read enough romance books with chefs as the heroines or Amy is just the unusual exception, but her therapy of chopping celery to stem her frustration and sexual needs is both unique and a little frightening (I mean, what ELSE would she consider dicing up? *gulp*). If I were this woman's man, I'd be sure to keep her completely satisfied or risk that fancy Mac knife practicing on my sensitive bits. Ms. Cutler sets the stage quickly and efficiently, giving us a glance into Amy Sorentino's frustrating history with cowboys, family drama, and recent professional embarrassment. She then rides straight into a little lets-blow-off-some-steam nookie between Amy and our sexy rancher hero, Kellan.
Let's talk about the sex. Oh, don't be shy - you know you wanna! My initial thought, from their first encounter, was that the love scenes in this book would be too skimpy, short on details and lacking in chemistry. Girlfriend, was I wrong! The detail and intimacy of the sex scenes grows with the relationship between Amy and Kellan in a healthy, organic way. Their chemistry is superb, both tender and passionate, and the romantic moments along the way reflect the intimacy level of their relationship as it develops. I loved Kellan's respectful cowboy ways and his sweet Southern accent, and I could easily picture his sexy Stetson, boots, and tight Wranglers. Kellan is not a glamour cowboy and, aside from a little wardrobe over-exaggeration to fire up his prospective lady's cowboy fetish, he's as honest and true as so many of the lovable Southern men I've known.
Ms. Cutler's style is comfortable and natural, straightforward with a charming Southwestern flair. The dialogue is also authentic, a pitfall for many authors who don't actually live in the unique culture that is "the south". Seriously, I can practically hear the thick accent rolling off the characters' tongues (and not in a cheesy, makes-me-want-to-/faceplam way either), and the landscape is a vista of beauty, with earthy depictions only someone who has lived and loved that environment could understand. There was a scene between the Sorentino sisters that had me laughing out loud, it was so spontaneously fun and refreshing. Each of the Sorentino women has a distinct and vibrant personality and their relationship with each other is genuine and believable, right down to the sibling spats and stalwart support.
This book is really good. It starts off feeling like a cowboy fluff piece and blooms into a heartbreaking saga of love, loss, and the bonds between family, friends, and lovers. The writing is mature and elegantly appropriate and the characters will draw you right into their world of desert vistas and Southwestern charm, where the slower pace of life makes everything that much more rich and enjoyable. I just wanted a quick, smutty read for Cowboy Romance Week and this book completely demolished all my expectations, continually endearing me in to a story that opens up in its own sweet time. Sexy with heart, is what this book is. More please, Ms. Cutler! And I don't want to wait! The Trouble With Cowboys is a GraveTells "must read"!(less)
In the reviews for Beyond Shame, words like "naughty" were tossed around and, after reading books like the Vampire Queen series from Joey W. Hill, the...moreIn the reviews for Beyond Shame, words like "naughty" were tossed around and, after reading books like the Vampire Queen series from Joey W. Hill, the first story in this series didn't quite hit the "naughty" bar for me. That said, Beyond Control was everything I wanted from the first book and more. The intense emotions, the unapologetic violence, the deepening plot, and most of all, the fulfilling of that promise of dominating, hedonistic, voyeuristic menage. It's Sons of Anarchy in a dystopian future, except the women are part of the gang and the money comes from top notch whiskey rather than running guns... with way more sex and way less inhibitions. Dallas O'Kane is the king of sector Four and Lex is his is queen.
Dallas and Lex are outright explosive- emotionally, physically, and sexually- and their plot arc isn't marred by any clumsy, contrived drama or unnecessary filler events. Everything that happens has a reason and furthers the overarching storyline, and does so with signature O'Kane flair.
I loved getting to see Dallas and Lex just be together for a chunk of the book, getting my fill of seeing them both unrestrained, souls bared without excessive unnecessary buildup. If you've read the first book in this series you already know how they smolder, and the building up of sexual and emotional tension between other characters in the gang was both satisfying and, in one case, shockingly appealing (shocking as in "I totally didn't see that coming and should have!" Love it when that happens!). One of the things I enjoy most about this series is how little regard the characters have for race or gender, focusing instead on the pleasure they'll all receive... no macho hetero stereotyping to ruin the moments. Ow ow!
If you love strong women and the alpha males who keep them fighting and coming back for more, who see their ladies as more than just playthings and allow them into their hearts and souls... If you love violence for all the right reasons and vigilante law in a society scraping to survive... If you love seeing characters throw propriety out the window and just DO and BE and FEEL... YOU. MUST. READ. THIS. SERIES!! Start with Beyond Shame and stick with it even if you think it's a little tame. Or, if it completely shames you and you hate that you love it, you're going to be even more shocked and awed by the downright barbarian hedonistic feel of Beyond Control. I SO cannot wait for the next one!(less)
DavinciKittie
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Books:
romance
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