Nine Kinds of Naughty - Jeanette Grey 

 

I picked up this book not knowing that it was part of a series, but I had read a previous book by this author and enjoyed it so much that I jumped at the chance to read something by her again. I am happy to say that NINE KINDS OF NAUGHTY did not disappoint. With it's perfect balance of story, romance and sexy times, I was captivated from beginning to end.

This is the story of Lexie Bellamy and Dane Huntley. Lexie is a corporate executive in her family's company and Dane is her assistant...her really hot assistant. Lexie has been involved with a coworker before and it didn't turn out well at all, so she knows that Dane is strictly off limits.

When a business trip puts them in close quarters, things heat up and a world that Lexie never knew she was meant for is opened up for her. Dane shows her his dominant side and she quickly finds she wants to submit to him.

And while she is in charge at work, she's more than happy to let him be in charge in bedroom. But, what happens when they have to go back to real life?

So, yeah, this was not what I was expecting at all, but that's ok because NINE KINDS OF NAUGHTY was a little slice of BDSM heaven. There wasn't anything heavy in this book, so it more BDSM-lite, but I loved Dane's brand of loving dominance. It was totally swoon worthy. And it completely fit with the story. 

My heart really went out to Dane though, he was having a rough time and thought that he had found his solace in Lexie. But then things went south and he was alone again. It was terrible and I wanted to strangle Lexie. He didn't handle things the best either but I thought she was being very unreasonable. It really is my only complaint about the story.

But, the fact that I had such strong opinions about this is really just a testament of how invested I got in the story. The characters and the writing made it impossible for me not to get sucked in.


NINE KINDS OF NAUGHTY is the third book in the Art of Passion Series, but the first two books are about another couple so this one can easily be read as standalone. I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not having read the first two books. I think I will go back and read them when I get the chance though because now I'm curious about how that couple got together. Jeanette Grey is not an author I have a ton of familiarity with, but I'm 2 for 2 with her books now, and I'm interested in seeing if I can keep up the trend.



*Advanced Reader's Copy provided by NetGalley and Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

ARC Review: Nine Kinds of Naughty (Art of Passion) by Jeanette Grey

Dane is a complicated man. By day his focus is on business, hiding his true self behind business suits and corporate duties. By night he lives for the pleasure, releasing the untamed animal in his soul. A man of many appetites, guilt, grief and responsibilities are at the center of shadowy existence. Until he meets Lexie and his two sides merge into one. Lexie has chameleon like qualities of her own. A good girl driven by her career, she's hardworking. She hides her insecurities behind a wall of competence and distance but inside she's a naughty girl with a need to unleash her wild side. Will these two wounded souls be able to bring each other into the light? Nine Kinds of Naughty is a temptation, that is not to be denied. Ms. Grey seduces her readers while at the same time breaking their hearts. An entrancing combination.

Eight Ways to Ecstasy - Jeanette Grey Eight Ways to Ecstasy is a sensual overload of sexiness. I received an ARC of Jeanette Grey's latest tempting novel in exchange for an honest review. I am a new recruit to Ms. Grey's work. She has the shock value along with the spicy factor on her side with Kate and Rylan's story but I felt like I was missing something. Eight Ways to Ecstasy had me feeling like I walked in at the midpoint of the story and it was hard for me to catch up. It could have been that I had not gotten the chance to read book one in the series but I was in a confused state most of the story.

I still love this sub genre the best even though I had such a metric ton of Contemporary Romance this year. I am hoping Science Fiction Romance makes a surge and the Star Wars helps!

 

I am behind on reading in some of my favorite series so I am sure some great books don't make this list but

 

Here are my Best Fantasy, Paranormal, and Science Fiction Romance 2015 in no particular order.

 

1.  Magic Stars (Grey Wolf Book 1) by Ilona Andrews

 

Scarred, solitary Derek Gaunt has separated from his Pack, and is truly a lone wolf. With no family he answers to no one; but is fiercely loyal to a chosen few. So, when several of those close to him are murdered, he’ll stop at nothing to hunt their killer through the magic-drenched streets of Atlanta.

Never one to be left on the sidelines, equally determined—some might say stubborn—Julie Lennart-Olsen soon joins in his pursuit; and what began as revenge turns into a race to save the city. Their search pits them against powers they never imagined and magic so old, it predates history. It may cost Derek his life, but there are things for which even he would risk everything.

 

2. Heart Legacy by Robin D. Owens

 

After the death of GrandLord Yew years ago, the Yews withdrew to their self-sustaining estate and disappeared from Celtan society. The current head of the household is believed to be eighteen-year-old Loridana. To find out, Draeg Blackthorn has been sent to the estate to spy, undercover as a stableman for the stridebeasts—beautiful creatures that hold a place in Lori’s heart no member of her family ever could.
 
Bullied by her family, Lori has decided to abandon her bloodline and live on her own with her true family—her animals. When Draeg discovers she’s rejecting her heritage, he’s appalled. He’s come to love the land as much as the woman, even spinning small fantasies of marrying Lori and becoming Lord and Lady of the manor. Draeg wants her to stay and fight her elders. For Lori, it’s an alternative that could render her absolutely powerless to pursue her own destiny, and drive her further away from her perfect dreams and the man she loves, Draeg.

 

3. Feel the Burn (Dragon Kin #8) by G.A. Aiken 

 

I, Gaius Domitus, one-eyed rebel dragon king of the Provinces, know that better than most, since I have to fight off half my ungrateful family on a regular basis to keep law and order here in my lands. But I never expected to have to consort with a barbarian human woman.
 
Kachka is beautiful, if you like them fierce—and of course I do. But she keeps complaining about how spoiled and decadent I am, and how a feared Daughter of the Steppes has no time for foolish dragons. I think she likes my eye patch, though. It is quite dashing. With death always at our tails, we take our passion like we take our allies. As they say, love the barbarian you’re with…

 

4. Shards of Hope (Psy-Changeling, #14) by Nalini Singh 

 

Awakening wounded in a darkened cell, their psychic abilities blocked, Aden and Zaira know they must escape. But when the lethal soldiers break free from their mysterious prison, they find themselves in a harsh, inhospitable landscape far from civilization. Their only hope for survival is to make it to the hidden home of a predatory changeling pack that doesn’t welcome outsiders.

And they must survive. A shadowy enemy has put a target on the back of the Arrow squad, an enemy that cannot be permitted to succeed in its deadly campaign. Aden will cross any line to keep his people safe for this new future, where even an assassin might have hope of a life beyond blood and death and pain. Zaira has no such hope. She knows she’s too damaged to return from the abyss. Her driving goal is to protect Aden, protect the only person who has ever come back for her no matter what. This time, even Aden’s passionate determination may not be enough—because the emotionless chill of Silence existed for a reason. For the violent, and the insane, and the irreparably broken…like Zaira.

 

5. Born of Defiance (The League, #8) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

 

Born an Outcast, Talyn Batur has spent the whole of his life fighting against the prejudice of his people. An Andarion without a father is not something anyone wants to be.

But when his companion's brother draws him into a plot against the Andarion crown, he finds himself torn between the loyalty to their planetary government that his mother has beaten into him and his own beliefs of justice and right.

 

Now, he must decide for himself to remain a pawn of their government or to defy everything and everyone he's ever known to stand up to tyranny. It's a gamble that will either save his life or end it. And when old enemies align with new ones, it's more than just his own life at risk. And more than just his homeworld that will end should he fail.

 

6. Mate Bond (Shifters Unbound, #7) by Jennifer Ashley 

 

To cement the leadership of his North Carolina Shiftertown, Bowman O'Donnell agreed to a "mating of convenience." Two powerful wolf shifters, he and Kenzie keep the pack in order and are adored by all. Bowman would do anything to protect Kenzie, for in each other's arms they've found far more than friendship. But as strong as their attachment is, they still haven't formed the elusive mate bond--the almost magical joining of true mates.

Now with a monster ravaging the countryside and threatening the Shiftertown community, some in the pack fear that a pair without a true mate bond isn't strong enough to lead. Bowman and Kenzie will have to rely on their instinctive trust in one another to save their Shifters--and the ensuing battle will either destroy them or give them the chance to seize the love they've always craved.

 

7. Shadow's End by Thea Harrison

 

For Beluviel, consort to the Elven High Lord, and Graydon, gryphon and First Sentinel of the Wyr, even the slightest desire for each other is forbidden. But two hundred years ago, after a desperate play to save Beluviel’s stepson left them indebted to the cruel Djinn Malphas, they found their fates inexorably linked together—and the hunger between them growing too strong to ignore…
 
Two centuries later, with their debt to Malphas coming due, Beluviel and Graydon realize that, if they are to stand any chance of saving their souls, they must once again work together—this time more closely than ever before. But every moment they spend with each other brings them nearer to losing something even more vital—their hearts…

 

8. Radiance by Grace Draven

 

~THE PRINCE OF NO VALUE~

Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.

~THE NOBLEWOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE~

Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn’t just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she’s known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.

Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.

 

9. Through the Static by Jeanette Grey

 

When cybernetics researcher Aurelia Locke is attacked, she instantly recognizes her assailants as a Three—a mercenary unit made up of a trio of soldiers whose minds have been cybernetically linked, their pasts erased, their wills subsumed.

 

By the skin of her wits, she escapes to an abandoned house, where she hacks its security system in her desperation to find refuge.

 

Jinx is already on high alert when his Three notices something isn’t right with their safe house. But he never expected to find a woman wounded and bleeding out in his own bed, or that his visceral reaction to her would begin to awaken his lost past from a years-long haze of violence.

 

In a mad gamble to escape, Aurelia frees Jinx from his Three by severing his neural connection to them and tying his mind to hers. The power of their link shocks them both, manifesting not only in shared thoughts, but in an intensely passionate physical connection.

 

But dangerous forces pursue them, intent on reclaiming Jinx and silencing Aurelia’s knowledge. Her only chance of saving him is to risk everything—her research, her heart, and her life.

 

10. Obedient (Terran Times Second Wave #22) by Viola Grace 

 

Zelia lives a predictable life until she helps some of the members of the Volunteer Centre avoid a gunman. Her reward is a one-way trip to the stars to have the child that she wants with the freedom to raise it in a safe and quiet environment.

She is altered to make a suitable host for the new life and deposited on the surface of a nameless world where a home and supplies are waiting for her. Her days are relaxed and comfortable, and her nights are filled with alien songs.

Rad has been waiting for centuries to meet his mate, and to have her arrange to carry his child before they had even met goes against Drai customs. He is willing to adapt as long as she will accept his protection in a world chosen as her home.

 

Let me know your favorites! 

Seven Nights to Surrender - Jeanette Gre... You know that feeling when you find a book that you want everyone to read because then you can talk about it all the more? Well, that's this book for me.

Kate just graduated college and she decided to go to Paris and explore the city. Her goal is to find herself and make the decision(s) she needs. She doesn't have a lot of time to make up her mind and her savings, unfortunately for her, do have a limit. Nonetheless she's deemed spending whatever little money she has is worth it.

She's got great plans and is a bit frustrated because her time is Paris will soon come to an end and she's yet to find herself. She wants to find what makes her unique, and sets her apart from all other artists. She must find her voice. While she's at a coffee shop making plans, and trying to remember how to order a coffee latte in French, she's robbed of what money she had to spend. Fortunately not all her money is stolen. Then again she becomes nervous because she doesn't know how to explain to the cashier she no longer wants the coffee.

Before she can utter a word the handsome guy behind her pays for her coffee and invites her to sit with him. She obliges only because she wants to be nice to the guy that just saved her from an embarrassing moment, but she's also keeping her guard up because the handsome stranger could either be: a) a serial killer or, b) he simply wants to get in her pants. She's having none though. Before she knows it. Rylan, talks her into spending the rest of the afternoon with him. She's not stupid and knows his end game and she's game.

Rylan isn't sure he wants to do a lot of heavy lifting to get Kate in his bed. The thing is the way she looks at him is more than he can take. His flirtation turns into something more serious. Before he knows it he ends up proposing to her to spend together what time she has left in Paris. She agrees not knowing what she's really agreed to. What starts as a game ends up not being one. Rylan doesn't tell her about all that he is, or who he is. And by the time he figures he should've told her is a bit too late. No matter what he does the outcome will be the same --> Kate walking out on him.

"My pickup crap never worked on you."

She shook her head. "It worked so much better than you ever would have imagined. I just pretended it didn't because--"

He gave her a beat before asking, "What?"

"Because I knew you were going to break my heart."

While Rylan helps her discover who she is and shows her all the sexual pleasures he can think of, Kate teaches him to see inside himself and accept who he is. He can't run away from his destiny and all that makes him. He learns this last the hard way and is willing to do what it takes if she allows him back into her life.

"Thank you," she whispered. "You asshole. For everything."

That last part made me chuckle. This was an enjoyable read. There was plenty of sexy time as there was story. Even though the sequel "eight ways to Ecstasy" doesn't come out until April 2016, this is an HFN. I thought the end dragged on a little too long, and the characters seemed to like "humming" quite a bit when they did or were about to say something. Would I recommend this book? Of course! I will definitely be reading more of Jeanette Grey.