A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review at Seductive Musings.

This book contains spoilers for LETTING GO and GIVING IN, the first two books in the Surrender trilogy. You might be able to read TAKING IT ALL as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Finally, after all the buildup in the first two Surrender trilogy books, we get Chessy and Tate’s story here in TAKING IT ALL. After Carson Breckenridge died too soon in a tragic car accident, it was more than a year before both his widow Josslyn and his sister Kylie were able to find love and happiness with the two men who were already present in their lives. Now that all their good friends are settled and happy, it’s the already-married Tate and Chessy who are forced to confront their own growing isolation from each other, one that threatens to end their marriage if something isn’t done soon. 

Tate and Chessy had always been one of the golden couples in their immediate group of friends and family, even as everyone was still in mourning for the loss of Carson. But Tate has been spending too many nights and weekends trying to build up his business and it’s Chessy who has paid the price. She’s put on a brave face for him and everyone else, not wanting to seem ungrateful for all his hard work even as she dies a little more inside each day. It’s only when they make arrangements for a rare night out alone together to celebrate their wedding anniversary that everything comes to a head. When Chessy spells out to Tate exactly why she is so angry with him, he seems to get the message and immediately starts trying to mend the breach before it becomes irreparable. Yet it will still take one more mind-boggling mistake on Tate’s part before he realizes exactly how much he’s failed Chessy, and what he must to do prove himself worthy as both her husband and Dominant once more.

TAKING IT ALL was the perfect mix of nearly everything I love: marriage in trouble, a D/s couple in love, and the steady hand of Maya Banks to make sure it all played out exactly as it should. Add to that another appearance of Damon Roche, my all-time favorite Maya Banks character, and it’s no surprise that I loved this book so much. Chessy suffered silently for much too long, hoping every day that the man to whom she had given her love and submission would come to his senses and return to her. Tate was genuinely clueless about how much he’d been hurting his wife as he believed he was helping them both by devoting every waking hour to running his company. Even when their initial showdown appeared to have set things right, it was clear that their reconciliation was a tenuous one, and I was just as worried as Chessy that Tate could slip up again. When he did so at the absolutely worst possible moment, I knew that a hero screw-up of this magnitude demanded an equally epic hero grovel, and Maya Banks did not disappoint. This realistic portrayal of a loving D/s couple’s painful falling out and hard-won reconciliation was the heart and soul of TAKING IT ALL, and it’s what made this final book in the uniformly excellent Surrender trilogy the very best one of them all.


Ratings:

Overall: 5
Sensuality level: 4

A copy of this book was provided by the author for an honest review at The Romance Evangelist.

ONE SEXY RIDE is the second story in Vivian Arend’s new Thompson & Sons series, and it’s set in the same world as her previous Rocky Mountain series, but you don’t have to have read any of the previous books to be able to enjoy what’s here. 

Janey has spent most of her life up until now pining after Len Thompson, all to no avail. He’s always been around her, being her good friend, but nothing more. What Janey really wants is that one true love to settle down with and raise a family, and she’s been convinced that Len is that guy. But what she’s never known is that even though he does secretly love her, that love is also why he’s continued to keep her at arm’s length. For Len has seen what happens when you lose your one true love, and he’s determined to never let that happen to him. So the last thing Len wants to do is love Janey, because losing her would be so much worse than not ever having her in the first place.

Tired of putting her life on hold for a guy who apparently doesn’t see in her what she sees in him, Janey has made plans to finish renovating her beloved family home, then sell it and leave town for good. Her decision to leave town, combined with a key moment when Len saves Janey from certain danger, makes him think that maybe he can at least have a taste of what he would never dare claim for good. But Janey’s heart is all in, and only time will tell if Len can move past his fear to commit to her before it’s too late.

One of the things I love about Vivian Arend’s books is her heroines and heroes are both strong and sweet. I never doubted for one minute that Len was worthy of Janey’s seemingly unrequited love, yet when he provided tangible proof of that worthiness near the very end of the story, it was all I could do not to melt in a puddle of happy tears at just how right I’d been. Len wants to love Janey - he really does! - but he’s just so terrified of being left without her that he’d rather push her away now than lose her for good later on. When Janey inevitably gets too close for comfort, the way Len tries to hasten her departure is so devastating that it demands an epic hero grovel to make things right. And let me tell you, Len’s grovel is easily one of the best I’ve read in a very long time. It isn’t just about how he shows how sorry he is, although that’s a big part of it. It’s also how he shows that he really does understand her as her own person, and how he’s been in love with her just as long as she’s been in love with him. Janey and Len’s romance is a great read all the way through, but the way they resolved their differences is what elevated ONE SEXY RIDE from merely a wonderful story to one of the best I’ve read in 2014.

BLURB:

He was the stuff erotic dreams are made of

Salon owner Julie Stanford wanted Nathan Tucker ever since she gave him his first massage. Getting paid to feel every inch of his body, stripped, oiled, and spread out in front of her. Stuff dreams are made of. But the sexy guy was oblivious to the signals she was sending; until she finished off his final rub-down with something extra. In fact, the best extra he ever had. Unfortunately, he came around too late. Now Julie's moving on.

She was everything he'd dreamed of

The woman was driving him crazy.  She lit fire to his insides then ran like a scalded cat.  And now she's going to someone else to have all her fantasies fulfilled? Over his dead body. He's more than willing to give her what she wants, and as soon as he pins the little minx down, he'd show her his own brand of sweet seduction.

It's all fun and games until someone falls in love.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the third book in the series and like the first two book it was also pretty HOT.And a lot funnier than I expected.

Julie Stanford has the hots for Nathan since the moment he walked inside her Salon. She did her best to get his attention. She was thrilled and always wanted to get her hands all over Nathan’s hot body but unfortunately for her he was so determined to avoid her and her advances. And that pissed her off big time because it left her wondering what the hell is wrong with her. 

I loved Julie’s character. I admired her spirit, determination. She knew what she wants or who she wants and willing to do everything to have it. She’s a fighter stubborn as hell but she also knew when to give up and move on.

Nathan Tucker. Oh gosh I don’t know if I want to smack him for being an idiot or kiss him for being sweet and softy. He’s extremely gorgeous, hot and sexy, smart, dependable, I could go on, but in short, he’s a real sweetheart. He’s easy to get along with, funny, he jokes a lot especially when he’s with his friends except when it comes to Julie. Since he met her he did nothing but act like some teenage boy about to experience his first orgasm. 

And when he learned that she’s moving on and planning to be a filling in a stud sandwich all bets are off. Haha (filling in a stud sandwich – another name for threesome. It made me laughed so hard Julie’s sense of humor is out of the world sometimes.) So Nathan did everything to prevent that. He’s willing to do everything for her even to the extent of crossing his own limit. I also loved the way he called Julie heifer. 

And for that the winner is Micah. Haha. Lucky man. He’s always been asked to be the second guy. 

Julie and Nathan’s nature of relationship is slightly different from the first two but I think it’s perfect for them. I don’t see Nathan doing stuffs like what Damon and Micah. But the story still great. The bed scenes are freaking HOT. HOT. HOT. And I loved the way how Maya Banks included the subplot. I still get to see what’s happening in Faith and Serena’s happily ever after. I also enjoyed the little information about Micah and Connor that was provided in this book.

Sweet Seduction is such a great book. And I really, really like it. Kudos to Ms. Banks for keeping me interested and wanting more.

P.S I’m very curious about Cole. 

BLURB:

Under Faith Malone's deceptively soft exterior lies a woman who knows exactly what she wants: a strong man who'll take without asking - because she's willing to give him everything...

Dallas cop Gray Montgomery is on a mission: find the guy who killed his partner and bring him to justice. So far, he's found a link between the killer and Faith - and if Gray has to get close to her to catch the killer, so be it.

Faith is sweet and feminine, everything Gray wants and desires in a woman, but he suspects she's playing games. No way would she allow a man to call the shots in their relationship. Or would she?

Faith sees in Gray the strong, dominant man she needs, but he seems determined to keep her at a distance. So she takes matters into her own hands to prove to him it's no game she's playing. She's willing to surrender to the right man. Gray would like to be that man. But catching his partner's killer has to be his first priority - until Faith is threatened and Gray realizes he will do anything to protect her

MY THOUGHTS:

TWO WORDS: SMOKING HOT! 

This is the first time I've read a book that includes a threesome (M/M/F), anal sex, bondage, and spankings. This isn't my cup of tea, and I can say that it left me speechless, embarrassed, and most of all blushing. Haha. I’m actually planning to skip that part of the book but my curiosity got the best of me so I've read it. Now I know the saying "Curiosity killed the cat" is true because I nearly died because of it. Haha.

But I totally enjoyed it from the first page up to the last. It had all the elements I enjoy: strong-alpha male hero, intelligent and dependent heroine, likable secondary characters, funny/witty banters and interesting plot.

Grayson Montgomery is such a gorgeous, sweet and lovable hero. While Faith Malone is a strong-willed, dependent, and intelligent heroine. In my book they make a great couple. And fighting their attraction is way too cute, always turning away from each other. And when they've finally acknowledged their feelings their relationship was explosive.

What I like most about this book is not only did I fell in love with Gray and Faith but also with other characters too. Nathan and Micah were so damn hot. And I bet their stories will be hot as this one or maybe hotter. The author didn't tell much aboutConnor and Damon in this book that’s why I can’t wait to read their stores so that I can find more about them. 

Overall this was an enjoyable read for me. The author got me hooked and intrigued that I can’t wait to find more about the characters. That’s why I immediately started with book two.  

Happy reading!