Review of Go Hard

As promised, I'll be continuing reviews. Here's a long delayed review of a sports romance which the author kindly sent me an ARC of.

Title: Go Hard

Author: B.B. Hamel

Plot in a snap: Owen Rack is starting out as the rookie running back for a respected team, the Philadelphia Eagles, which is looking to revive their flagging performance. And the female protagonist Taylor Jones  is a new physiotherapist trainee/ physical therapist and trainer working for the same team. Through a series of fortuitous events, primarily her boss' pregnancy, she is promoted and becomes a dedicated therapist for Owen. Taylor struggles with the ethics of dating a team member, realising that her job is on the line if they were exposed. Owen, on the other hand, struggles with his problematic knee and a past that has come back to haunt him in the form of a member of the Mafia, Tony. Read to find out how the couple overcome their fears and problems before that HEA!

What triggered the huhs? : The rapid switch from player out for a good time to serious boyfriend material. And the mafia part seemed a little questionable too, looking undecided and a little weird. Granted the criminal mind is unpredictable and unfamiliar to the reviewer but really?? The resolution of that threat, given the fact that they seem to control several players on the team seemed a tad unrealistic.

What worked: The hot sex; B.B. Hamel doesn't disappoint!

What was learnt: Never to go in some communal hot tub - seriously, did Taylor never wonder how much DNA  from the rest of the team was there - ok, this was just the reviewer projecting the eww factor 😵

Amazon rating: 4*

Blog rating: 3*

Here's the Amazon link for the book  https://www.amazon.com/Go-Hard-Bad-Sports-Romance-ebook/dp/B01JDQ4J62

Go get a copy!

I'm gonna go enjoy the Google Fruit games - it's a lot more entertaining than the Rio games despite the latter's drama.

Review of Bull by BB Hamel

Disclosure: I received an ARC in return for an honest review.

Title: Bull

Author: BB Hamel

Story in a snap: Charley, a rookie journalist with a sports network, wrangles a chance to interview the bad boy of football, Bull. Along the way, after getting to know the real Bull in all senses of the word, she changes her mind. But she is exposed and Bull pushes her away. After battling the mafia bunch who threatens both of them, Charley and Bull pulls a coup using the article she was intent on writing. Read to find out the twist.

What puzzled/didn't work: Why the secret baby tag? Secret babies are by definition secret? Charley told Bull about the baby fairly quickly after she found out. The pace was also rather slow at the start. Fortunately, it picked up after that.

What worked:  The dildo twist worked well haha! Not the first time this was used, but it was pretty funny LOL

What made me go duh: Why are most heroines reduced to incoherent capitulation by a bad boy with a huge dick? Seriously!

Still, it's a pretty decent and entertaining read. And no worries if you're not a sports fan, even for someone who knew so little about American football that she didn't know tight end was not just a compliment, it was fairly easy to follow.

Blog rating: 2.8*
Amazon rating: 4*

Read and decide for yourself! Here's the Amazon link!

Review of Royal Rock by BB Hamel

Disclosure: I was given an ARC by the author in return for an honest review.

Title: Royal Rock

Author: B.B. Hamel

What piqued my curiosity: The opening chapter or prologue was fairly effective as a hook. In fact, I liked the opening plus a potential Queen who had enough gumption to slap the King. Of course, it was fun watching the potential fireworks.

And here's the but: The story meandered a little after the initial getting-to-know you runabout. There didn't seem to be clear direction of where this story was heading. And it seemed to stall a little. I realise the change in scenery was needed but the shift in location did make me wonder just how a tiny European country manages to get all that landscape and weather. The key word being tiny.This is a potential spoiler so look away but wasn't the kidnapping after the dress was off? And after the rescue, the medical attention scene was with the lady in jeans after she was cut on the thigh - hate to say this but the psychopath put her in jeans after kidnapping her or after cutting her? So the inconsistency, the meandering and the grammar mistakes did annoy somewhat but many (including myself) have been guilty of several such mistakes, so I won't mark things down because of this. 

What worked: The tired old premise was given a bit of a makeover though I wasn't sure they were ever going to make it through the meandering into HEA. The snappy conversation and pace of the first half was what rescued the novel.

Conclusion: It's not the best BB Hamel I've read, I prefer her other contemporary works. In terms of the bad boy royal genre, there have been worse reads and better reads, this is strictly down the middle. Could do with more sarcasm that I know Bryce and Trip (and BB Hamel) are both capable of! 

Review rating: 2.5*

Amazon rating 4*

Want to read? Here's the Amazon link!

Princely Erotica Review 3

Title: Royal Baby

Author: Avery Wilde

What made me go huh??: The first meeting and the interlude before the heroine, Keira, becomes a maid in the palace. Keira doesn't recognise slutty royal Prince Andrew. Really? She didn't google her employer?

Storyline in a snap: Art student Keira gets hired as a maid in the royal household. Before she leaves for the UK, (yes, most of these plucky Cinderellas are American because presumably no sane girl of other nationalities would want to be in a royal family LOL) she meets the dirty slutty Prince Andrew (that the story is about the British royal family and the real life Prince Andrew has been implicated in several unsavoury situations and unsuitable company does make one suspicious about the choice of name) who's incognito as Drew Ellis in NY. She's rescued from being a one night stand notch on the belt encounter for said Prince and isn't too happy with him. So after all the banter and knot untwisting that always happens, Keira and Andrew end up having that romp (make that romps) in the hay (one episode is literally a romp in the hayloft, enjoy the witty observation on the porn qualities of hay romps, it's at least a little different!). Now throw in the expected royal pregnancy (see title) plus some typical obstacles, and readers get an enjoyable quick read with HEA.

What puzzled or didn't quite work: Keira's twisting herself into knots. Getting all twisted up in knots for heroines is ok once, twice in quick succession begs the question 'why?'

What I liked: The quirky humour and I don't just mean Andrew's awful sense of humour haha (the royal sceptre joke was probably the most inventive one in his repertoire) but also the episode of she said vs She (crazy Swedish Princess) said incident where the Queen tries to shield royal dumbness from public ridicule by ordering that their pointless argument about witnesses and evidence never be raised again.

Rating: 2.5* 

                                                                    

It was entertaining, just wish it had a bit more pizzazz.

So after reading three royal erotica stories, what's the takeaway? Modern royals are (at least in fiction though the 'ahem' younger members of some European royal houses are proving fiction can be inspired by life) proud heirs of legendary crown jewels and shagging tendencies (anyone remember Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry in The Tudors?). But what makes a story a cut above the rest is the humour and Waltz proved the winner (see earlier post for review of Waltz's book) with the OTT humour.

Princely Erotica Review 2

Title: His Princess

Author: Abigail Graham

What made me go huh??: The setting was a little confusing. Alternately modern, neo-medieval, perhaps even a touch of sci-fi.

Storyline in a snap: Penny, an American girl reeling from the death of her fiancé, ends up in a country (Kosztyla) that doesn't have the best of reputations. The Prince, Kristoff, is a tortured soul who rescues her from a bunch of human traffickers abetted by an American CIA operative just before Penny is raped. There's lack of clarity regarding the condition of her companions till the conclusion. Throw in a crazy ex-fiancée for the Prince and there's a bloody struggle in the end which leads to the HEA. Frankly, the bloodshed was the more "innovative" part of the story but didn't really work with the rest of the story.

What didn't work: The bloody conflict which was kind of confusing. The timelines - the conclusion was tacked on almost like an afterthought and there was no warning that the story was jumping from post marital sex to years later.

What I liked: Hot scenes though a little overwrought. Look there's a reason why it's erotica and not fairytale though several of the Grimm brothers' texts aren't exactly politically correct.

Rating: 2*

                                                          

I liked the reference to the Persephone myth but didn't seem like it was pursued further, which was a shame. Maybe the myth cycle didn't quite work out because the Ceres equivalent wasn't really there.

What puzzled in both books: Why are the heroines always haunted by their ex-fiancés? Is it a plot device to assure the reader that modern day Cinderellas aren't just slutty gold diggers? Or is it the angst? Either way, it was just odd that both these stories had that in common. And why are the Princes all Prince Charming (model 7S??) built impossibly large - erm, ok, the crown jewels are big, I get it but a guy with tree trunk-sized limbs?? LOL

I don't like to be too hard on writers simply because I know most do spend a fair amount of time and put at least some effort in their work. So I would say Waltz's book was fun, while Graham could do with a bit more attention to the plot.

Disclosure: I bought both books on Kindle so I'm not sure how this could be construed as anything but a frank review. I've tried to be as unbiased as possible but really it's simple I only want to be entertained!

Princely Erotica Review 1

Never thought I'd read, much less review, erotica that centres on princes but had a friend recommend these reads after a really awful couple of weeks at work and life generally.

Ok, let me start by saying I was surprised by how I enjoyed both reads and I took up the last recommended read from another friend without too much resistance LOL

So to get straight to the heart of the matter:-

Title: Dirty Prince

Author: Vanessa Waltz

What made me go huh??: Anglefell. Not sure if it's a pun on the Anglo-Saxon nation and the fall (from grace) that the nation seems to have gone through. It clearly is good old Britain with all its quirks that seems to be the mold for Anglefell.

Storyline in a snap: Sassy American girl Daisy decides to sneak into Anglefell, a country that is in a state of cold war with the United States. When she's caught, she's accused of being a spy. So manwhore Prince Liam discovers a heart (ie an organ that beats with blood, other than the crown jewels of course haha!), he decides to propose a mutually beneficial alliance in the form of marriage. That starts a series of obstacle courses which the increasingly happy couple must negotiate.

What puzzled or dismayed me : Please see next post, there's something this story shares with the next read which was puzzling.

What I liked: The humour. Waltz has clearly decided to take a step away from the usual crime spiel and the first hint came in the chapter titles which are tabloid headlines. Nice touch. There's a Facebook page associated with the story and I'll pop by soon seeing how intrigued I'm by the idea.

Rating: 3.5*

                                                                    

A prince who speaks with a South London accent? LOL Bring it on!

Review of The Thirteen Problems

For some reason, I was inspired to take on a quick re-read of Agatha Christie's The Thirteen Problems. The collection of short stories based loosely on Miss Marple's mystery solving adventures. I like Christie's main sleuth characters, Poirot and Marple, who are both fascinating in different ways. Of course, Suchet's turn as the famous Belgian sleuth does help!

In some ways, I'm sure my fascination with Bones, Criminal Minds and Monk may be traced to Christie. Anyway, part of that fascination surely has something to do with the fact that Christie wasn't exactly recommended reading though it was a lot more fun than thumbing through Thackeray.    

Compared to the thriller /mystery books that I've read since those days, the plot twists may seem a little too simple. For critics with that view, all I can say is that doing simple is often the hardest thing. Not all crime and mysteries are headliners or hugely complex. Sometimes, the most horrific plots are silently and almost unobtrusively carried out amid the mundane routines of daily life. My favourite pieces in this collection are The Idol House of Astarte, Motive v. Opportunity, The Four Suspects and The Herb of Death. While there's some excitement in terms of the suggestion of the supernatural and the claustrophobic overhang of war time paranoia, it is the simple locked room mystery trope and the chillingly sharp look into human psychology on offer that provides the thrill. 

Ok, so I'm mild when it comes to thrillers. For that reason I loved Clancy and Ludlum. And yes, I'd rather like a weekend of barbecue wings and Bourne movie marathon - if only life could be so easy huh?! 

What created the meh : the character development of the Tuesday club members. Sorry, can't tell the difference between the doctor and the lawyer.

What puzzled: The plot development in The Bloodstained Pavement. Ok, so the image created a deep impression on the painter/artist but that was essentially a distraction. 

What thrilled: The psychological insight offered by The Four Suspects and The Herb of Death

Re-reading rating: 4*

                                                    This comes from Yale news

The only thing better than a good murder mystery?

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