Chasin' Eight by Lorelei James

Title:  Chasin' Eight
Author: Lorelei James
Series: Rough Rider's #11
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Release Date: June 28, 2011
Source: Personal e-book purchase

Rating:  Wait until payday

Synopsis:

She wants it…he’s got it…and the chase is on…

Bull rider Chase McKay has finally landed in a pile too big to charm his way out of. Caught with his pants down, he finds himself bucked right off the PBR tour until he can get his act together.

Hollywood actress Ava Cooper became the tabloids’ favorite target when her longtime boyfriend was outed as gay. She needs a place to lay low and a chance to prove to herself that she can satisfy a red-blooded man between the sheets. The sexy, rugged cowboy she finds holed up in her Wyoming hideaway seems like the answer to her every fantasy.

But Chase has sworn off women. Forever. Or at least a month. Whichever comes first.

When they take to the road to get Chase more hands-on bull riding experience, they have every intention of keeping their hands off each other. But the two headstrong stars quickly end up riding a hot and heady rodeo circuit all their own—until the press gets wind of their affair. When the dust clears and the lights of the paparazzi fade, are they ready to give up chasing the dream for a chance of finding forever?

Warning: Strap in, another hot McKay is about to bust out of the gate and this bull rider knows a thing or two about riding hard…

Why I read this book: My mom introduced me to this series and I've really enjoyed it very much.  I can hardly wait until the next installment is released in May.  This is one series that's VERY easy to keep going with.

What I Liked:  I really liked how this story was written from a more psyhcological side of the characters.  Chase and Ava each have their own set of demons to conqure and slowly but surely as the book progresses they do conqure those demons...Together.  Another thing that I really liked was that the main characters though madly attracted to one another started off as friends and the actual romance/relationship gradually built.  I also really liked how there wasn't instant sexy times.  Your actually a good chunk of the way through the book before there is any of that at all.  I also really enjoyed the host of secondary characters and the inclusion of characters from previous stories.

What I didn't care for: I was lukewarm on the way that Chase and Ava were written at times.  I get that they are supposed to come off as spoiled and bratty at times but there were a few moments when it was just a bit too much.  The scene in Wichita where a camera man tries to exploit an injured bull rider.  I also didn't really care for the amount of lying that Chase did.

Overall Impression:  I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to just about anyone.  It had it's flaws but it was still a really good read.  Though Chase and Ava aren't my favorite couple in this series they are near the top of the list. 

Long Hard Ride by Lorelei James

Title: Long Hard Ride
Author: Lorelei James
Series: Rough Riders #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Format Reviewed: Purchased E-Book
Release Date: February 1, 2008


Rating: Wait until Payday

Synopsis:

Channing Kinkaid itches for a wild western adventure with an untamed man. Enter Colby McKay, bull rider, saddle bronc buster and calf roper. He knows he’s found a woman who’s up to the challenge of cutting loose. Intrigued by Channing’s bold proposition to “horse around” on the road, Colby proposes sexual escapades not only in his bed, but in those of his two rodeo traveling partners. Can Channing give up total control? Especially when not all is as it seems with the sexy trio?
Review:

I love my Nook smut!  Furthermore, I LOVE this series!  I hadn’t really heard of Lorelei James until my mom told me I HAD to read this series!  Now I’m kicking myself that I waited so long to check this authors books out!

At the start of this book Channing has basically run away from the pre-planned life that her parents have set up for her.  Channing’s idea of adventure is chasing the rodeo and it turns out that Channing’s first traveling partner is a slime ball.  Enter our white knight, Colby McKay and his traveling partner’s Trevor Glanzer and Edgar Mancuso.  Colby offer’s Channing the adventure that she’s been looking for and Channing, how is completely attracted to Colby, can’t help but jump at the chance.

What really attracted me to this book was that everything wasn’t what it seemed with a couple of the characters.  That and Colby McKay is a total Alpha male with a practically insatiable sexual appetite.  As the 4 amigo’s roll along everyone learns a little something about each other. Which as the story progresses makes things very interesting.

Sexually, pretty much anything goes in Long Hard Ride.  At times Colby was a little bit TO Alpha for me but it seems that just when I wanted to write him off as an ass he did something to redeem himself to me.  I will say this, it does get a little wild at times.

Overall, this isn’t my absolute favorite book in the series but it most definitely was a great start to a fascinating series.

Rocky Mountain Heat by Vivian Arend

Title: Rocky Mountain Heat

Author: Vivian Arend

Series: Six Pack Ranch #1

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Western Romance/Erotica

Format Reviewed: Personal E-book

Release Date: August 31, 2009

Rating: Break The Bank!
Synopsis:

Blake Coleman is old enough to know that acting on impulse causes nothing but a heap of trouble. But when trouble’s a blonde wearing a cowboy hat with slim legs that go on forever, what’s a man to do? Wanting the sweet girl next door is just wrong. Hell, he was the one that taught her to ride a horse and now all he can think about is riding her. The responsible thing to do is keep his hands off. Jaxi has other plans for his hands, and his heart. She may have considered Blake a big brother once but that was a long time ago. She’s all grown up now and ready to convince him that she’s just what he’s been waiting for.Add the complication of two sexy younger brothers who have suddenly noticed Jaxi and things heat up fast. Blake’s gonna have to decide if a little trouble is worth fighting for.

Review:

Jaxi has always had it bad for Blake Coleman. She’s pretty much been included in all Coleman family gatherings since she’s moved to town, which for her is a good thing now that she’s an adult. She couldn’t give a flip that there is a 10 year age difference between them at all.  But then there is Blake….
Blake is completely attracted to Jaxi and has been for a long time. But he thinks that the difference in their ages is a bad thing and is doing his damnedest to keep his attraction under wraps.  He thinks he can be a better “Big Brother” to Jaxi than a lover.  He also thinks that he’s going to be playing second fiddle to his brother Travis, who Jaxi has dated in the past.  On top of Travis, his youngest brothers Jesse and Joel are sniffing around and things are a bit tense around the ranch.

Oh how the mighty have fallen….

After a BIG fight between Jaxi and Blake and a CRAZY game of pool Jaxi FINALLY get’s what she wants…Blake. Jaxi 1 Blake 0!

What I really liked about this story was that it felt real all around. All the characters, dialogue and situations to me felt like they were real and not just thrown together.  Another thing that I really liked about this book was that the story wasn’t rushed.  I thought that the speed and the way the book flowed really worked for me.  Plus, as an added bonus the other brothers make appearances in the book as build up to future books in the series.

The issue that I had with the book was at some points in the book some of the “sexual” situations seemed a little rushed.  Not all the time just a few instances. Then there were some of the spelling differences, I’m from the States and I’m not sure where the author is from but some of the spellings for certain words where different from what I’m used to.  Though this is included in the “negative” section of the review it wasn’t a REAL “negative,” just different is all.

Overall, I think that this is a great beginning to this series.  I’ve already started the second book (Rocky Mountain Haven) and I’ve pre-ordered the third book (Rocky Mountain Desire) which is available March 13, 2012.