Customer Reviews

Sun, Sand, Sex

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I will be honest up front and say that I bought this primarily for the story by Shelly Laurenston, "My Kind of Town." If I've ever read either Linda Lael Miller or Jennifer Apodaca, I don't remember it. But I've read so many, I can't remember every authors name.

This collection is worth the money. Not a bit sorry I purchased it retail. First, Laurenston's story "My Kind of Town" is the lead, at least in my opinion, as it is at least half of the book in length, which had me cheering. It started out a tad slow, but once it got going, it was very engaging and I didn't want to put it down. Fans of Laurenstons' "Magnus Heat" and "Here Kitty Kitty" will find a little less "crass and sass" but no less sensuality and humor. This is the only paranormal offering in the book, and for me, worth the price all by itself.

Linda Lael Miller's story was very good. "One Last Weekend" had me tearing up a few times. While I've never experienced the kind of despair one might when their once great marriage is falling to ruins, I FELT it in this story. I felt my stomach churn as 2 people who once knew each other inside and out realized they were strangers. Too me, that's darn good writing. The ending wasn't to my personal taste, but otherwise, it was a great story.

Jennifer Apodaca's story "You Give Love A Good Name" was very sexy and entertaining. THANK YOU for writing a female who is independent but not afraid to ask for help. Thank you for writing an Alpha male who also respects the strengths of others, particularly females. These were characters I liked immediately.

I've said this before in my reviews: I'm not looking for literary enlightenment, and I don't always know if the sentence structure is correct. I AM looking to be entertained, to enjoy some "brain candy" and escape into a different world for a while. This book was that kind of book for me. Not only did I get to enjoy another hot paranormal from one of my favorite authors, I was exposed to two other talented writers whose work I will definitely keep an eye out for.

Looking from some fun, sun, sand and sex? Pick this one up.

One Last Weekend by Linda Lael Miller

Joanna and Teague Darby fell in love and married in college, had a beautiful daughter and a wonderful life. As Teague's architectural firm became more successful, he started spending a lot more time at the office, which ended up in Joanna and Teague drifting apart. Shortly after their daughter marries, Teague and Joanna have decided that they've grown too far apart and decide to divorce. Their lawyer gets them to spend one last weekend together in their cottage. Will this time together allow them to repair their marriage, or will they grow even more distant?

One Last Weekend is a sweet story that shows that no matter how much a couple may love each other, if their relationship isn't nurtured, it will still fall apart. Real life situations and true to life characters made One Last Weekend a good story that I easily identified with.

You Give Love A Good Name by Jennifer Apodaca

Lexi is being stalked by an unknown man. Even though the family that Lexi has sacrificed her wants and goals for doesn't believe her, she is still on the run. Nick is a bounty hunter hired to track down and bring Lexi back for an upcoming trial. Although they had met at his sister's wedding months ago, and Lexi turned down his offer of a one night stand, he hasn't been able to forget her. Bound, bent and determined to keep a professional distance from the woman he has to bring back, will he be able to keep the promise to himself when Lexi needs his protection from her stalker?

Watching Lexi and Nick fight their attraction for each other was a treat in You Give Love A Good Name. Although Nick swore that he'd never get involved with another woman, Lexi gets under his skin without even trying. With a stalker on Lexi's tail, Nick made her feel safe and hot, as well as driving her half crazy. I did enjoy the characters and storyline in You Give Love A Good Name.

My Kind Of Town by Shelly Laurenston

Emma is on a mission: track down a power source for her coven, as well as find and stop whatever escaped from the dimensional doorway. Emma wasn't happy about her situation. She's a city girl and in no way does she want to be stuck going to the backwoods of North Carolina. She's even less happy when she's run off the road by what looked like a huge dog, injured, hunted by something in the woods and taken against her will to the hospital by an arrogant, pushy, albeit gorgeous Deputy Sheriff. Kyle doesn't want to bring the feisty, injured outsider to his town, but there's something about her that calls to him. In a town filled with shapeshifters and other paranormal beings, having the woman around could be dangerous.

Action, magick, mayhem, steamy scenes and exciting characters made My Kind Of Town an incredible read for me; I loved it! This story drew me in from the first page and had me living the adventure right along with the characters. I simply couldn't put it down until I'd read the final word. I really hope that Ms. Laurenston writes more stories that take place in this world!

Sun, Sand, Sex is a very good anthology that has something for pretty much every romance reader. One Last Weekend is sweet and loving, You Give Love A Good Name has danger and romance, and My Kind Of Town has magick, hold on to the edge of your seat excitement, and a lot of heat!

Lyonene reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This book contains three novellas:

Linda Lae Miller: One last weekend
Teague and Joanna used to be passionately in love, but since their daughter has grown up and married, they have both drifted apart and at some point decided to get a divorce. At the suggestion of their lawyer, they meet one last time at their beloved beach cottage, and when a storm hits, they are stuck there together - with very pleasant results...
I found this story to be interesting and well-written, but also often very sad since - naturally - a large part of the story was about the extreme sadness of the characters about their situation and what seemed to be the loss of their love for each other. I'd say it's bitter-sweet, but good.

Jennifer Apodaca: You give love a good name
Lexie is working as a wedding planner in her family's company, but she is unhappy and would like to become a writer instead. When a drunk groom harasses her and exposes himself, she defends herself with a stapler - and gets arrested for assault! As if that weren't enough, there's a stalker after her, her rather selfish family doesn't believe or help her, and when she leaves town to be safe, she's got bounty hunter Nick after her. That turns out to be a positive thing, since the two met each other at his sister's wedding and have been attracted to each other since, so he's more than willing to help her deal with her problems. But after a painful loss, he doesn't really want a relationship and Lexie isn't the type for a no-strings-attached affair...
This story has a wonderful mix between suspense, humour, and romance, as well as well-developed characters. Nick can sometimes be unpleasant, but that's motivated by his bad past and his resulting tendency to keep people at a distance, even when he wants to be with them, so it makes sense. I enjoyed this story a lot and was reminded of Shannon McKenna to some degree.

Shelly Laurenston: My kind of town
This story is connected to her shapeshifter-books, and it's certain to be more fun if you know them, but I think it will also work on its own.
Emma Lucchesi is a New York witch, and the only reason why she's in Smithville, North Carolina, is because her coven sensed an interdimensional portal that let through a monster in that area. She manages to close it, but is then attacked by the monster. Deputy Kyle Treharne finds her, helps the injured woman, and feels attracted to her right away. But while Emma feels she can't tell him about her powers, he has a secret of his own - he's a shapeshifter and so is most of Smithville...
This story is very funny, quite erotic, and very entertaining. It's more about the humour and how Kyle and Emma get together, not so much about the plot, but I still think it's a good novella. It sounds like it could be the beginning of a new subseries of her shapeshifter books, and I would definitely like that. Smithville and its inhabitants are a lot of fun.

All three stories are good, but very different. I enjoyed the diversity and would recommend this anthology, but the mix between sad and funny, realistic and paranormal may not be for everyone.

I started reading this book because of the Jennifer Apodaca story. I've enjoyed all of her books as they are lighthearted and fun to read. "You Give Love a Good Name" is not like her other books but it was very good. Something different then what I've come to expect from her but I was not disappointed. Have you ever met someone you thought was 'the one'? This is one of those stories that makes you believe that everything happens for a reason.

I had never read anything by Linda Lael Miller or Shelly Laurenston. I wasn't sure what to expect and figured that they were short stories so not much time would be lost by reading them. I was pleasantly surprised. "One Last Weekend" by Linda Lael Miller was very good. It one of those that make you think 'what if I'd stepped back and took a good look at things instead of going headfirst into what I thought I knew'. I had a few tears, when they were being totally ignorant of each other but I found it an interesting story.

"My Kind of Town" by Shelly Laurenston. What can I say? If I'd have seen this book on a shelf and just read the premise of it, I wouldn't have read it. I'm not much into paranormal books other than Kay Hooper's which was totally different than this. I have to admit that I found this story one of the best I've read. I was immediately engrossed in the story and couldn't put it down. It was fun to let my imagination run 'wild' and I can't wait to read her other books.

Overall, this book is a must read. It's got three great stories that you'll be remembering for a long time to come.

The other reviewers summed up the 3 stories very nicely. The reason I read this book was because of Shelly Laurenston - If she wrote it, I must read it! She hasn't disappointed me yet.

After I finished the book I had to wonder why these 3 stories? They seem to have absolutely nothing in common. I admit, I read Shelly's story first because I just couldn't wait. It was last story (My Kind of Town) and is a paranormal and so I guess I expected the other 2 stories to be as well.

The first story, One Last Weekend by Linda Lael Miller, was rather heart-wrenching. It was well written and passionate but a little too depressing for the bulk of the story. The main characters in just about every story I read are normally in their 20's or 30's so it was an interesting change to read a story about a couple in their 40's. The ages didn't click with all the characters accomplishments since they married their senior year in college, then had a daughter that was also out of college, married and successful yet they were only 41?

The second story, You Give Love a Good Name by Jennifer Apodaca, was funny and exciting. I enjoyed the banter between the couple and Nick's friends. I love the way Lexie pushed Nick into stupidity without even trying. It felt like it could have been a longer story but then all of a sudden was wrapped up in a flash - over. I will probably look for more books by this author.

I bought this anthology for the Shelly Laurenston story, but the other two stories are great in and of themselves! All three stories are really great reads and heart-warming stories. Shelly Laurenston never steers us wrong with her funny, yet suspenseful Pride and Smith wolves stories. Linda Lael Miller's tale of a married couple that has hit that major crisis point in their marriage is handled realistically and yet still gives that happy ending we all love to read about. Jennifer Apodaca's story of a wedding planner on the run from a stalker and her family was fun and suspense-filled. Jennifer is a new author to me and I really enjoyed her story! Definitely a good read for a lazy day at the beach or pool side or even for that rainy day curled up in your favorite reading spot with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy!

I'll be honest here and say that I only bought this book because of Shelly Laurenston. I loved her story and laughed throughout the whole thing. The first story didn't really catch my interest but I read the second story and it was great. A fun read for when you have nothing better to do on a rainy day.

Excellent stories. As always, well written by Linda Lael Miller and the other authors were just as good.Kept you wanting more.

Enjoyed most of the stories. I bought it especially for Shelley Laurenston, who is one of the best writers. Her stories will make you laugh and cry and are extremely hard to put down. And for Lora Leigh who is also dynamite. I have them both on my must read list.

ANOTHER TERRIFIC BOOK FROM SHELLY LAURENSTON. IF YOU LOVE SHAPE SHIFTING AND ROMANCE YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK AND HER OTHERS AS WELL.