I Only Have Eyes for You by Bella Andre

Looks like the nice twin has a little bit of naughty to her after all!

What’s it About?

Sophie Sullivan, a librarian in San Francisco, was five years old when she fell head over heels in love with Jake McCann. Twenty years later, she’s convinced the notorious bad boy still sees her as the “nice” Sullivan twin. That is, when he bothers to look at her at all. But when they both get caught up in the magic of the first Sullivan wedding, she knows it’s long past time to do whatever it takes to make him see her for who she truly is…the woman who will love him forever.

Jake has always been a magnet for women, especially since his Irish pubs made him extremely wealthy. But the only woman he really wants is the one he can never have. Not only is Sophie his best friend’s off-limits younger sister…he can’t risk letting her get close enough to discover his deeply hidden secret. Only, when Sophie appears on his doorstep as Jake’s every fantasy come to life—smart, beautiful, and shockingly sexy—he doesn’t have a prayer of taking his eyes, or his hands, off her. And he can’t stop craving more of her sweet smiles and sinful kisses. Because even though Jake knows loving Sophie isn’t the right thing to do…how can he possibly resist?

First Impressions

We finally get to see a novel featuring one of the female Sullivan siblings! Needless to say it’s interesting to see how different the approach is to the story line. First off, overprotective brother overload. There are 6 Sullivan brothers who all want to protect her from the world, and only see her as the nice librarian. On top of this we also get the protective mode from her twin sister, nicknamed “naughty”. Well, Sophie is ready to take things into her own hands and go after what she’s wanted for years.

And what should happen when she finally takes a chance by going after what she wants and exploring her sexuality? Accidental pregnancy! With twins no less! I kind of see now how inconvenient it can be to be a Sullivan female. Despite the overprotective siblings and apparent repercussions of having sex as a Sullivan woman, I did enjoy this book. The dynamic between Jake and Sophie was interesting to behold. They have both loved each other for years, and while she’s the one to make the first move by pursuing him, he’s eventually the one pursuing her to take a chance by spending the rest of her life with him.

Duty or Desire?

The main discussion point of this book surrounds the relationship between Jake and Sophie in that upon learning of her pregnancy he wants to marry her immediately. Although this is something Sophie has always dreamed of, she refuses to say “yes”, thinking that he’s simply feeling honor bound to wed her after knocking her up. What she doesn’t know is that Jake has desired this union for years, and now that it’s within his grasp he wants to move at the speed of light. Jake asks that she give him just one week to prove they are meant to be together. He now must prove to her that he’s not just fulfilling his duty to marry her because she’s pregnant, and also that their connection isn’t just physical. I mean…sure it doesn’t hurt to explore all the ways they are physically compatible, does it? Both Sophie and Jake are willing to add that feature to the mix. Using their hands, tongues and…other extremities.

Took Ya Long Enough

Considering Sophie and Jake have both desired each other for years, it also begs the question why they never acted upon their feelings before now. And this is where I think the novel was a bit lacking. First, there’s the family element. Jake was brought into the family years beforehand as almost the 9th Sullivan child considering his own abusive home life. When Jake’s best friend, Zach (who also happens to be Sophie’s older brother), discovers their relationship he is immediately pissed and a fight ensues. Here is something I never understand in romance novels!! If this is your best friend, wouldn’t you sort of be happy that he could become a brother in a truer form through marriage? It’s in this fight that we realize it’s not just that Sophie’s family thinks Jake isn’t good enough for her, it’s that nobody is good enough for her. And I can’t help but roll my eyes at that. Look, you know this is a good guy, he’d treat her well, take care of their children, and you’ve already known him for years. Do you really need to enter into a bout of fisticuffs?

The secondary reason a relationship was never pursued was much more intriguing in that it actually relates to the interests and abilities of our 2 main characters, which always seems like such a minor component to most romances. You see, Sophie is a librarian; her whole world revolves around books, and she has the tendency to trip over the stacks of novels strewn about her apartment. Something I can relate to. Jake though? He has a profound difficulty with reading which has plagued him for years. If he focuses hard enough he can string words together, but it’s a struggle which he is afraid to admit to Sophie he suffers with. Surely when she finds out he “can’t read” she’ll see him as an idiot and break things off for good, right? Well, when he powers through What to Expect When You’re Expecting in one night, and eventually admits his impediment with Sophie, she realizes just how far he’s willing to go to prove he loves her. Sigh!

Series: San Francisco Sullivans, book 4. A definite improvement from the last few, though kind of unfortunate to see all the unexpected mishaps which can befall a Sullivan female in love.

Should you read it? An intriguing love story about two people who finally get what they’ve always wanted, even if it was an unexpected pregnancy which brought them together. One aspect I didn’t really care for was this idea of proving to Sophie in a week that they are destined for each other. Like, what’s the rush here people? Also the idea of keeping the relationship a secret from the family. We’re all adults here, they’re just gonna have to deal with it!

Smut Level: Gotta love those pregnancy hormones making everything more sensitive, right?

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. Oak Press, LLC. 176 Pages.

 

Can’t Help Falling in Love by Bella Andre

Megan won’t date someone with a dangerous job. Firefighter Gabe won’t date a victim he rescues from a fire. Sounds like a match made in Heaven!

What’s it About?

Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But after learning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than to risk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother and daughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire…and can’t stop thinking about.

Megan Harris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into a burning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she has vowed to never suffer through loving – and losing – a man with a dangerous job again.

Only, when Gabe and Megan meet again and uncontrollable flames of desire ignite between them, how can he possibly ignore her courage, determination, and beauty? And how can she deny not only his strong bond with her daughter…but the way his sweetly sensual kisses are challenging her to risk everything she’s been guarding for so long? If one – or both – of them aren’t careful, they just might end up falling in love.

First Impressions

I’m starting to notice a funny theme with all of these Sullivan romances. With this plethora of male siblings we see that they’re all ungodly handsome, as well as bursting with sexual magnetism. In each novel, our female lead can admit that while each brother is undoubtedly a fine specimen of male hotness, only the lead man featured can make her “tingle”. Seriously, I think every female lead in this series so far has mentioned how they appreciate the looks of every Sullivan male, but there’s a tingling sensation that only one can give them. Must be a Sullivan family trait/magical ability. It really helps address the question of how she could possibly choose just one when all seem like they just stepped off the cover of Men’s Health. Apparently this third novel in the series is no exception to the Sullivan tingle rule. The fact that Gabe is a tough-as-nails firefighter with a sensitive side means that he doesn’t just cause Megan to tingle, she burns under his sexy gaze and cat-that-ate-the-canary grin.

Blazing Inferno

This novel definitely starts with a bang. Or with a burning apartment fire anyway. For Gabe, it’s just another day on the job where he’s willing to risk his life to save others. And in doing so he comes to rescue single mother Megan and her daughter Summer. Gabe is inured in the process, and when mom and daughter go to thank him in the hospital, Megan is shocked by her immediate attraction to Gabe, not to mention the…tingle she feels for him. Her daughter seems hell bent on playing matchmaker, and it doesn’t take long before Gabe and Megan find themselves alone in a ski lodge hotel room. Bow chica wow wow.

Both Megan and Gabe have been trying to stay away from each other as much as possible. After the death of her fighter pilot husband, Megan isn’t willing to fall in love again with a man who has a life-threatening job. As for Gabe, he had a terrible previous experience dating a woman he rescued from a fire, and he’s not willing to go through that again. Once they find themselves alone at the ski lodge however, they’re done saying no to their desires. Megan was married and widowed young. She never really had the chance to explore some of her wilder sexual fantasies, and Gabe…well he’s more than happy to help her in this sexploration. This night together is phenomenal, orgasmic, climactic, they feel the earth move under their feet! After that? Well that’s when things start to slow down a bit plot-wise.

Standing Still

The first quarter or so of this book was simply delightful. You have an intense and dramatic opening meet cute scene, as well as the suspense of wondering when and how Gabe and Megan will eventually go for a tumble between the sheets. But once they do the fun of the story kind of comes to a standstill. They go back and forth and back again over whether or not to take their relationship further. Honestly, it got kind of boring just waiting for them to see that a relationship is the logical next step. Gabe is dead-set on convincing her that their connection is worth exploring. She’s initially hesitant, but soon comes around…after coming a few more times that is 🙂

Gabe acknowledges that with Megan comes Summer, and she’s grateful to have finally found a man who doesn’t shy away from the fact she has a daughter. Personally, I think Summer was a feature that could have been incorporated even more, as it might have made the second half of the novel more dynamic by figuring out how all three fit into each other’s lives. Instead, we are met with a remarkably smooth transition, which again sort of adds to the dull nature of the plot after they agree to give things a go.

Waiting for the Blaze

From the minute Gabe and Megan both decide to explore this relationship outside of the bedroom we’re just waiting for something to go wrong. After all, excluding the opening fire scene, not a whole lot of drama has taken place. Gabe, Megan and Summer all get along fine. While Gabe has openly declared his love for Megan without hearing it back in return, he never tries to pressure her into saying it before she’s ready. He’s just happy to be with her and Summer at all, and can wait for her to say those three words he knows she feels on the inside.

So we wait and wait and wait for something to happen. Let’s face it, we’re all just waiting around for another fire that we know must be coming to remind Megan why she was so hesitant to start something with Gabe in the first place. When it does I literally exclaimed out loud, “oh…come…on!” Just when Megan is about to confess her love (finally!) what should happen but Gabe gets a phone call to go fight a dangerous blaze. Like, his phone literally rings mid-sentence during her declaration to the point where he runs off without hearing her say it all. COME ON! Could we get any more cliché?

Series: San Francisco Sullivans, book 3. Book one is still my favorite, but I’m excited to see what comes next when we finally deal with a Sullivan sister rather than another brother.

Should you read it? While the middle half or so of this novel was a bit of a bore, I must say it started and ended strong. Gabe vowed to never date another fire victim, but as he spends more time with Megan he discovers that she was never a victim, but instead the epitome of courage. After the death of her fighter pilot husband who went on a reckless joy ride one night, Megan declared that if she ever settled down with another man it’d be one with a safe job. However, she soon can’t imagine her life without Gabe, and sees that while her husband was an adrenaline junkie, and Gabe might thrill on the job as a firefighter, the two couldn’t be more different. He’s careful, calculated, and seeks to help people. He doesn’t foolishly put himself in danger. That makes Gabe worth all the risk.

Smut Level: Rooftop sex (with pillows and blankets for comfort), under fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Followed by a bathtub scene. And then a blindfold! Yaaaassss.

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. Oak Press, LLC. 200 Pages.

 

 

From this Moment On by Bella Andre

Beach sexxxxx, say whaaaaaaat?!?!?!

What’s it About? 

For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he’s planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name – Nico – for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the twenty-five year old singer is that her sex-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is…or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger – and the sinful promises – in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.

One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But nothing goes as they plan when instead of simply tangling limbs, they find a deeper connection than either of them could have anticipated. And even though they both try to fight it, growing emotions – and sizzling attraction – keep drawing them closer together. Close enough for them to wonder if stealing one more secret moment together can ever be enough?

First Impressions

Like book one in this series, we are once again presented with a whirlwind romance love story. Marcus and Nicola intend to keep things limited to just a one-night stand. However, while they don’t even have sex their first night together, it doesn’t take them long before they do, and once that happens they fall in love in about the span of a week. I really did enjoy the characters in this novel, but unfortunately I must say it fell a bit flat in comparison to book one. Firstly, Nicola’s pop star status, while intriguing, made her a bit less relatable than the heroine presented in book one. Certain aspects of her story, and her quick romance with Marcus, also made the overall tale less believable than I would have liked. Still a cute romance when all was said and done, but there was some room for improvement.

 

Love for the Pop Star

I’d have to say my least favorite concept of this novel was the fact that Nicola was a famous pop star. At the start of the book she’s trying to let off some steam, and finally give in to the sex kitten image she’s been portraying on stage by engaging in a one-night stand with a complete stranger. She proceeds to run into Marcus at a night club, and the main thing which draws them together, aside from raw sexual magnetism, is the fact that he had no idea who she was. His ignorance to her fame is also sort of the main thing which keeps them together, as his nonchalance to her super star status draws her to him. But…what if he had recognized her upon first meeting?

I feel like then their relationship seriously would have been limited to just one night, even if they did have a strong physical connection. It seemed like Nicola relied almost too much on the fact that he didn’t care about her fame as a reason to be with him. Shouldn’t a relationship be based on something a bit more substantive than the fact you’re dating a guy who…doesn’t get fazed by your profession? Don’t get me wrong, still important, but it just wasn’t convincing enough for me as a reason for these two to fall in love so deeply in the span of a week.

Love for the Wine Merchant

So that’s sort of the main thing which Nicola finds appealing about Marcus, but what about the other way around? For him, it seemed to deal more with the fact that he had the chance to see who Nicola really was on the inside. She portrays herself as a sexy vixen, but in reality she’s a very passionate and soulful person. Shy, yet also sensual. My one problem with this though, is that Marcus supposedly doesn’t know a lot about Nicola as a public persona, so how could he reaaaaally tell if she was acting so much different than what others expected of her? Sure, she said that she could be her true self with him, but he didn’t know her to be any different to start with.

Seeing Stars in the Bedroom

So I’ll admit, I’ve been pretty nit picky so far, but when you consider all these elements together you can see how it creates for just an ok romance. And then there is the final feature that is just the cherry on top. Nicola and Marcus have a very strong physical attraction to and sexual connection with each other. While sex isn’t the only component of their relationship, it’s definitely a primary feature. They could have connected even more in their conversations with each other, especially in regards to Nicola.

We actually see Marcus open up a great deal when confessing how watching over his many siblings at such a young age following the premature death of his father really impacted his personal relationships as an adult. However, it may have come a bit too late in the story. By this point Nicola was already falling hard for him, so it wasn’t as impactful of a confession as I would have liked. As for Nicola revealing things about herself to Marcus, she never really seems to share what first got her interested in music, or her journey to becoming a famous pop star. Also, while we as the audience learn about her disastrous former relationship which helped sully her image, and Marcus learns some details secondhand from her fans, she never has the same heart-to-heart with Marcus that he had when talking about his father.

Series: San Francisco Sullivans, book 2. This second book fell a bit short for me compared to book one. Nevertheless, I still love these characters, and I can’t wait to see what comes next with the many other Sullivan siblings.

Should you read it? I really wasn’t expecting a pop star romance in this series, and although it was still a sexy story it wasn’t my favorite. I couldn’t help but feel like, “yeah, it’s been done”, especially with the fact that he didn’t know who she was upon first meeting. They also relied too heavily on their sexual chemistry as a basis for their relationship to make me think it’s going to be a forever kind of love. Lastly, we have a slightly cheesy ending which will make you smile on the one hand, but also makes it feel a smidge less believable than the emotional finale from book one.

Smut Level: This man enjoys making his sex kitten purr. Whether it’s taking her in the cold surf of the beach, or giving her a light spanking on her tushy. He’s also willing to lick the sting away.

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. Oak Press, LLC. 379 Pages.

The Look of Love by Bella Andre

This book explores the idea of love at first sight with two strangers unexpectedly thrown together one cold and rainy night.

What’s it About? 

Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she’s convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?

As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he’s home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is–until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has he never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes she has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, he is willing to move mountains to love–and protect–her, but will she let him?

Chloe vows never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Only, with every loving look Chase gives her–and every sinfully sweet caress–as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the only exception. And although Chase didn’t realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether…for Chloe’s heart.

First Impressions

How soon is too soon to fall in love? Is there a rule book which dictates how long a couple must wait before not only deciding they love each other, but that they want to spend the rest of their lives together? In this book, we see a couple who seemingly fall hard for each other with just one look. The look of loooooove. Now, do I believe in love at first sight? I’ll never say never, but it’s kind of hard to wrap my head around. Especially considering the couple in this book declare their feelings of love for each other within just four days of knowing each other. Honestly, I think the only thing I’ve ever knowingly loved that quickly was a food item, which probably involved chocolate in some way. However, I must say, even though I may not personally wholeheartedly believe in the concept of love at first sight, this book does a damn fine job of presenting it in a shockingly reasonable way.

What’s Important in Life? 

Whenever I read a whirlwind romance like this I always find myself asking the same questions. How could you decide to spend the rest of your life with a man not knowing what side of the bed he sleeps on? If he prefers Coke or Pepsi? If he can put up with you re-watching Friends or Gilmore Girls for the 15th time and have the ability to reserve judgement?! You know…the important things in life. However, what this novel does so well is it manages to show our lead characters what is truly important to the other, and that is what makes them fall in love so quickly. Yes, there is an obvious physical attraction, but it really goes beyond that.

He comes upon her stranded on the side of the road with a bruise on the side of her face. In four days time he’s willing to protect her, yet also admit that she’s more than capable of taking care of herself with her own personal strength and determination of spirit. They both have creative passions, and are supportive of the other doing whatever is needed to make those passions grow, helping whenever possible along the way. His dedication to his large family is especially noteworthy, not to mention the fact he captures the real her behind his camera lens. Again, for such a short timeframe, you can see how they got to know who the other person truly was without superfluous details getting in the way. It’s the basic foundation of their relationship, and everything else is just the whipped cream on top.

The Benefit of a Player

There was one aspect of their relationship that brought them together which I did find kind of funny. Not necessarily bad, but just something I thought was worth mentioning. Chase is a man of no commitment and one-night stands. He’s had countless women come in and out of his bed, but when he sets his sights on Chloe he knows almost immediately that there’s something different about her. This is one of the things that makes him pursue her so relentlessly without giving up.

And on the flip side, it is because Chase has never had a long term relationship that Chloe knows she can believe him when he says things are different with her, and when he says he loves her it’s definitely true since he’s never uttered those words before. It’s almost like he’s being…rewarded(?) for being a womanizer! I couldn’t help but wonder if his romantic past had been different, if he’d had let’s say just two serious long term monogamous relationships in his adult life, would she have taken his declarations of love less seriously? Would she have even stuck around for four whole days to see if what they had was real? Again, just an interesting little side note.

Series: San Francisco Sullivans, book 1. For sure continuing with this seris. There’s a whole ton of Sullivan siblings in this family, and I can’t wait to meet them all!

Should you read it? A sexy, quick read with an interesting take on love at first sight. Does this book 100% convince me it’s possible? Nah, not really. I still couldn’t help but feel they got together waaaay to fast. I mean, come on, four days??? But that being said it did do a pretty damn good job of demonstrating the plausibility of love in a single look. The side story involving Chloe’s ex-husband was definitely intriguing, though I also felt it was pushed aside too long until the dramatic climactic ending. Would have liked a bit more incorporation on that front.

Smut Level: This book is all about exploring sexual fantasies, and all that Chloe has been missing out in since ending her relationship with her abusive ex-husband. We have a wet and wild bathtub moment, as well as a nighttime balcony sexcapade that’ll have you opening a window to cool off.

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Amazon Digital Services LLC. 384 Pages.