Review: Breaking (Fall or Break #2) by Barbara Elsborg

Breaking (Fall or Break #2) by Barbara Elsborg 

Published July 28th 2015 by Samhain Publishing

Archer Hart is on the move before the man he’s just killed is found. When a bullet whizzes past his ear, he realizes hunter is now hunted. So much for his retirement plans. Someone wants him dead and all he can do is keep running.

Downed by a hit and run driver, barrister Conrad Black is certain the ‘accident’ was deliberate but he has no proof or support. In recovery, struggling to work out of partial paralysis, he has plenty of time to wonder who regrets not striking him harder. At this point, running anywhere is a distant dream.

The confidence, determination and stamina of two alphas males will mean little if neither is willing to bend—seize the love offered—and work together to understand why they’re suddenly both marked men. Not easy for either when Archer has broken the law in the worst possible way and Conrad is the law. 

My Thoughts

I picked Breaking up because I’ve been craving a Barbara Elsborg novel lately. I typically go to her when I want something witty, quick-paced and filled with chemistry.

Breaking is definitely signature of Elsborg's style. Archer Hart and Conrad Black kept the action ongoing as these two tried to outrun those that were after them throughout the story. Having two alpha males jump into a romance was definitely interesting and honestly a bit awkward at moments, but overall they made it work. I liked them together despite Archer’s constant attempts to avoid the inevitable.

Overall, not one of my favorites by this author, but definitely not bad either. I did learn something new in this story though… I did not know that barristers/lawyers in the UK wear white wigs and robes to court. Who knew?? I don’t quite find that sexy, but it was an interesting fact none-the-less.

Not bad, just not her best.

3 Suns

Waves of Sunday #73

Welcome to our weekly edition of Waves of Sunday where each Sunday we spotlight a book that has been making waves in the book scene or has simply caught our attention causing a riptide on our TBR.

Today we are spotlighting:

Crossing the Line by Barbara Elsborg

Published November 28th 2014 by Barbara Elsborg

This is a dark romantic suspense with scenes of graphic violence.

Is there a line she won’t cross?

Katya’s sister is brutally murdered while working undercover for the Russian Security Service and no one seems to care. After her parents and grandparents die in a suspicious car accident and the authorities still won’t take any action, Katya travels to America, following the man she believes is responsible, determined to find her own justice.

She becomes caught in a dangerous and demanding game balancing the demands of two men with her obsession for the truth. Ethan, an FBI agent, is on the side of right. Aleksei, an enigma, is as bad as they come, yet it’s the man with darkness inside him who offers a chance of discovering what happened to her family. If she wants those responsible to pay for the murders, how far is she prepared to go? 

Arlene's Thoughts
I'm always on the lookout for a Barbara Elsborg book. This author just seems to resonate with my reading style. Her novels are witty, filled with chemistry and exploding with excitement. However, I also know how gritty this author can be with her romantic suspense novels. Not too long ago, she shocked me with her extremely edgy and violent novel Chosen, which left me slightly damaged. Well, I survived, and I think I can handle another rollercoaster ride from Elsborg as long as I get a healthy dose of chemistry between her characters... which I know she can deliver. Let's see how far Barbara Elsborg crosses the line with this one... I'm excited to find out!

Review: Falling (Fall or Break #1) by Barbara Elsborg

Falling (Fall or Break #1) by Barbara Elsborg
Published March 24th 2015 by Samhain Publishing

Falling is easy. Landing without breaking your heart? Impossible.

Harper is no longer behind bars, but it doesn’t feel like it. Ten years serving time for a crime he didn’t commit have left him shut down, numb, and a frozen wreck over the simplest of choices.

He’s acutely aware of the dark-haired young man checking him out in the supermarket, but he’s too deep in panic mode to even meet the guy’s gaze. Afraid the slightest move will trigger a fall that will never stop.

Fresh off a long-term relationship with a controlling man, Malachi is stuck living with relatives who think he’s a waste of oxygen. The tall guy in the long, gray coat is the first bright spot he’s glimpsed in a long time…though the man’s unblinking stare at a bottle of shower gel is a touch alarming.

Hard experience tells both of them to turn away before lust turns to hopeless attraction, and inevitably to disaster. But once their sparks connect, the arc of electricity is too strong to deny. Even if the cost is too much to bear.

Warning: Contains an ex-con with disaster written all over him, a boy toy who’s trouble with a capital T, a damp old British house, compulsive meddling, and enough hot sex to cure the severe case of nervous babbling.

My Thoughts

Hot chemistry and witty dialog! What else can I ask for when jumping into a Barbara Elsborg novel? As always, Elsborg inevitably pleases me with her engaging novels and easy to love characters.

Harper Shaw has just completed a ten-year term behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. This has left him jaded and completely closed off. He trusts no one and simply hopes to get on with a quiet existence reconstructing his family home to its original state. However, even making the simplest of choices and attempting the most common of progress, he finds that he can’t leave his past behind him and just move on.

When he collides with Malachi Jones, he knows his world is about to change once again. However Malachi has his own demons he’d like to keep hidden as well. After escaping a seven-year relationship from a man that was controlling and powerful and having to put up with his brother-in-law that treats him like the garage that should be taken out, he simply wants to appreciate a relationship that will help him move on and feel something real.

Together, Malachi and Harper face not only those that won’t let Harper move on from his past, but also the threat that he might be set up again to return to prison. Together they battle their own moments of mistrust, but they keep coming back to the connection they have with one another, which seems to be stronger than all of the elements against them.

Harper was an absolutely easy character to fall for right from the beginning. I sympathized with his skittish reactions and lack of trust towards those around him. I was glad to see him open up to Malachi about his past, his fears and most of all his hopes. I hoped from the beginning that he would get his rightful ending, but I knew it would come at a high price.

Malachi was an absolute gem. I immediately fell for this character and his witty, lighthearted ways. It was fun to see Malachi break down Harper’s walls, but he did so in a way that brought out the gentle easy-going layer that was buried deep within him. The sacrifices Malachi made for Harper were heartwarming and convinced me how much he truly cared for Harper.

The powerful element in this novel, which is signature for all of Elsborg’s books is the dialog between the characters. I love, love, love witty sarcasm that’s delivered with heart and sensitivity. There were so many one liners that had me smiling and laughing the whole way through, but what I loved most of all was how reluctant Harper was to Malachi, but through his words and actions he broke down those walls brick by brick. I appreciated every reluctant laugh Malachi pulled out of Harper and I enjoyed seeing these two fall for one another. Lovely!

“You don’t need to be afraid. We’re not defusing a ticking bomb here, or doing brain surgery. It’s just sex. If you fall, I’ll catch you. Promise. Now hurry up and kiss me before zombies rush in and eat you. If that does happen, make sure you keep them busy while I escape.”
Great novel that I’m excited will continue with new characters to focus on. Count me in!

4 Suns

Review: Every Move He Makes by Barbara Elsborg

Every Move He Makes by Barbara Elsborg

Published May 7th 2013 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

Keeping an eye on his charge isn’t easy. Keeping his hands off? Impossible…

It took attending his own funeral to force Logan to accept a new life as an undercover MI6 agent. That doesn’t make his latest assignment any less aggravating. Babysitting a Russian pop star with delusions that someone’s trying to kill him.

Other than an inexplicable attraction Logan ruthlessly suppresses, he couldn’t have less in common with the irritating, arrogant rich kid. He’s even prepared to walk away—until very real bullets start flying.

After his mother’s death, Zak Kochenkov’s life unravels in an impenetrable haze of grief, drugs and alcohol—until one bodyguard candidate stands out. Except his hopes of having some fun with that guard’s body evaporate when he realizes Logan is buttoned up tighter than a clam.

The first thing Logan learns is that his charge won’t do as he’s told. And there’s some secret behind his haunted eyes that shakes Logan’s resolve to keep him at arm’s length. Because he knows if he lets passion close his eyes, that’s when danger will find them both…

My Thoughts

Barbara Elsborg never ceases to amaze me. The woman can tackle a genre and just hit it out of the ballpark on her first try! I’ve read most of her romance novels, and recently I tried a crime/horror/drama book, which left me floored. Now with her most recent MM book Every Move He Makes, I’m convinced Elsborg can do no wrong.

This novel was intense, romancey, and downright GOOOODDDD!!! Logan and Zak were a perfect combo of high action, heated chemistry and full-on hotness!

When Logan takes on a job as Zak’s bodyguard, the sparks begin to fly immediately upon impact. Throughout the novel, they toss us through the twists and turns of being on the run from someone attempting to kill Zak. I like the slow build up with the sudden explosion of sparks between these two. They were simply great together. What I loved most was Logan’s constant attempt to help Zak put his life back together both physically and emotionally. These two really embarked on a journey of adventure and self-discovery.

I hope Every Move He Makes is not Elsborg’s last attempt at MM because she seems to have a knack for the right combination of intensity, drama, romance and sincerity that makes this genre enjoyable. Well done!

4 Suns

 

Review: Kiss a Falling Star by Barbara Elsborg

Kiss a Falling Star by Barbara Elsborg
Published March 4th 2011 by Ellora's Cave

How far can you fall? Caspar had once shone brighter than any star in the sky. He led an exciting life, had a good job and the love of his family. Now he barely survives in a village where he's shunned by everyone, even his parents. Unemployed, unemployable, he consoles himself with stringless sex-lots of it.

How hard can you land? Ally escapes death by a whisker when she falls in front of a train. Not an accident, someone pushed her, and she doesn't hang around to give them another shot. But she finds herself falling in a different way when she meets Caspar, and she plummets hard and fast. He's dark, he's brooding, he's hotter than any man she's ever met, and she wants him-bad.

How high can they soar? With Ally's adversary closing in, plus Caspar's tendency to screw things up, if they don't open their arms and catch each other, they'll burn up in an atmosphere determined to keep them apart.

My Thoughts

I love Elsborg's writing... ESPECIALLY when she couples two unlikely people and shares their journey with sexy, witty banter, tons of chemistry and high action adventure.

Caspar and Ally were a perfect match in all the right ways. When Ally find herself running off to her brother's cottage after several attempts on her life, she meets the recluse, outcast Caspar. Ally makes it her mission to get to know him despite the villagers warning her to keep her distance. Throughout the entire novel, these two match up like oil and water, but it's the perfect combustible combination. I loved Ally's constant quest to redeem Caspar, and it was hard not to fall for this brooding, sexy man. They were a great match!!

As signature to Elsborg’s style, she wins her readers over immediately with her funny, smart and sexy dialog. Her characters are often bumbling messes, but that’s what makes her adventures even more fun. I can always count on Elsborg to entertain me and make me fall in love with her cast.

I’ve just about exhausted my list of possibilities with this author because I’ve breezed through most of her novels. Write more Elsborg!! Lots more!!

4 Suns

Review: Chosen by Barbara Elsborg

Chosen by Barbara Elsborg
Published June 2nd 2011 by Decadent Publishing Company

Some crimes can never be forgotten...

Kate Evans doesn’t take risks. She chose her apartment with care—a safe district with a good neighbor—a place where she can live a quiet, unassuming, under-the-radar existence. Then she makes one mistake and opens her door to accept a delivery of flowers from a secret admirer and her life will never be the same again. A guy she’s never seen before bursts into her apartment and asks her to marry him. Jack Thompson won’t take no for an answer and drags Kate on a cross country journey to hell.

Invalided out of the police, Nathan Beranson works as a private investigator in San Antonio, Texas where he spends too much of his time following unfaithful spouses and delivering the bad news to their partners. When his fiancée cheats on him with Jack Thompson, the half-brother Nathan’s only just met, he becomes obsessed with Jack in the same unhealthy way as his revenge-seeking clients. By the time Nathan finally realizes putting the ghosts of the past to rest is a wiser option than settling an old score, it’s too late. He’s already been drawn into his sibling’s latest deadly game and Nathan and Kate find their nightmare is only just beginning.

Arlene's Thoughts

Brutal, horrifying, disturbing yet absolutely riveting!!!
Chosen scarred me in the worst way. I think I need to get some bleach to rid the images and story from my brain. Never, have I EVER been so disturbed by a novel, and I just want my mental frenzy to simply quiet down. I’m an absolute mess!

Barbara Elsborg deserves a standing ovation for this flawless portrayal of a psychotic sociopath gone wild. Thriller novels are by no means my genre of choice, but I’m a huge fan of Elsborg, so when my reading buddy presented this book with phenomenal ratings to me as our next read, I thought… Why not???

Well let me tell you... It’s freakin’ insane and disturbing and horrifying and awful... That’s why!

In Chosen, Kate is abducted from what she thought was her safe haven by Jack the psycho. She quickly learns that her life has taken a deadly turn when her stalker begins to execute his well laid out plan of making her his wife and forcing her to live with him in a secluded cabin. What ensues are killings, kidnappings, beatings, torture and more awful things I don’t want to think about any more.

This novel had a constant momentum of awful to worse feeling. The twists and turns made my head hurt and my stomach flip. There was absolutely no reprieve for Kate and as much as I rooted her on and appreciated her constant fight to escape and survive, there were moments I wanted him to just put her out of her misery.

I don’t like to read torture scenes, and I especially hate books that have violence towards women, so I’m justifying my higher rating not because I enjoyed it... I promise... I did NOT enjoy this book for one moment, but because Elsborg is a bold author with genius writing. The story telling alone is what makes me rate this higher than a normally would.

This book is disturbing and I don’t recommend it. There was a point in time when I thought I was flawed because I’ve once... or twice fallen for fictional characters that were dangerous and twisted. Well this book proves even I have my limits. I just wanted Jack to die a slow horrible death. He crossed my limit on page ONE!

Did I mention this book is disturbing? Yeah, I TRULY mean it... ~nods vigorously~

4 Suns

Crystal's ThoughtsOkay so I haven't wanted to write a review in a very long time. For some reason I have had reviewers block, but let me tell you after reading Chosen I am cured! This book has made me feel so many emotions and for me to move on I have to say something and get it out of my system.

Kate oh my where do I even start. Kate has had a rough life and just when she thinks she might be able to breathe the worst happens. She is kidnapped by a psychotic man and each day spent in his presence is worse than the day before.

I have to agree with my reading buddy normally I sit and wait for the kidnapper to have some redeeming qualities. They ALWAYS turn out to be a damaged soul who turns around at the last second and helps the victim. Yes I know that this isn't great either but what can I say I like the damaged ones. Jack NEVER redeems himself. I knew from his first intro that he wasn't going to be the norm and I hate to say I was right but yep he was horrible!

I have never wanted to castrate a character before, but if I could have reached into the book and maimed him I would have. I honestly finished this book just to see if he met some kind of horrible death. I won't say if he did but I appreciated what the author did and I have to give her major props for making me feel such hate. It definitely takes a lot to evoke that kind of emotion from me and well I honestly hate Jack with every fiber of my being. He did so many horrible things and one thing in particular had me almost in tears with anger. I don't normally read this type of book and I wish I had known certain things going in because I think it would have swayed me away from reading it.

That all being said Elsborg definitely deserves major credit. Her writing was outstanding and even though I didn't enjoy this book I still want to read more from her. Her characters really made me feel something and I am excited to read something where I love the characters to see if I will feel the same intensity I do for love as I did for hate.

One more thing the ending kinda threw me. For such a harsh book I didn't expect what the epilogue brought. I don't think certain events would be swept under the rug like they were and life would not be normal. I would have liked a more realistic epilogue and that's why I didn't give this 4 stars.

3 Suns

Review: With or Without Him by Barbara Elsborg

With or Without Him by Barbara Elsborg
Published November 19th 2013 by Samhain Publishing

"The most dangerous refuge could be his lover's arms. "

Everyone has at least one deep-seated fear. For Tyler, it's being in debt. He's so desperate to get out and stay out of it, he'll do almost anything-including selling his body at Saturday night sex parties.

But he refuses to open his mind to anyone, especially the men paying to use him however they want. The only time he's truly happy is during the week at college, when he can escape into his music.

The moment Haris sees Tyler playing piano at a concert, he falls hard, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make the guy his. Even if it means-for the first time in his life-opening his wallet as wide and desperate as his heart.

20,000 to live with a good-looking guy for four months? How can Tyler resist the chance to ditch the sex party scene for good? But neither man realizes how much they're risking. And when outside forces close in, ready to destroy them, the trickiest part about the next four months could be just surviving.

Warning: Contains a "for hire" bad boy with a filthy mouth, an awkward guy with a penchant for BDSM, a hypochondriac butler who won't shut up, a dog called Alcide, and a lot of hot and dirty M/M sex.

My Thoughts
Hot, sexy, sad, seductive, funny, emotional... It was my everything... Love!!!
I’ve been a fan of Barabara Elsborg since I stumbled uponStrangers a while back. She has a way of creating an attractive and alluring cast, and most of that is built from the chemistry and how she mixes and matches the right characters together to leave a lasting impression. With or Without Him has been on my mind for days!! I loved this book to pieces, and Tyler and Haris have engrained themselves in my heart and my brain!

Tyler Bellamy is a twenty-one year old music student who has already amassed a significant amount of debt putting himself through school. Because of his difficult past and the scars he’s endured, the last thing he wants is to owe money… to anyone. So he’s resorted to taking a job with the seedy Prescott selling himself and his body. When one of his jobs gets out of hand and he finds himself gagged and bound in a deviant event gone wrong, one wordless plea to a mysterious spectator is all it takes to know his world is about to change.

Harris has lived a quiet life with little to no attachments, and all of that is due to his past and how he’s suffered because of his choices. Trust doesn’t come easy to him, but he definitely has honed his skill where instinct is concerned. However, when he stumbles upon Tyler one night as a musical event and follows him that evening, Haris is thrown off his game and finds himself in a situation that leaves him second guessing his actions, feelings and reactions.

Overall, I loved these two characters together!! I could feel the chemistry between Tyler and Haris fall off the pages of my eBook! As much as I didn’t care for how they came together, I really have to give it to Elsborg for creating a situation that fostered the right amount of drama and emotional pull. There were moments when I felt Haris pushed things too far, and Tyler was ready to walk away. Those scenes pulled at my heart strings and made me fall even harder for these two.

What I loved most about Elsborg’s writing in this book was the dialog. I’m a HUGE HUGE fan of word play and witty conversations, and Elsborg sure knows how to play that to her strength. With or Without Him is no exception. The playful banter and sexy moments between these two characters was off the charts!

With or Without Him is probably my favorite book from Elsborg’s collection so far, and I can’t wait to pick up another novel by this author. She writes the kind of stories that stick with me and stay on my mind for quite some time. Love.love.love...

4.5 Suns

Review: Strangers by Barbara Elsborg

Strangers by Barbara Elsborg
Published November 2nd 2009 by Ellora's Cave
Purchase: Barnes & Noble

About the book
Kate Snow's had enough of bad boys until a one-way swim in the ocean puts her on a collision course with a man she can't resist. Charlie Storm has turned being a bad boy into an art form. Already a famous pop star, mega-success in the movie business beckons until his inner demons send him spiraling out of control and right out to sea. The last thing he expects to do before he dies is crash into a suicidal woman.When the worlds of these two strangers collide, their lives take an upward twist. In surviving the waves, they find they can't stand to be apart, in or out of bed. Kate seizes a chance for happiness, seeing in Charlie a man she can finally trust to love her. Charlie can't let go of Kate because she's the only woman able to see the man he wants to be.But the price of fame is high and when the world wants to drive them apart, life only seems safe in Kate's bed.

My Thoughts
Strangers is my first book by Barbara Elsborg and definitely not my last. What a sweet and seductive romance between two unlikely characters that meet in the most desperate of situations.

Kate Snow and Charlie Storm were an explosive pair. I loved their moments together, their witty banter and the deep love that developed between these two that really had me at the edge of my seat. I just knew this relationship stood on the precipice of destruction considering their past and present struggles that led them to the sea to end it all. Kate and Charlie’s love story put me on a sugar high! I loved.loved.loved their moments together, especially their ongoing teasing and light hearted dialog that is forever highlighted and bookmarked on my eReader.

What a perfect read that I’ll probably re-visit a few times because it truly made me laugh with giddy excitement and sigh with heartfelt emotion throughout the entire book.

4 Suns