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Theodora Taylor

THE ULTIMATE MERGER by Delaney Diamond

September 11, 2012 in A Reviews, black woman hispanic man, Book Reviews, business man, bwlm, Hispanic, Hispanic hero, self-published, sensual, short story

Description: When Brazilian hotelier, Renaldo, and investment banker, Sabrina meet. it’s sizzling chemistry at first sight. But he’s only in the country for a little while. Can they take their relationship from fling status to the ultimate merger?

The Good: Ms. Diamond is a very dynamic, consistent, and immediately engaging writer. She keeps her part in the indie author-reader covenant better than most, and her books are always solidly-structured and cleanly-written — she’s on top of her craft. This story is short, sweet, and as of this writing, totally free. THE ULTIMATE MERGER is a great intro to her longer works.

The Bad: Though I was satisfied with the A-story romance, it felt like the B story with her addict cousin was given short shrift.

The Naughty: Sensual. Seduction. Sex on first meet.

Editing issues: None

Publisher: Indie

Length: 51 pages

Final Grade: A-

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Theodora Taylor writes and reviews interracial romance novels in Pittsburgh, PA.

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

TATTED by Renee LaRuse

July 17, 2012 in black woman white man, Book Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, C Reviews, cop, self-published, sensual, suspense

Description: When good cop, Misha Barrett, collides with reformed ex-con, Mark “Nello” Giovanello, it’s instant chemistry. But can they navigate their extreme differences to make a relationship work?

The Good: I love when authors really go opposite with the “opposites attract” trope and Ms. LaRuse absolutely does. TATTED is a very compelling story with an engaging and funny hero. It’s easy to see why a cop would initially be attracted to this bad boy, who turns out to be a truly dedicated love interest. I also love that he talked too much; he felt like a real guy. This novel is both interesting and different. I have a lot to say in “The Bad” section, but fully recommend giving TATTED a read if you’re looking for something different.

The Bad: There are quite a few clumsy execution issues, including ill-advised interior thought italics, long speeches, and exact statements about how the heroine is feeling (a symptom of telling not showing). Though the relationship starts out strong and sweet, the heroine eventually proves to be extremely uneven. For example she has little to no reaction to proof of the hero’s hound-dogging past, though she is supposed to be love shy after having been cheated on. And though the book has a nice circular plot within it, the overall story is dragged down by additional scenes and tacked on story lines. Overall, TATTED needs a firm-handed edit.

The Naughty: Sensual. Lots of sexual tension. Massage.

Editing issues: 3 typos. Word misusage. Head hopping. Improper formatting. Adverb abuse. POV errors.

Publisher: ReneeRomance Books (Indie)

Length: 149 pages

Final Grade: C+

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Theodora Taylor lives, writes, and reviews in Pittsburgh.

 

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Theodora Taylor

SNATCHED by Sharon Cullars

July 17, 2012 in alpha male, B Reviews, black woman white man, Book Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, cop, self-published, sensual, suspense

Description: Who knew that a love of short ribs could get one character into so much trouble? But when an angry Nailah throws a short rib at a group of dangerous bikers, the person she hits, Dele — who just so happens to be an undercover cop disguised as one them — is forced to kidnap her. Now all he has to do is figure out how to keep both of them alive and solve the case.

The Good: I bought this, no sample needed, because Sharon Cullars has proven herself to be an amazing storyteller with a strong writing voice. The stakes are extremely high — I mean through the roof. Just when you think they’re as high as they can go, they jump up another level. This makes SNATCHED a burning page-turner, which will keep you on the edge of your seat. I couldn’t read it fast enough.

The Bad: As a character, Nailah is like a bad episode of “when keeping it real goes wrong.” Though I eventually came to accept her throwing a rib at a biker in a moment of pique, her continued hotheadness in the face of true danger made her frustrating and hard to root for at times. And though her complete inability to follow instructions or keep her mouth shut at crucial moments, eventually comes in handy in the overall story arc, it flatlines the heroine’s own arc.

The Naughty: Sensual. Sex in a hostage situation. Implied rape.

Editing issues: N/A

Publisher: Indie

Length: 129 pages

Final Grade: B

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Theodora Taylor lives, writes, and reviews books in Pittsburgh.  

 

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Theodora Taylor

HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART by Asha King

June 11, 2012 in black woman white man, Book Reviews, bwwm romance, C Reviews, friends, Novella, Phaze Books, sensual, steamy

Description: After getting dumped by his girlfriend, former playboy, Joshua Merrill, begins looking at his friend, Derica, in a whole new light. But can she forget about his past and give him a green light to her heart?

The Good: It was nice to read a novel populated by people in their early twenties, and I love the “circle of friends” concept. Super-cute cover!

The Bad: Unfortunately, this read like an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 during the post-college years — which I actually loved — but in this case, way too much time was given to other characters, and since we haven’t seen the episodes that came before this one, there was a lot of telling us about main characters and their back stories as opposed to actual character development.
For example, we’re told Joshua was a big horn dog before the girl that dumped him came along, but all we’re shown is him coming out of a committed relationship, which he only felt s0-so about. This makes the heroine seem paranoid for resisting him, even though she ostensibly has a huge crush on him.

That sounds like a somewhat dramatic situation, but because of the execution, the story is almost boring in its straightforwardness. There’s barely any conflict, and the little that there is is easily overcome. The characters don’t earn anything, which makes the HEA feel rather hollow.

The Naughty: Sensual>Steamy. Friends become lovers. Explicit language.

Editing issues: None noted.

Publisher: Phaze Books

Length: 51 pages

Final Grade: C

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Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART , HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, and HER VIKING WOLF, the first three books in my 50 Loving States series!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

SHERRY’S WOLF by Maddy Barone

June 7, 2012 in bi-racial heroine, Book Reviews, bwnm, Novella, paranormal, scifi, self-published, sensual, shifter(s), werewolf

Description: Sherry Rowe is reeling from 1) surviving a plane crash that sling-shotted her fifty years into the future, where after a nuclear disaster, there are very few women and a ton of Native American werewolves looking to mate; 2) the death of her philandering, abusive husband who was also on the plane, and 3) a werewolf named Jumping Stag, who won’t take no for answer.

The Good: This is a great premise. I also love that Sherry is Catholic and really conflicted about her problematic marriage, even now that its over. Also, who doesn’t love a group of men who hold women in the highest regard. And I really like that Jumping Stag is a virgin — it made their sex scene hotter somehow.

The Bad: Sadly this a case of a great premise completely squandered by terrible execution. SHERRY’S WOLF is poorly structured, feels rushed, and doesn’t have much in the way of compelling conflict. We’re told that Sherry is shy and scared but she comes off as accusatory, wishy-washy, and selfish, despite her sympathetic backstory. Most readers will wonder why Jumping Stag’s “wolf” chose her. Most writers will wonder why neither hero nor heroine was given a true arc before getting shoved into a rather abrupt ending.

The Naughty: Sensual. Male Virgin.

Editing issues: 4 typos found. Weird dialogue formatting on the Kindle.

Publisher: Indie

Length: 86 pages

Final Grade: D+

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Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up the first three Amazon bestselling books in my 50 Loving States series, THE OWNER OF HIS HEART , HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, and HER VIKING WOLF, as eBooks or in paperback!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

AFTERBURN by Sonia Hightower

May 2, 2012 in B Reviews, Breathless Press, sensual, white woman black man

Description: When Crystal, a white Air Force mechanic falls for Grant, a black pilot and officer, will their love fly or will real-world circumstances ground them?

The Good: I loved the heroine, even more so because she was dealing with an extremely hostile work environment. The author also did a good job with a secondary character, who could have just been used as a dumb foil, but ended up having layers. The obstacles Crystal faced as an Air Force mechanic in an interracial relationship felt very realistic, and made for a compelling read. When I wasn’t getting angry on her behalf, I found myself really rooting for her.

The Bad: There are a couple of big craft problems, starting with the prologue, which really isn’t needed and doesn’t add to the story, especially since the hero’s POV was somewhat under-developed. The heroine has such a strong character and situation that one might argue the book should have been exclusively written from her point-of-view. Also, the author goes through a lot of trouble to establish how easy it is for this couple to be honest with each other, only to have one of them lie for a rather shaky reason, which made the main love conflict feel forced.

The Naughty: Sensual. Hotel room sex. 

Editing issues: No typos found. 2 instances of head-hopping.

Publisher: Breathless Press

Length: 25,000+

Final Grade: B

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*This review is based on an e-copy of the book provided to me by either the author or her representative.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up the first two Amazon bestselling books in my 50 Loving States series, THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, as eBooks or in paperback!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

STAKING HIS CLAIM by Lynda Chance

April 25, 2012 in alpha male, B Reviews, bi-racial heroine, Book Reviews, Hispanic, Hispanic hero, Novella, rancher, self-published, sensual, steamy, white woman latin man, wwlm

Description: When alpha male rancher, Raul Vega, meets innocent nursing student, Elaina Ruiz, he works hard to resist her, believing she’s too young for him. Elaina finds Raul too intense and doesn’t disabuse him of the notion, even though she’s old enough for what he has in mind. But how long can they deny their attraction?

The Good: Chance’s writing has a lot of energy, which is harder to achieve than one might think. You won’t get bored, and you’ll keep on turning the pages. Also, this novella is a bargain at $0.99.

The Bad:

The Hero (Hispanic): It’s a thin line between aggressive would-be lover and judgmental bully with Raul, and if you’re sensitive to that line in alpha males, you might have trouble fully enjoying this story.

The Heroine (white and Hispanic): When dealing with alpha males, the characterization of the heroine has to be even more on point, so that it doesn’t feel like she’s being completely overshadowed by a stronger personality. In this case, Elaina needs considerable character work, as her motivation is unclear and often shaky. She doesn’t know what she wants from life or love, which happens all the time in real life, but in book life it’s hard to give a character these traits without her coming across as wishy-washy and childish as opposed to truly conflicted.

Craft: Contradiction issues. Ex. Elaina was stunned at his agreement and didn’t even think to question his sincerity. He was sincere. She would bet on it. “Are you serious?” [she asked]. Basically, the character is saying she doesn’t question the hero’s sincerity before turning around and questioning his sincerity. There are a few contradictory turns like that.

The Naughty: Sensual>Steamy. Virgin.

Editing issues: Minor. 2 typos found.

Publisher: Indie

Length: 91 pages (Amazon estimate)

Final Grade: C+

Click on the book widget to buy at Amazon for $0.99.

 

 

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

JUICY by Pepper Pace

April 2, 2012 in B Reviews, bwwm, bwwm romance, older woman younger man, pregnant, self-published, sensual

Description: When, Juicy, a “dark as licorice” hairdresser with anger management issues is unexpectedly saved by Troy, a homeless white man with mental issues, really unexpected sparks fly.

The Good: Let’s start with the fact that Ms. Pace managed to make a homeless white hero with mental issues not only sexy, but appealing. That alone would have blown my mind, but she also manages to successfully throw many of the romance formula rules out the window — which only makes the novel even more romantic in my opinion. Ms. Pace has a strange sense of humor, and this makes for a very fresh novel. In many ways, JUICY is a page turner fueled by its own oddness.

The Bad: This is difficult, because I want to give this odd gem of a novel an A+, but it has quite a few issues that can’t be overlooked, mostly surrounding craft. Ms. Pace has tremendous talent, which is held back by often clunky execution. Her loose narrative walks a very thin line, only narrowly missing a full-on ramble at times. She writes poetically at times, but tends to follow every train of thought, which makes for a bloated story. Also, there are so many typos, I had to detract a full star. Somewhat like Latrivia Nelson, one feels Ms. Pace could go much further, if she engaged a stronger editor for this and future works.

The Naughty: Sensual. Rape (not depicted). Sex in barber chair.

Editing issues: Several typos.

Publisher: Indie Writer

Length: Novel-length

Final Grade: B-

Click on the widget to buy at Amazon for $4.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up the first two Amazon bestselling books in my 50 Loving States series, THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, as eBooks or in paperback!

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

A HARD MAN TO LOVE by Delaney Diamond

March 8, 2012 in A Reviews, alpha male, biracial hero, black woman biracial man, Book Reviews, business man, pregnant, self-published, sensual

Description: When cigar-smoking multi-millionaire Derrick Hoffman finds out that his ex-girlfriend Eva Jacobs is pregnant with his child, he does whatever it takes to ensure that the baby remain in his custody, including blackmailing Eva into a marriage of convenience. But, as it turns out, it’s a thin line between convenience and passion…

The Good: First off, that cover is the business, a perfect representation of the hero. I actually picked it up, thinking I wouldn’t be able to review it, but wanting to read it because of its Harlequinesque situation and fantastic cover. Lucky for me, the hero was biracial, so it ended up falling within the IR category. What a page turner! I love a hero with issues, and Derrick had plenty.  I also appreciated the story’s sweet little domestic touches — there’s an ongoing argument about crumbs in the bed that I’ve had with my own husband. Last but not least, the resolution was satisfying and felt fully earned.

The Bad: There’s a story arc, involving the identity of Eva’s father that was introduced late, felt tangential, and left unresolved.

The Naughty: Sensual. Pregnant sex. 

Editing issues: None.

Publisher: Diamond Press (indie author)

Length: 37,800

Final Grade: A-

Click on the book cover to buy at Amazon for $2.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series for $4.16 each at Amazon.

 

 

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Theodora Taylor

THE HEALER’S WARRIOR by Renee Lewin

March 6, 2012 in B Reviews, Book Reviews, historical, self-published, sensual

Description: Jem’ya, a black African healer comes to the aid of Tareq, a North African “farmer,” not realizing that he is really the prince of her land, and the son of their monstrous king.

The Good: This is a really epic love story, told on a historical scale that you don’t often see in IR. I loved that both the hero and the heroine were virgins and that it made the love story no less compelling. Somehow the Victorian nature of it all, kept the romance hot. At one point the H/H hug, and I found it surprisingly emotional as a reader.

The Bad: This is a prime example of why tears should only be used in a book once, maybe three times tops. Jem’ya cries so much, it’s hard to stay emotionally connected to her. Tears are like dynamite. Don’t use them unless you really need it, or else they can really backfire on you. In this case, there was just way, way too much crying.

The Naughty: Slightly sensual.Virgin sex.

Editing issues: Minor typos (3 counted). Headhopping. Occasional verb misusage.

Publisher: ReneeRomance Books (indie author)

Length: 252 pages (Amazon estimated length)

Final Grade: B

Click on the book cover to buy at Amazon for $4.99.

 

Love IR romance as much as I do? Then pick up THE OWNER OF HIS HEART and HER RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE, the first two books in my 50 Loving States series for $4.16 each at Amazon.

 

 

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