Friday, April 24, 2015

Series Book Review: Heat Wave Novels (Books 1-4) by Alannah Lynne

Title: Saving Me
Series: Heat Wave #1
Author: Alannah Lynne
Format: eBook (Provided in exchange by the author for an honest review.)
Pages: 188
Links: Goodreads  | Amazon  | Barnes & Noble

Lies. Deceit. Backstabbing friends… Welcome to the jungle known as advertising…

Kat Owens can tell you all about the snake-infested world of big-time advertising. Thanks to an ex-best friend co-worker and a gone-wrong love affair with a client, she’s forced to leave her large Charlotte agency for a small-town coastal one. It’s do-or-die time to prove she can be a success to the aging grandfather she adores. Which means she can’t afford to be distracted by a client who’s a walking, talking definition of sex… Even if he is the man who stole her heart thirteen months before in a one-night stand she can’t forget.

Erik Monteague is a handsome, charismatic, highly respected businessman who has it all. Or so it seems. Only his closest friends know the truth about the guilt and emotional scars he carries, or why, following his fiancée’s death, he invoked the twenty-four/two rule. He never spends more than twenty-four hours with a woman, he rarely dates them twice, and he never thinks about them afterward.

But Kat Owens is different. She cheated him out of twelve hours, and now he can’t forget her. At least that’s what he tells himself, because admitting the truth is too dangerous. When she suddenly appears in his hometown, he sets out to finish what they started thirteen months earlier. But while his perfectly executed seduction gets Kat back in his bed, the emotional fallout is more than he counted on. Will he face his tragic past once and for all… or spend the rest of his life running?



My Review
Erik Monteague is a successful businessman who seemingly has the world at his fingertips, but the secret of his fiancée’s death lies in his past and is the reason why his relationships never go further than a one night stand. 

When Erik met Kat Owens months prior, he thought that it would be his same ol' routine. Little did he know that once she left him in a hotel room on his own, that he wouldn't be able to stop thinking of her.


When she is put in charge of his account, the chemistry between them rockets to an all-time high, but the question remains...Will Erik be able to put his past to rest and behind him and look forward to a future with Kat or will he run away from her and what he feels in order to 'protect her'?


With the perfect setting, characters that we cannot help to love, and a plot guaranteed to grab and hold your attention, Saving Me is the perfect blend of steaminess, romance, and some angst. Erik is emotionally scarred from the past, but a character that you cannot help but to genuinely like and root for. Kat is a strong woman who isn't afraid to fight for her man no matter the demons that lay in his past. Her strength makes her such a great leading female.


I loved getting lost inside this book imagining myself there. Lynne choose the perfect setting for this oh so steamy series. The first book in this series will have you wanting to read the next immediately. 



★★★

*Note: Savin' Me is FREE on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble at this time.


Title: Last Call
Series: Heat Wave #2
Author: Alannah Lynne
Format: eBook (Provided in exchange by the author for an honest review.)
Pages: 230
Links: Goodreads  | Amazon  | Barnes & Noble

Gavin McLeod is a man who has it all. His corporate climb has positioned him as the next CEO at Holden Enterprises. He’s financially stable, allowing him to provide for the grandfather who raised him, and his successful seduction of the sexy bartender last night proves his private life is also on fire. Until the alluring woman in his arms turns out to be a serious road-block to his future. One that could bring everything he's worked for crashing down around him.

Sunny Black has spent her entire life tending to the needs of others, caring for her younger brother since she was ten, and serving bar patrons night after night. For the first time in years, she thinks of herself and gives in to her body’s demands, taking a trip to the wild side with a customer whose raw sexuality is too strong to deny. The next morning, however, she learns that in addition to rocking her world, the stranger might cause it to crumble.

A game of sexual seduction and corporate chess ensues, with neither Gavin nor Sunny realizing the ending could come in the form of a permanent check-mate.

My Review
Gavin, a sexy as all sin business man being groomed to be the next CEO, walks in to a bar with three females...

Sounds like the lead in to a dirty joke, but in all truth Gavin is there for a job. Although he doesn't necessarily know what that job is besides looking around. And what he sees besides a relaxing bar is a sexy bartender with an addiction to dum dums (the lollipops, not men!),a bit of a naughty side with her nipple chains, and a name to suit her personality. 

Sunny, who has raised her brother for the past few years, doesn't have a personal life outside of caring for her brother and tending to her bar. When Gavin walks in one night she finds herself wildly attracted to him, but finds herself playing a dangerous game when she realizes who she is and what he wants - besides her.

Will Gavin find himself in the arms of a bartender with a sunny personality and go back to his roots or will the lure of a CEO position have him high tailing it back to where he's from? 

Alannah showcases her talent once more in the second book in the Heat Wave series. Once again, the perfect setting along with characters that you can fall in love with makes Last Call such a great read. The plot is more suspenseful this time around as readers question "What choice will Gavin make?" and how it will end. I never thought Gavin's boss would stoop as low as he did, but color me surprised when it happens. 

The only thing I wished this book had more of is Gavin's interactions with his grandfather. With his grandfather being such a crucial part of his life growing up, I would have loved to see more of their dynamic, but I truly enjoyed Gavin's hard work on the farm and his farm boy roots. 

Gavin is a tall drink of deliciousness and Sunny is probably one of the most likable female characters I've had the pleasure of being introduced to. She's strong, caring, has a naughty side, a sunny personality, and she truly cares about those she comes across. I loved her addiction to dum dums and nipple chains - those two things made Sunny such a quirky, but kick ass character to me. 

While Last Call didn't feature any characters from the first book, these new characters each are completely different from characters I have been introduced to in the past and I enjoyed reading about each one.


★★★★ 1/2



Title: Crossing Lines
Series: Heat Wave #3
Author: Alannah Lynne
Format: eBook (Provided in exchange by the author & Rock Star Lit PR for an honest review.)
Pages: 230
Links: Goodreads  | Amazon  | Barnes & Noble

The world’s best-stocked toy drawer can only take a gal so far. Bored with her current assortment of vibrating, plastic pieces, Sam Wallace decides to add a new sex toy to her collection: Kevin Mazze. The sexy Italian is more than happy to help her live out her long-held sexual fantasies, and trusting him with her body is easy. Trusting him with her heart, however, is not… especially when he commits an unforgiveable sin.

Kevin Mazze is one of the good guys. He’s spent his life always doing the right things and making those around him happy. When he meets the woman of his dreams, at the worst possible time, he finds himself making bad choices in the name of good and crossing lines he never thought he would… while praying she never finds out.



My Review

Kevin Mazze is introduced in book one, Saving Me, as Erik Monteague's long time friend. As I read Saving Me, I was curious about both Kevin and Steve, another friend of theirs. I was delighted when I realized book three in this series, Crossing Lines, would be Kevin's story.

Kevin, a successful land developer, is under stress with problems with his current building site. When the building inspector Samantha Wallace comes for an inspection, Kevin finds himself attracted to Samantha, but the problem is he is currently in an on-off relationship with Lizbeth. While knowing that he wants to break things off for good with Lizbeth, she is in the midst of planning her sister's wedding to his friend and foreman Wade. While Lizbeth seems to be wanting to make more of a serious commitment to Kevin, he finds himself becoming involved with Samantha - without breaking it off with Lizbeth first.

Samantha Wallace, a single mom and building inspector, has just relocated two months earlier trying to leave her ex-husband and his cheating ways in the past. When she meets Kevin, she is instantly attracted to him. Her toy drawer helps her entertain these lustful thoughts. Although she only wants Kevin for a fling, she finds herself becoming more involved. 

When Kevin and Lizbeth's relationship comes to light will there be a chance for Kevin and Samantha?

As I said before, when I read Saving Me, Kevin intrigued me. There was just something about him. While I don't condone cheating, I did feel like Kevin was a genuinely good guy. He was making himself miserable and piling on the stress by going out of his way to make everyone happy - except for himself. He knew Lizbeth wasn't the one for him, but tried to think of her feelings and wait until after the wedding before hurting her. Besides being a genuine guy, Kevin is handsome, intelligent, and a hard worker. He cares about his friends, as shown in Saving Me and this book. 

Samantha has problems she is dealing with on her own. Her ex-husband screwed with her head and her confidence and months later his words still ring in her mind. She's also hesitant to introduce her daughter to Kevin thinking that it may not work between them and she doesn't want to see her daughter get attached. As a single mom myself, I can totally relate to this and thought Samantha's cautiousness was a good mom trait. 

Alannah creates ideal men who us women readers love to love. While somewhat flawed or scarred in some way, Alannah's talent in creating characters that readers love to see get their happily ever after is quite amazing. There hasn't been one character I haven't enjoyed and I love all of Alannah's male leads. While I genuinely enjoyed and recommend Saving Me and Last Call, Crossing Lines is my favorite book yet! 

★★★★



Title: Going All In
Series: Heat Wave #4
Author: Alannah Lynne
Format: eBook (Provided in exchange by the author for an honest review.)
Pages: 230
Links: Goodreads  | Amazon  | Barnes & Noble

A good ol’ Georgia boy teaches a Myrtle Beach princess how to get down and dirty…


It’s been two years since Callie Holden helped put her father in prison, and since then, she’s learned a lot about life and herself. To Callie’s surprise, she actually likes working and has learned money is a tool to be used for good… or evil. She also realizes that even though she’s traveled the globe, she’s never truly lived. She longs for adventure and to experience a wildly passionate romance. The last place she expects to discover her dreams is in the arms of the ever-surly man she’s dubbed “The Beast.” But when they’re forced to work together, unexpected chemistry changes everything. In Wade Neumann’s arms, Callie finds the excitement and passion she’s been looking for, as well as a few other surprises.


Wade Neumann has spent the last year burying the pain and humiliation of being left at the altar by a woman who used him as a novelty toy before settling down with someone like herself—someone rich. He’s lost himself in a stream of nameless females, but instead of the trysts helping him heal, he’s only grown colder and more jaded. He hasn’t moved on with his life. He’s merely stuck going through the motions… until he meets Callie Holden, a woman who looks like his ex but is actually the opposite—sweet, compassionate, loyal, and most importantly, not rich. Or so he thinks. Because just as he starts to believe things with Callie are real and true, she gives him thirty million reasons to doubt all over again.


My Review
Wade and Callie are both characters that have been mentioned in previous books. Callie was introduced in book one, Last Call as a spoiled princess who couldn't get over her crush on Gavin. Wade was introduced in book three, Crossing Lines as the man left at the alter when he finds out his fiancée has only been using him as a toy until she found someone rich like herself. 

I can honestly admit that in Last Call, I COULD NOT STAND Callie. I thought she was a spoiled, lazy, whiny princess and characters like that just irk me. In Going All In, Callie has done a spectacular transformation and has grown up so much I found myself genuinely liking her. 

Wade is bitter, heartbroken, and distrustful of any woman since his ex-fiancée screwed him over. He finds solace at the bar with friends and in the beds of women that he uses for a night of pleasure.

When Callie is hired at Mazze Builders, Wade is dismayed to find out that he would be working with Callie who he believes is a spoiled, shallow daddy's girl. The worst part though? She resembles his ex-fiancée.When he finds out that Callie is nothing like what he thought she was, he finds himself wildly attractive to her and the two of them begin to explore the explosive chemistry and passion between them. 

Callie, who showed her prudishness in Last Call, is longing for something wild, exciting, and passionate and she finds all that in Wade. Callie, who has done so much growing up since Last Call, continues to grow with Wade's dedication and love and becomes such a wonderful character that readers will genuinely enjoy knowing.


Can two broken people piece themselves back together and find love with one another?

While Going All In is steamy, provocative, and passionate, it's so much more than that. Callie is still haunted and facing the demons of her past and Wade is still stinging from the humiliation and his broken heart. Both Wade and Callie are such complex and multi-faceted characters and are both the best ones Alannah has introduced us to yet and considering how I began my review with how much Callie annoyed me in her first introduction, that is saying something!

Alannah Lynne's Heat Wave series just keeps getting better and better with each book. Just when I think I have found my favorite out of the series, Alannah releases book with new characters to love and a plot that will suck you in.
★★★★

1 comment:

  1. Great reviews! I love Alannah Lynne. The Heat Wave series is such a fun read! =)

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