Pursued by the Devil by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Short, Sexy Novella About Alpha Male and The Woman Who Can’t Resist Him

FINAL DECISION: This novella is short and sexy with a protective alpha male and the woman who is being stalked. The length of the story doesn’t allow for much character development, but the chemistry between the hero and heroine makes this story a good read.

THE STORY: Lindsey Carlisle is a career woman. A lawyer, she is representing a company opposing a corporate takeover by Mikhail Lysenko. Mikhail is a Russian billionaire, alpha male and intensely attracted to Lindsey. Lindsey is attracted to Mikhail as well but knows that professional responsibilities mean that she cannot become involved in Mikhail. When Lindsey begins receiving mysterious black roses, Mikhail insists on protecting her from her stalker. The mystery of who is threatening Lindsey and the sexy romance between Mikhail and Lindsey are the focus of the story.

OPINION: This novella is short and as a result, there is not as much character development and I would like. The attraction between Lindsey and Mikhail is immediate and it would have been nice to understand more what Mikhail sees in Lindsey that makes him want to immediately toss aside everything that is important to him in order to pursue her.

I did very much enjoy the chemistry between Lindsey and Mikhail and he is so completely devoted to her that it was impossible for me not to like him. The story is simple, but effective.

I thought that Mikhail especially was a very interested character and I would have liked to get to know him better as a character. He does have very good qualities, however. His determination, protectiveness and single minded pursuit of Lindsey are attractive. He is a definite alpha male but Lindsey can handle him.

WORTH MENTIONING: Mikhail identifies strongly with the bear. I wish the title would have reflected that rather than using “devil” which doesn’t really have any connection with the story.

CONNECTED BOOKS: PURSUED BY THE DEVIL is part of the International Bad Boys series. These books are loosely connected only by theme and concept without overlapping characters. Therefore, this book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in order to provide a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions herein are my own.

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Shadow Alpha by Carole Mortimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable Sexy Quick Read

“Dair could only hope, for everyone’s sake, that no harm had come to this man’s sister. Sweet little Katya.”

THE STORY: Dair Grayson is connected to one of the underworld families in London. He has spent over a decade trying to build a life away from that life. When he is asked by the head of the Markovic underworld family to help find out what is going on with Katya Markovic Orlov who married into another underworld family as part of an arranged marriage orchestrated by their father. Dair remembers a sweet innocent Katya from when she was fifteen and he was eighteen. Those memories of that sweet girl get him to agree to find out what is happening. When Dair discovers Katya he finds out that her husband has had her placed at a private clinic where she is essentially a prisoner. When he rescues her, the two take off on a world adventure hiding from the forces of her husband’s family.

OPINION: I liked much about this book. The relationship between Kat and Dair is hot and spicy. Kat is no shrinking violet despite her history. She is strong and I loved how she and Dair fight and argue and how that quickly turns into sexual heat. Dair is heroic and yet has a dark past. I liked that they have a great connection and I really did believe that they had chemistry between them. This is a shorter book and thus does not have the great development in story and characters that a longer novel would. That being said, I did enjoy these characters and will continue reading the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: My biggest complaint about this book is that for a woman who was terrorized by her husband and lost a child only two months ago, she quickly turned to a new relationship with Dair. Perhaps too quickly for me.

FINAL DECISION: I enjoyed this book as a quick uncomplicated read. Will it be one I want to read again and again? No. But I enjoyed it while I was reading the story.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SHADOW ALPHA is the third book in the ALPHA series. There is not necessary to have read any of the prior books in the series. Although characters from Book 2, DARK ALPHA, are mentioned briefly, they make no appearance.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

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