Tag Archives: Maya Banks

TBRG Top 5 Historical Reads of 2011

Posted on December 28, 2011 by TBRG| 2 Comments

What makes for a great historical romance? In our humble opinion the authors that are in our top 5 historical reads of the year have the magic touch when it comes to crafting stories that sweep us away from the 21st century and into the past, where it’s the American West, Regency England or the Wilds of the Scottish Highlands.

Melanie’s top 5

  1. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
  2. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke by Sarah MacLean
  3. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley
  4. Midnight’s Wild Passion by Anna Campbell
  5. Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke

Janon’s top 5

  1. Waking up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath
  2. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
  3. Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros
  4. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley
  5. Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath

Heather’s Top 5

  1. After Dark with a Scoundrel by Alexandra Hawkins
  2. Never Love a Highlander by Maya Banks
  3. Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt
  4. Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen
  5. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron by Jennifer Ashley

We’re a little more diversified in this category but we all loved Jennifer Ashley’s Lord Cameron what a great hero he was.

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Seduction of a Highland Lass by Maya Banks

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Heather| 3 Comments

Title: Seduction of a Highland Lass

Series: McCabe Trilogy

Author: Maya Banks

Genre: Historical

Fiercely loyal to his elder brother, Alaric McCabe leads his clan in the fight for their birthright. Now, he is prepared to wed for duty, as well. But on his way to claim the hand of Rionna McDonald, daughter of a neighboring chieftain, he is ambushed and left for dead. Miraculously, his life is saved bythe soft touch of a Highland angel, a courageous beauty who will put his fealty to his clan, his honor, and his deepest desires, to the test.

An outcast from her own clan, Keeley McDonald was betrayed by those she loved and trusted. When the wounded warrior falls from his horse, she is drawn to his strong, lean body. The wicked glint in his green eyes ignites a passion that will follow them back to Alaric’s keep, where their forbidden love draws them deeper into the pleasures of the flesh. But as conspiracy and danger circle closer, Alaric must make an impossible choice. Will he betray his blood ties for the woman he loves?

First I have to say, isn’t the cover of this book absolutely amazing? I love it. In fact I want to find a blanket in those exact colors.

After finishing In Bed with a Highlander I was already completely in love with the McCabe brothers. But this book oh man this book just broke my heart. If you’ve seen any of the conversations on twitter about this book you will know that you HAVE to have box of kleenex by you as you read it.

Alaric and Keeley’s love was doomed from the start as he is suppose to marry her cousin to form an alliance that will help to destroy the person responsible for almost destroying both the King and the McCabe clan.

When Alaric is gravely wounded and ends up in the care of Keeley neither one of them realized the consequenes of her saving him. They both know there can be no future for them as Alaric is promised to Rionna, Keeley’s cousin and he is a man of his word. What neither one of them can control however is how they feel for each other.

The four chapters in this book are four of the most heartfelt and emotion wrenching chapters I think I have ever read. I read them three times and cried each and every time. When they have to say their goodbye’s to each other on the eve of his wedding I cried. Then there is what happens at the wedding and after that will make you cry absolute buckets. When Caelen steps up so that Alaric and Keeley could have their happily ever after I cried.

Once again Maya shows what a spectacular storyteller she is by giving us a book that evokes all our emotions.

Grade A+

Other books in the series..

In Bed with a Highlander

Never Love a Highlander

Posted in Historical

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Awesome Giveway by Carly Phillips and Maya Banks

Posted on November 17, 2011 by TBRG| 1 Comment

Are you a fan of Carly Phillips and Maya Banks? If so well you don’t want to miss out on this awesome giveaway they are doing. Carly is giving away a $20 Amazon GC and an ARC of Maya’s next KGI book Whispers in the Dark. You can find all of the information on Carly’s site Plot Monkey’s.

Maya is doing the same over on her site Southern Sin only she’s giving away on ARC of Carly’s next book in her Serendipity series Destiny. Having just finished reading Destiny I can promise you you will not want to miss this book.

 

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In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks

Posted on November 15, 2011 by TBRG| Leave a comment

Title: In Bed with a Highlander

Series: McCabe Trilogy bk 1

Author: Maya Banks

Genre: Historical

Ewan McCabe, the eldest, is a warrior determined to vanquish his enemy. Now, with the time ripe for battle, his men are ready and Ewan is poised to take back what is his—until a blue-eyed, raven-haired temptress is thrust upon him. Mairin may be the salvation of Ewan’s clan, but for a man who dreams only of revenge, matters of the heart are strange territory to conquer. 

Though the illegitimate daughter of the king, Mairin possesses prized property that has made her a pawn—and wary of love. Her worst fears are realized when she is rescued from peril, only to be forced into marriage by her charismatic and commanding savior, Ewan McCabe. But her attraction to her ruggedly powerful new husband finds her craving his surprisingly tender touch; her body comes alive under his sensual mastery. And as war draws near, Mairin’s strength, spirit, and passion challenge Ewan to conquer his demons—and embrace a love that means more than revenge and land.

When I started reading this book I wasn’t sure what to expect. I love Maya which is why I wanted to read it but I am really picky about my highlander. I decided to trust Maya and her vision for her characters. As I started reading I began to feel like I was reading a Julie Garwood book, which I have to say I wasn’t disappointed in as I love her.

 Marin has been in hiding for years because of the inheritance that her father gave her. Every man in Scotland wants it. When the worst man in Scotland finds her and forces her from her hiding place, she immediately begins plotting her escape. When an innocent who belongs to the man that has vowed to kill her captor is found and taken with her as a hostage to his keep she knows that escape is their only option.

When Marin ends up in the hands of Ewan McCabe he vows to protect her anyway he can in repayment of saving his son. His solution to both of their problems is marriage.

As I said earlier I am extremely picky when it comes to my historicals. With that being said I loved every single page in this book. There was absolutely nothing that I didn’t love. The romance between Marin and Ewan is at times very sweet and others very intense as they are both very stubborn people.

If you love Julie Garwood’s historicals then you will absolutely love this book. I know that I did.

Grade A+

Other books in the series

Seduction of a Highland Lass

Never Love a Highlander

Posted in Historical

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Never Love a Highlander by Maya Banks

Posted on October 17, 2011 by TBRG| 2 Comments

Title: Never Love a Highlander

Series: McCabe Trilogy

Author: Maya Banks

Genre: Historical Romance

Caelen McCabe’s young, reckless heart nearly destroyed his clan. Now putting family loyalty above all else, he steps up to marry his older brother’s jilted bride and salvage the uneasy alliance between two clans. While beautiful Rionna McDonald is a fit wife for any man, Caelen trusts no woman, especially not this sweet temptress who torments him with white hot longing.

As the sacrificial lamb in her father’s power game, Rionna will do her duty but protect her heart and her pride from another man’s humiliation. Despite everything, the heat in Caelen’s touch melts her defenses and she craves the sensual delights of a husband who guards his emotions as fiercely as his clan. But when the ultimate battle for the McCabe legacy is upon them, Rionna’s true warrior spirit emerges. She will risk the wrath of her father, the fury of her enemies, and her life to prove to Caelen that his wife’s love is too precious to lose.

While I have loved each of the books in this series this book I think is by far my favorite.

At the end of Seduction of a Highland Lass Caelen steps up and takes Alaric’s place as Rionna’s husband so that his brother can stay married to Keeley, the woman that he loves. However there are certain terms he has for his new clan. Rionna gladly accepts them all. Hoping that finally her clan will be the clan she knows that they can be.

When you take two people that have very strong personalities and opinions on the way that things are suppose to be fireworks are sure to happen and they do.

Caelen has very firm ideas for what he wants and expects of his wife. Never mind the fact that she has spent most of her life doing the complete opposite. When as a result of his expectations regarding how she is to behave results in her being harmed he was to rethink his feelings on the matter, and come to a compromise.

Rionna never expected that marriage would mean that she has to stop being who she has always been. She wonders why Caelen won’t accept her for her. When he compromises on his stance she realizes that she must do the same.

Watching these two fall in love and work through their misconceptions of each other and work to make her clan stronger is most definitely a page turner. From the moment that I picked it up I completely ignored everyone and everything. As soon as I done reading it I wanted to pick it up and read it again. Yes it is that good.

While I have loved every single book by Maya that I have ever read this series is by far my absolute favorite series and one that I will be telling people that they need to read and have on their shelves. In fact it will be one that I have not only in print but also on my kindle.

I am going to say this here and now YOU HAVE TO GET THIS SERIES!!! In fact at the bottom of this post is a link to buy the first two books in the series. Yes it is that good. Trust me! I mean come on have I ever steered you wrong when it comes to a book.

Grade A+

Other books in the series..

In Bed with a Highlander

Seduction of a Highland Lass

Posted in Historical, Review

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Into the Mist

Posted on July 18, 2010 by TBRG| Leave a comment

  Into the Mist

Falcon Mercanaries bk 1
Maya Banks

Hostage recovery specialist Eli Chance has a secret. He was born a shifter. A freak of nature. While on a mission, Elis men and their mercenary guide are exposed to a powerful chemical agent, and suddenly his secret has become easier to hide. Now hes not the only one with the gift. But for his men, this gift is becoming more and more of a curse. Tyana Berezovskys brother Damiano was the guide for Elis team and was the worst affected by the chemical. As he grows increasingly unstable, Tyana fears shes going to lose him to the beast he is becoming. Tyana will do whatever it takes to help him, even if it means using her body to go after the one man she thinks holds all the blameand possibly the cure, Eli Chance 

This is a book that I have looked at several times and yet never gotten, as I have made my way through Maya’s books, but the other day I decided to read this one, and am really glad that I did.
Eli and Ty are people that have been shaped by their pasts. Neither one of them trust in much of anything besides their teams, and yet they have this amazing chemistry together that causes them to burn up the sheets within minutes of being in each other’s presence.
Ty thinks that Eli has the answers to what is wrong with her brother and will stop at nothing to get them for him. Eli wants answers on how to help his teammates and wants to know what Ty wants from him.
This is one of those books that keeps you engaged from the first page, because you never know what you are going to get. You want to know how they are going to help their brothers, and how they are going to deal with each other, and the emotions that they make each other feel.
As the end gets near you know that there isn’t going to be a resolution, because there is more than one book in this series, and they are hunting the same bad guy in the second book, but your still not sure how it is going to end. What you don’t expect is how it ends or the reasons behind it.
If you have never read a Maya Banks book than you can’t go wrong by starting with this one. It has a great plot, steamy sex, a serious kick butt heroine (she reminds me of a tougher Jennifer Garner in Alias), a supremely hot hero, and lots of action, most of it with her kicking his butt.
I give this book a 4 out of 5

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Seducing Simon

Posted on May 5, 2010 by TBRG| Leave a comment
Seducing Simon

Maya Banks

One fateful night, Toni Langston seduces her best friend, the guy she’s been in love with forever. Two problems—he doesn’t remember a thing that happened and now she’s pregnant.

Toni Langston has been in love with Simon, her best friend, for years. The night Simon breaks up with his long time girlfriend, he and Toni make love. Toni is devastated and humiliated when, in the heat of the moment, he calls her by his girlfriend’s name. The next morning, Simon remembers nothing of the previous night and Toni is only too relieved not to remind him.

Two months later, she discovers she’s pregnant. She wants Simon to love her, apart from any obligation he might feel because of the baby. So she embarks on a quest to seduce her best friend, to make him see her as more than a little sister, to make him love her as much as she loves him. It works. Maybe too well. Now when things are perfect, she faces telling him of the secret she’s kept.

From the moment I read the blurb of this book I had to read it. For one I am a HUGE Maya Banks fan. I will read anything she writes.

I absolutely loved how this book progressed. Simon and Toni have known each other all their lives so we don’t have to wade through the whole getting to know you process, we get to jump right into the story.

There is something great about friends falling in love, and these two were great together. The supporting cast was amazing, A.J. the other roommate and best friend, Mike the fire fighter that is waiting for his chance with Toni in case her and Simon don’t work out, even though he works with Simon.

This was just an all around great book. It reads a lot like her Harlequin books, which are some of my favorite books. I found it as an ebook at a couple of places, Amazon and My Bookstore and More.

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5.

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Sweet Persuasion

Posted on October 11, 2009 by TBRG| 2 Comments

Sweet Persuasion
Sweet Series bk 2

back cover

For five years, Serena has run Fantasy Incorporated and has devoted her time to fulfilling her clients’ fantasies. Never her own. Until now…

Her most secret desire is to give ownership of her body to a man. Someone who will command her, pleasure her, and have complete authority over her. So she seeks out Damon Roche, owner of an exclusive sex club and a man strong enough to make her do anything he wants. Anything.

Together they’ll journey into a world she’s only dreamed of. She’s given the opportunity to immerse herself in a different life while her normal one waits for her to return whenever she wishes. Damon has no desire to let her go, however. Serena is the woman he’s long searched for, and it’s up to him to convince her to stay when the game is all over with. He wants their fantasy to become their reality and for Serena to remain his pampered, cherished submissive.

REVIEW: I am one of those people that when I see Maya Banks I immediately grab it. It doesn’t matter whether it is one of her Harlequin series (her Greek tycoon Series is one of my personal favorites). So when I saw this book everywhere I knew that I needed to read it.

When I started to read it I loved it, and was really liking the story. One thing that I liked was the friendship between Serena, Faith and Julie. When Serena decided to follow through with her deep dark fantasy, one that I think all women want to do at least once in their lives, I knew that it was going to be a good story. Boy was I surprised when Serena turned out to be a woman that wanted something and was willing to do as long as no one knew what she was doing.

Damon was a man that was completely in tune with who he was, so when Serena gives herself to him, he knows that he has found something that he has been looking for, and had thought that he would never find. He opens up to her in ways that he has never open up to anyone ever. I really enjoyed Damon.

I was really enjoying this book and the storyline however that all changed when I had a 1/4 of the book left. Serena just got on my nerves so much with her attitude. I just couldn’t finish it. She was the one that wanted the fantasy, however she is the one balked when it got to personal. If it wasn’t for this I would have liked this book a whole lot better.

I will say this though I will keep reading this series, as I really really like this one. It should come with a warning as it is HOT!!! In fact when Mike saw that I was reading this book he got a look in eyes that made me laugh.

I give this book a 3 out of 5.

You can buy this book here, here, and here.

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Sweet Surrender by Maya Banks

Posted on January 19, 2009 by TBRG| Leave a comment

Under Faith Malone’s deceptively soft exterior lies a woman who knows exactly what she wants. A strong man who’ll take without asking—because she’s willing to give him everything…

Dallas cop Gray Montgomery is on a mission: find the guy who killed his partner—and bring him to justice. So far, he’s found a link between the killer and Faith—and if Gray has to get close to her to catch the killer, so be it.

Faith is sweet and feminine, everything Gray wants and desires in a woman, but he suspects she’s playing games. No way she would allow a man to call the shots in their relationship. Or would she?

Faith sees in Gray the strong, dominant man she needs, but he seems determined to keep her at a distance. So she takes matters into her own hands to prove to him it’s no game she’s playing. She’s willing to surrender to the right man. Gray would like to be that man. But catching his partner’s killer has to be his first priority. Until Faith is threatened and Gray realizes he will do anything to protect her.

REVIEW: I had a really hard time reading this book, I ended up just skimming it because I just couldn’t get into the story. I have read other books along this theme, and I have to say that I liked them more. As a fan of Maya Banks, I love her Silhouette books, so I was expecting to love this story and I didn’t like it.

There wasn’t any one thing that I didn’t like, I think it was the story as a whole that I didn’t like. I will say that the sex was OMG hot, but that was about all.

This was read as part of the WInter 08 Challenge: Story that has a military or civil servant.

I give this book a 3 out of 5.

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