Baddest Bad Boys

I'm not going to recap any of the storylines as it's been done, and very well by previous reviewers. I found I enjoyed Shannon McKenna's story the most. I'm a sucker for the girl longing for the bad boy for all eternity to finally get her chance with him. As is the case in most of Shannon's story's the hero can really be a jerk, yet you're still endeared to him with the creative use of MS McKenna's writing skills. I did find it odd at first that Robin chose to be a clown of all things, but after all it didn't seem so unusual. Their lovemaking was incredible passionate and even though it seems unlikely an inexperienced novice like Robin would be so sexual, I found it easy to believe. I did enjoy the other two stories as well, the only problem I had with Cate Noble's story was as much as I'm a sucker for girl longing for bad boy forever, I'm totally not a fan of now that my brother's dead I'd like to go after his widow. It didn't matter to me Max and Ellie had once had a relationship I'm just not a fan of inter-marriage mingling. It seems very unlikely and a bit creepy to me. I can't even say this boys are the baddest as for the most part they were really wonderful men to the women they so obviously adored. The most alpha male of the group was Shannon McKenna's Tom, but the other heroes were really great heroes. Another plus were the heroines, not shy timid women by far, but instead women who knew what they wanted and weren't afraid to express it. In the end everyone got to be a little bad, which ended up quite good!

This book contains three novellas, all of which have a situation in which a man and a woman have had some attraction but also problems that have kept them away from each other for a long time. When they finally get together, they do so in some remote cabin or on an island and a suspense element is added due to a criminal causing trouble and danger. Shannon McKenna: Anytime, anywhere (5 stars) Robin McNamara has been secretly in love with her brothers' friend Jon Amendola. He never had an interest in the much younger, shy little sister with the braces and glasses. But by now she's all grown up and pretty, and when she hears that the policeman wants to spend some time in her brother's cabin, she goes there to seduce him. But the case of a serial killer he wanted to get away from follows them to the remote cabin... I enjoyed this story a lot. McKenna writes stories with an emotional edge and dark sensuality, and this novella doesn't disappoint. I also found Jon's problem dealing with his emotions very convincing, so in contrast to some other reviewers I don't find the arguments and tension contrived. That's just his way of dealing with his fear of affection. Sexy, with depth, intelligent and fun - I don't have any complaints about this story. E. C. Sheedy:After the lovin' (5 stars) When Tommi Smith confronts an embezzler in the company she's working for, she urgently needs a place to hide from the man who threatens to kill her. She ends up in the cabin of Mac Fleming, a friend's brother, who used to lust after the a few years older woman as a teenager, but who also dislikes her because he feels she used his brother. While the embezzler is preparing to kill her, the attraction between them rises. But can they learn to also trust and love each other? This novella was also great, and I liked the fact that the writer dealt with a woman who has changed over time and a man who needs to overcome his dislike of who he thinks she is. Cate Noble: Deal with the devil (3,5 points) Ellie McMann und Max DeLuca were lovers for a short time, though - coming from a family with lots of divorces and affairs - he never found the courage to tell her he loved her. His half-brother used the estrangement between Ellie and Max to marry her instead. After an unpleasant marriage and her husband's death, Ellie wants to spend one last night with Max before starting a new life. He agrees - but he wants a week on an isolated island. While the two find out that they never stopped loving each other, a killer stalks Ellie... This novella started well and has a good story, but a lot of it was rushed and too many things were left open. It's the weakest of the three.

ANYTIME, ANYWHERE by Shannon McKenna Jon Amendola finally has some downtime following a particularly difficult case. His buddy Danny's cabin is just the type of retreat he requires. No demands, just peace and quiet for at least two weeks. He's been friends with the MacNamara family for a long time and never seen Robin as anything other than a little pseudo sister Robin MacNamara has been accepted into a training program for the Circo della Luna Rosa. It's her dream to become a professional clown. She doesn't regret going after her dreams and leave behind her receptionist job working for her brothers in the hotel industry. Her only regret is that she's never had the opportunity to clue Jon into her very grown up feelings for him. After eavesdropping on Danny and Jon's conversation, Robin knows that Jon is going to be using the fishing cabin for a while. She refuses to let this chance to capture his attention pass her by. What she doesn't expect is to have to seduce him. Bad boy Jon isn't about to risk his friendship with Robin's brothers for a little harmless sex. Can Robin seduce him to her way of thinking? As things heat up between them, an unforeseen complication from his last case threatens to destroy everything. Shannon McKenna is one of the reigning queens of romantic suspense. ANYTIME, ANYWHERE is a prime example of why she's so beloved by her faithful readers. The characters are a delightful mixture of boldness and vulnerability and I loved the tension between them. Throw in a bit of suspense and this is a story well worth buying this anthology for all by itself. AFTER THE LOVIN' by E.C. Sheedy Tommi Smith has never had the best of luck with men and her latest predicament is a real doozie. She's uncovered evidence of embezzlement at the company where she works and now she's afraid her life is in danger. Hiding out seems to be the best bet and her good friend Hugh knows the ideal place. She'll be staying at a fishing cabin with Hugh's younger brother Mac. Mac Fleming's nice quiet retreat may be the perfect hiding spot for Tommi but he's not entirely comfortable with her being there. Her reputation for breaking hearts is legendary and he has no intention of falling for her charms. Of course there's nothing wrong with a little mutual pleasure while they're sharing the cabin, is there? Tommi's concerns and fears follow her to the cabin and even though she doesn't want to involve anyone else in her troubles, she can't resist Mac's gentle persuasion. It's been a long while since they last saw each other and neither of them is prepared for the sexual tension that's quickly building between them. Mac's aware that Tommi's not a forever kind of girl so he proposes a short term affair. Is strictly sex between them possible and what are they going to do about the embezzlement? E.C. Sheedy creates the perfect blend of sexual tension, emotional attachment, and suspense to pull readers into the storyline and ensure you st

This book contains the following three stories. 4 stars for AFTER THE LOVIN' by E.C. Sheedy. Very enjoyable. Nice story. I liked the characters and plot. Tommi (heroine) has evidence against Reid who stole money from her employer. Reid threatens her. Her best friend suggests she stay with his brother Mac for a while, which she does. Mac had a crush on her all through high school and is 5 years younger than Tommi. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: three. Setting: current day Seattle and Vancouver Island. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense. 3 stars for ANYTIME, ANYWHERE by Shannon McKenna. I enjoyed it. Good characters. Pretty good plot. Very erotic. Robin has had a crush on Jon who has been her big brother's best friend for 14 years. Jon is 9 years older than Robin. She learns that Jon is going to a cabin in the mountains for some recuperation time after a tough case. Jon is a cop who just got a serial killer sent to prison. Without his knowledge, Robin goes to the cabin to be with him and hopefully lose her virginity. CAUTION SPOILER: I did not like one part of the plot. After Robin and Jon get together, Jon runs out of condoms. Robin tells him that's ok since she's on the pill, and he doesn't need to use condoms with her. He gets mad saying she should never have unprotected sex, not even with him. She should never trust any man, including him. She is hurt from his yelling and leaves him. This was not a reasonable reason for a fight. If the author needed a way to separate them, I wish she would have used something different, for example: a power outage, a fire started by lightening, other damage from a storm, a wild animal causing a problem. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: ten. Setting: current day Portland, Oregon, Oregon mountains and San Francisco. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense. For a list of my reviews of other Shannon McKenna books, see my 5 star review of "Ultimate Weapon" posted 11/15/08. 3 stars for DEAL WITH THE DEVIL by Cate Noble. Better than average. Good story. I liked it. Ellie, the heroine, was a little too wimpy and fearful for me. I didn't like that she would run away from situations rather than stay, get the facts and make rational decisions. Ellie and Max had a brief romance when Ellie was 19, but they were separated by relatives' deaths and circumstances. Ellie later marries Max's brother Stefan who dies. Stefan and Max owned equal shares in a shipping company. Ellie offers control of her voting stock to Max in return for one night of sex. He counters the offer saying he'd like one week of being together, not just one night. Max's ex girlfriend shows up and causes trouble. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: four. Setting: current day Boston and a private island. Copyright: 2008. Genre: romantic suspense.

"Anytime, Anywhere" by Shannon McKenna. Robin MacNamara has decided her brother's friend Jon Amendola is the man to make her a woman. She goes to his lake house to lose her virginity to him, but he has enemies from his current case as a cop who want him dead and collateral damage is not problem to them. "After the Lovin'" by E.C. Sheedy. Mac Fleming is assigned to protect Tommi Smith from a nasty adversary. They were attracted before, but now their respective hearts have totally taken charge of their heads. "Deal With the Devil" by Cate Noble. Max "Devil" DeLuca wants to keep Ellie DeLuca safe from a stalker so he offers her a week of sex at a private island retreat. The sex part of the scheme works perfectly, but the outcome fails when Ellie learns some information and flees from him into danger. Though the well written heated interludes with danger nearby is hard to grab, these three passionate romantic suspense novellas are fun to read as the BADDEST BAD BOYS shield the women they cherish from deadly adversaries, but no one protects their hearts from each other. Harriet Klausner