Tasting Fear

This is another fantastic book by Shannon mckenna. I thinks she is a very sexy sexy writer. I love ALL her books. I have all of them. I think she does longer novels better. But all her novella are great too and these 3 novella are so sweet and sexy.

"Outside the Limit" Nancy D'Onofrio's foster mother Lucia has been murdered, and the now the killer is after her and her sisters, Nell and Vivi. Liam Knightly thinks he's starting a construction job for Lucia when he meets Nancy at Lucia's home. Once he finds out what's happened, Liam decides to become Nancy's protector instead - whether she wants it or not. Nancy never thought she'd find true love in a man as uncompromising as Liam. Now she just has to stay alive long enough to prove to him they are meant to be. The scene "Outside the Limit" gets its title from is poignant and sensual. Liam is a bit old fashioned, a bit possessive, and very sexy. At first, it seems Liam and Nancy are wrong for each other. She's not what he wanted and his intensity scares her, but I was quickly drawn in by their compatibility on an emotional level. Liam is perfect for Nancy. He pushes her without being too overwhelming. He pries the insecurity out of her one kiss and one touch at a time. "Outside the Limit" has hot sex, tender emotions, and a very dangerous villain. "Ask for More" Nell D'Onofrio can hardly believe she has finally gotten the attention of the gorgeous man who has lunch in the restaurant she waitresses at. He's there every day at 3:15 on the dot. However, Nell has her hands full trying to find out why her foster mother was murdered, why her sister was abducted, and keeping herself safe from the same fate. Duncan Burke likes having no entanglements. He likes every minute of his day organized and planned out so when the sexy waitress that's been serving him turns his predictable world on its edge, he should be running from her, instead he can't stay away. Nell is more book smart than street smart, which is where Duncan excels. Their feelings are tangible in "Ask for More". Whether it's Nell's fear, passion, or insecurity or Duncan's need for order and logic, their feelings pour off the pages. The villain gets crazier and angrier in "Ask for More". His single minded focus on getting the sisters makes every encounter scarier. "Ask for More" is exciting and emotional. "Ready or Not" Jack Kendrick had a very different image of Vivi when he agreed to harbor her from a psycho out to kill her and her sisters. Vivi D'Onofrio - youngest of the D'Onofrio sisters - is a free spirit. Her tattoos and flowing skirts make her appear flighty, but deep down Vivi is a fighter. She's going to need every ounce of that ability to stay safe and keep her heart intact when she falls for Jack. Jack is convinced that Vivi is going to pack up and leave, despite the mind blowing sex and the fact that she keeps telling him she won't. When opportunity knocks, Jack thinks Vivi will change her tune and she'll take his heart with her when she goes. Vivi and Jack's story in "Ready or Not" is probably the most emotion filled for me. Jack's insecurity and need is endearing. He wants so desperately for Vivi to stay. He's romantic and wonderful with her, unti

This is one of my favorite authors and when I saw her new book I immediately went on auto-buy. I was unpleasantly shocked to first discover this was not one continuous book, but rather three interconnected stories. I hate story collections and never buy them. But considering how happy I typically am with this author's work, I went forward. I am very glad I did. Each story has clearly defined characters with unique personalities that merge so very well with their partners. The socio-economic settings of each story were different as were the resolutions giving a wide ranging set of activities. There is a common theme of left over hostility from WWII leading to the solution of a puzzle. The emotions were deeply felt and the sensuality just lovely. Feel free to take a leap of faith on this book and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Wow. This book does not come with rose tinted glasses. The only thing I can say about this book is that these people were messed up. Nancy and Liam will never make it. If they were real people and were my friends and they sent me a wedding invite, I wouldn't even bother to show up. I wouldn't even send them a card, much less a wedding present. They will be divorced in five years, tops. They are the couple you pray never have children. Nell and Duncan were the most normal but not by much. Nell is hypersensitive about being perceived as a prostitute while Duncan is a hyper focused, OCD control freak. They have a really cute "we are so in love" phase before the eeeeeeevil supervillains make their move and start smacking Nell around. Vivi and Jack, wow. Where to start? Abandonment issues, mommy issues, sexual hangups, head games. Take your pick. A therapist could have a field day with this book. On a personal note, I didn't like Vivi. Too much of a hippie for me. But even though I didn't really care for Vivi or Jack, I was still too engrossed by their personal relationship to flip to the end and find out what was happening. Kind of like a car accident. I couldn't turn away from this mess of a couple. I liked this book as a whole but if I was grading on the individual stories then I only liked Nell and Duncan's story. The plot of this book was very good and suspenseful and I liked the mystery. Depending on my mood, I would rate this 3-4 stars

Stayed awake WAY too late just to finish "Tasting Fear". Shannon McKenna has delivered three stories in one (really thick) volume. The stories are interconnected with an overarching storyline, yet each story could have been published as a standalone and tortured fans into waiting for the next one. For that alone, this is a wonderful book! Three women, adopted as girls by an Italian woman, become sisters. Each 'daughter' has her own personality and her own path to follow. The book opens with the death of the mother, and the early realization by the daughters that it was murder. Their determination to catch the killer is only heightened by the fact that THEY are now being hunted too. A wacko bad guy (or two), a hunky carpenter, a sexy, rather OCD agent, and a former Special Ops turned gardener comprise the main masculine characters. And let me just say...YUM! McKenna sizzles the pages with her special blend of Alpha male dominance and caring. This time out, each of the daughters learns to be strong in her own way and how to depend and care for that most rare of beast...a caring Alpha. Mystery, hot sex, danger, smoking sex, and action (and did I mention the hot sex?) come together to create a page-turning story that demands all a reader's attention. I meant to just read 'one' of the stories and then finish up...HAH! I couldn't put it down and HAD to finish. I enjoyed how each of the sisters had a different personality and that was reflected in their story and their seduction. There weren't too many TSTL (too stupid to live) moments, I could see how and why each one happened and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. The bad guy is really bad and a real sicko...and so's his boss (think Nazi offspring with all the bad traits). The mystery involves a mysterious hidden 'something' whose story and history gradually unfold throughout all three stories. McKenna's characters all have foibles and strengths in equal measures. Nobody's perfect or a prince, etc. Both heroes and heroines work hard for what they have and have to make life-changing decisions under pressure. These things provide her stories with the aura of reality while still providing a great escape and maybe even make me think about what I would do in the same situation. (Scream and faint most likely...or just jump the hottie!) In any event, while I didn't love ALL three of the stories, I did enjoy the heck out of them. And rather than tell you which one was my favorite, I'll just let you read and guess it on your own.