Undercover Lover

Published:  November 19th, 2012

Undercover Professor
By: December Gephart
Carina Press
ISBN-13:  9781426894633

Rule Number One: Must not lie.
Rule Number Two: Must not live with parents.
Rule Number Three: Must have a job.
Rule Number Four: Must not be a friend's ex.

These dating rules shouldn't be hard for Lucy Benoit to follow—after all, she made them. But she didn't plan on falling for Andy Sullivan, a scruffy-yet-attractive man who lives with his mother and is between jobs. These should be deal-breakers, but in other ways Andy is just her type. And there's something intriguing about him…

Andy isn't the geeky gamer he claims to be—not by a long shot. But what seemed like a harmless social experiment has put his chances of a relationship with Lucy at risk. Even if she can get past the silly rules she has set for herself, will she ever forgive him for breaking Rule Number One?

Review

     Lucy Benoit is finally getting her life together after being used and destroyed by a former boyfriend.  Which is why she now follows some very simple dating rules - so she'll never have her heart broken again.    

Then Lucy meets her neighbor's son, Andy, who is living with his Mom and has no job.  Not to mention her cousin Becca (who is man crazy and desperate) has latched on to him and thinks he's her boyfriend.  This breaks all of her rules and she should just let him go.  But the chemistry is undeniable and Lucy can't walk away.  But when it turns out that Andy's been keeping a secret that will change things immensely, Lucy runs away from their growing relationship.  Can Andy win her back and can Lucy get over the past so she can have a future?  Lucy was utterly insufferable.  I get the idea of the author was to cause conflict for a good romance, but most of the time Lucy came across as an undeserving shrew.  She was downright rude to Andy for most of the book and cruel to her cousin, who she calls 'crazy.'  I just found her very unsympathetic.  Plus the tantrum she throws when she finds out that Andy hasn't told the exact truth was epicly immature.  She spent most of the book going on about her list of rules and when she finds out that he meets the criteria, she throws a fit.  Not to mention she refused to even listen to an explanation.  I really did like Andy though.  He had a great sense of humor and I loved that he was a Professor whose work was to do with the world of video games and other geeky things.  Becca came across as desperate and pathetic, but I could tell she had a good heart and wanted the best for Lucy, even if she was overzealous about love in general.  Overall, I feel like I wasted my time but not a complete horror of a book.  Not one that I would recommend or re-read though.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

**I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published November 19th, 2012.**

Maybe I'd Rather Starve...

Published:  September 17th, 2012

Starved for Love

By: Annie Nicholas

Carina Press

ISBN-13:  9781426894381

After almost dying of starvation to remain faithful to a mortal lover, succubus Pia Blyton now shields her heart by feeding solely on men she won't fall for. The only trick is, to create energy to survive, she must achieve orgasm. At least that rules out bad sex with her three lovers. Too bad she's a sucker for falling in love.

When her demon lover doesn't arrive for their arranged rendezvous, Pia is forced to ask her vampire lover to step in before her energy becomes dangerously low. In return he demands a favor and Pia finds herself in the hotel suite of the mysterious Valerio Hunan, who seduces her with a devastating kiss. Too late Pia learns he's an incubus who wants to lure her into marriage—a marriage without love.

As an incubus used to bedding a variety of succubi, Val doesn't understand Pia's yearning for love. He needs a succubus wife to provide him with a steady source of energy. But he wants Pia for the passion and renewed interest in life she makes him feel. Can Pia convince Val that sex isn't just for survival and love is for more than the weak?

Review

     Pia Blyton has a feeding system that allows her to not fall in love and get hurt, but when one of her three partners vanishes her schedule goes to Hell.  And to a succubus who has a former 'eating disorder' by trying to stay faithful to one man and has had her heart broken, this is a complete disaster.  Enter incubus Valerio Hunan, a shrewd businessman looking for a sixth wife to expand his power base.  Pia's overprotective Father offered her sisters and Valerio wasn't interested - but something about Pia intrigues him against his better judgement.  When sparks begin to fly and the relationship gets more complicated than either ever expected, both of them are left hanging on for dear life.  But with the mystery behind her third lover's disappearance possibly having a more sinister reason behind it, Pia may need Valerio more than she thinks.  Is true love too much to ask for a succubus?  This was different from my usual reads by far.  It was also the first book I've ever read involving a succubus.  I can't say that I was overly impressed.  I never really got invested in the romance or the characters, my main problem being it wasn't a monogamous love story, in that only two people were married to each other.  The multiple wives just disconnected me from the start.  Plus, Pia was whiny and acted helpless all the time - it seriously got on my nerves as a reader who has little patience with the "helpless" female in literature.  I like my heroines with a spine thankyouverymuch!!!  Overall, a disappointing love story, sex scenes that felt gratuitous & fell pretty flat and a story that didn't capture my heart.  Not the one for me at all.

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published September 17th, 2012.*