Viva Las Bad Boys (Brava) by HelenKay Dimon is first, with a trio of novellas set in the Berkley Hotel and Casino during a power outage. In 'Jackpot', Jack McAllister picks up jilted bride Laine Monroe at the slots machine, and, while he knows something is off about her wedding tale, he can't resist the hot blonde. 'Player's Club' has consultant Jenna Barrister and hotshot chef Zach Jacobs butting heads over his too-public playboy image, and trying at the same time to resist the attraction between them. Rounding things out, 'Two of a Kind' has hotel assistant manager Alex Mitchell trapped in the almost-finished spa with Caroline Rogers, aka Veronica Hampton, travel critic. Sparks fly all through this one, though the sex is much more convincing in some places than the romantic aspects. Then again, they're quick, enjoyable reads, making this one just the thing for packing in your beach bag.
High Stakes: A Tale of Vegas Vampires (Berkley) is Erin McCarthy's first foray into the world of vampires (and not the last, judging by the secondary characters in this one). Assistant d.a. Alexis Baldizzi has only one thing in mind when she bursts into Ethan Carrick's Vegas casino: getting her sister out. She has no intention of taking her sister's place, of posing as Ethan's girlfriend while he's still running a re-election campaign--for President of the vampires, of all things. She doesn't even believe in vampires. As usual with a McCarthy tale, this one is full of zingers, hot sex and just plain fun. Not so usual is the way the secondary characters take on a more important role, leading up to potential sequels. Still, even with my normal dislike of most vampire tales, this one is good and will be going to my 'McCarthy shelf'.
Until next time, happy reading!
