A Mixed Bag: The latest offerings from Cocky Hero Club are a mix of lows and highs

I only read five of the new batch of Cocky Hero Books coming out on July 19th so I’ll take you through those books, going from …

Low to High

French Wanker by Victoria Pinder

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

That Was Not The Word You Were Looking For

The first thing that struck me about this book was a fairly big problem. “Wanker” in British slang is defined as this: 1. Someone who masturbates, 2. a contemptible person (used as a general term of abuse) and variations of this. Never is it defined as it is in the book, that is as Quentin tells Kara: a slang term for “penis”. So that’s a fairly glaring error. It makes Kara referring to Quentin as “Wanker” and “Mr. Wanker” and Quentin referring to his ‘member’ as “wanker” just laughable, then just kind of irritating. It’s mind boggling really. How did this happen? A book has to go through beta reading and proof reading and editing… No one knew what “wanker” really means?

When I first heard the title of the book I thought that it was going to be about some French alpha-jerk because of the term but no, Quentin is a sympathetic figure. He’s a really nice doctor who feels responsible for the death of his fiancé from cancer (and his brother – he carries many burdens).

The tone of the book is, let’s say, varied. He’s brooding about his fiancé’s death and Kara, the jilted bride, is feeling rather frisky and referring to him as “Wanker”. “Quentin was a cute name though he’d forever be my wanker.” Quentin asks Kara about her wine: “How does it taste to you?” Kara: “Yes.”

It’s comedic at points and then tense and brooding, then angst-filled, I will just say, it was not for me. The “wanker” thing threw me off and I could not enjoy the book. I had high hopes. There’s a road trip. There are scenes in a vineyard and in Monte Carlo. No blurb or description was provided.

WRITING STYLE: 2/5
PLOT: 2/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 2/5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 2/5
ROMANCE: 2/5
HEAT: 2/5

So this book made me sad, as did, Shameless Bastard, as I will explain below…

Shameless Bastard by J. Haney and S.I. Hayes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don’t even know what categories to put this book into.

It wasn’t until I read the blurb after having read the book that I can kind of see where this book was supposed to be headed. It had so many different storylines and characters that were just dropped…it was confusing. In addition, I didn’t actually find any of the characters terribly likeable. It was all a lot of jumbled up noise to me, unfortunately. I was really looking forward to this book. Disappointed.

BLURB: Temping sucks, especially when you have a shopping addiction.
I started at Seemore Temps when my dreams were shattered and I needed something to pay the bills.
At Seemore Temps they pride themselves on the three B’s. Beauty, Brains, and Bounty.
They supply the mostly male-driven businesses of Manhattan with able women that can do the job, and look good too.
Needless to say, we’re a popular Agency.
Working for Mason Chase should have been easy. He was married, kind and a bit of a flirt, but pretty harmless.
Not like James Murtaugh or the Shameless Bastard as I’ve come to call him.
He’s the ruthless, arrogant CEO of Renowned Investment Financial, and he’s set his eyes on… me.
He can have any woman he wants and will go to great lengths to have them.
I need this job, but I want, Christ, what do I want? Do I give in? Let him conquer me like some Emperor?
Or do I stay in my place and collect the paycheck? We shall see, either way, it’s gonna be interesting.
All good things must come to an end, right?
Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming. 

This blurb sounds interesting and makes some kind of sense. I can see where they were going with it. It has very little in common with the finished book. Some people on Goodreads really liked the book. Maybe you will too. Who knows.

Heartbreaker by Julie Kriss

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overcoming Misconceptions Can Give You Another Chance At Love

Mina and Holden went to high school together where, for a time, they were close friends. Mina has this misconception that she was thought of as the “fat girl” and that Holden was “the popular one”.

“Boys didn’t give me the time of day in high school. Then Holden asked me to be his prom date. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was so excited….He stood me up. He didn’t answer his phone and never called.”

Mina moves away from her home town after that and doesn’t see Holden again until ten years later in New York City, when her elevator gets stuck and he is the EMT that is sent in to make sure she’s okay. She lets Holden and his co-workers know that she hates him. Holden comes over to Mina’s apartment later to apologize and to try to explain about prom. Mina has always been Holden’s “dream girl” and standing her up for prom was one of the worst things he’s ever done. Mina didn’t know what Holden was really dealing with at the time.

Holden and Mina try to weave their way through the stumbling blocks of a new relationship, jobs that hardly let them see each other, crazy roommates, and insane co-workers, all while uncovering the ghosts of the past. Do they stand a chance? Or will Mina let fear win?

Graham tells Mina, “ Your problem is fear…That fear when you’re falling for someone, when you know that they could hurt you if they chose to.”

WRITING STYLE: 4/5
PLOT: 3/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 45
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 3/5
ROMANCE: 4/5
HEAT: 4/5

Blurb: “Holden Whittaker broke my heart when I was 18. What kind of guy stands up his prom date and leaves her hanging, waiting for him to show up? A total jerk, that’s who.
Never mind. I left my tiny nowhere town and moved to New York to follow my dream of becoming an actress.

Ten years later, my dream hasn’t happened, and I’m working as the office supply girl at Morgan Financial Holdings, doing my best to keep my pay check and not get fired by the world’s most terrifying boss. Life couldn’t get much worse, until I get stuck in an elevator and guess who comes to rescue me? In a city of eight million people, it’s Holden.

Turns out he’s moved to New York, too, to be an EMT. I don’t want to see my teenage nemesis as one of the good guys, but he’s out saving lives every day, and he’s still gorgeous and cocky. I could fall for him all over again, and that’s a problem. Because it’s only a matter of time before Holden crushes me again.

My hometown heartbreaker isn’t the guy I left behind anymore. If I could stop hating him, I might belong with him. The question is, which one of us will get hurt first?”

Cocky Contender by J.M. Kelley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MMA Fighter Has to Fight for His Chance at Love

Cocky Contender is a fun, steamy, read with a bit of angst and suspense thrown in. The ending will leave you smiling for days.

Marco and Mila are both instantly attracted to each other but dangerous secrets threaten to keep them apart, possibly forever. Marco must make a desperate sacrifice to ensure their future.

Marco is a great male character: he’s protective without being overbearing. He’s funny and flirtatious without being cheesy. He’s caring and loves his family.

Mila is escaping a scary situation and has a lot of secrets but she’s able to put it all aside and love Marco fully.

Aside from the scorching hot love story with elements of angst and suspense there’s a nice story of family and friends who support you.

WRITING STYLE: 4/5
PLOT: 4/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 45
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 4/5
ROMANCE: 4/5
HEAT: 4/5

Blurb: I’ve been throwing punches since I was old enough to remember.

They call me The Lion, a sexy, tattooed beast in the cage.

I gave it all up after my brother’s accident and now I’m just trying to figure out how to save my family’s legacy and get over a broken heart.

I’ve been in love with my friend Soraya since the ninth grade. Too bad she’s in love with someone else. I even have the broken jaw to prove it.

Then This sexy, irresistible little firecracker with a zesty attitude walks into my gym and turns my life upside down.

She’s keeping secrets, something or someone she’s running from, and I’m going to find out.

I won’t let her run anymore. I’ll prove she’s worth the fight.

I must pull off the biggest win of my life.
I’m ready to battle in and out of the octagon for her.

I’m ready to save my family’s livelihood and win the woman of my dreams.

I’m ready to battle for my destiny.

Don’t think you know how this fight is going to turn out.

Rockstar Romeo by Abbie Zanders

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rock Star’s Destiny

Jace is the lead singer of the band Dark Wing. Eva is the co-owner of their PR firm. A long time ago Jace saw Eva perform as the lead singer of a band at a festival. That performance inspired him to start his band. Eva, was at that time, with the father of her not-at-that-point-known-about twin sons, Ian. Ian is now kind of a sad individual who is trying to stage a come back but back then he really hurt her. Her sons are now 18 and are going to go on tour with Ian. Eva is feeling pretty down about the entire situation.

Jace wants to take her out but she turns him down (at first!). Her ex pretty much destroyed her faith in men: “my emotional scars ran deep and I’d sworn that I would never again mistake pretty words spoken in the heat of the moment for truth.” Jace is the kind of man who thinks things like this: “I wanted to make her mine the way I was already hers.” SWOON

Jace takes the time to battle Eva’s past in order to just date her. When Eva’s issues prove to be too much of a battle for her to fight and she leaves, he gives it one more try. Jace needs to prove that he is not like the man that broke Eva’s heart all those years ago. Will destiny win over fear?

WRITING STYLE: 5/5
PLOT: 5/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 55
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5/5
ROMANCE: 5/5
HEAT: 5/5

Oh this book! It swept me up and captivated me, it had me incensed, and finally it enchanted and soothed and made me believe.

Kate Grand, on Rockstar Romeo

Blurb: Jace Logan’s smooth, deep voice and devastating good looks have made him a rock legend. He’s seen and done it all, but he’s never forgotten what—or rather, who—inspired him in the first place. Nearly twenty years later, the young singer who’d touched his very soul is still in his thoughts. In every song he writes. And she has no idea, because she disappeared from the music scene before he ever had a chance to tell her.

When he and his band fly to LA to lay down some new tracks, he feels an instant and unnerving connection to the woman handling their upcoming tour. She’s beautiful, business-savvy, and oddly familiar. Unfortunately, she’s also proving frustratingly impervious to his charms.

Eva D’Agolino’s job is to make people famous, and she’s damn good at it – probably because she was once part of the rock and roll life herself. These days, she prefers working behind the curtain instead of center stage. The cruel lessons she learned firsthand make it easy to keep things strictly professional, even around sexy, confident rock gods who don’t like to be told no.

Well, most of the time, anyway.

When Eva’s personal life begins to crumble, Jace is there to pick up the pieces. Denying him completely proves impossible, especially when he’s so good at giving her exactly what she needs. But she’s no fool. She’s already been down that road and knows how the song ends.

Can Jace convince Eva he’s more than just the rock star she unknowingly created, and that theirs is truly a love song for the ages?

Rockstar Romeo by USA Today Bestselling author Abbie Zanders is a standalone contemporary rock star romance written in Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Cocky Hero world. If you like sexy rock stars, second chances, and the kind of love that inspires chart-breaking power ballads, you’re going to love Jace and Eva’s story!

Click here to get to the Cocky Hero Club for links to all the new releases.

Here’s a link to my review of one of my fav’s from the first batch of Cocky Hero books: Lucky Bastard.

There’s a LOT of great new books coming out. Hopefully I’ll have some reviews for you!