Audio Review ~ What You Need ~ Lorelei James #AudioChallenge

What You Need by Lorelei James
Need You #1
Narrated by: Lidia Dornet and Roger Wayne
Release Date: January 8, 2016
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Audible 
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Challenges: #AudioChallenge
Goodreads

Synopsis
Lennox Greene is a woman with a rebellious past, which she conceals beneath her conservative clothes. She knows flirting with her boss, Brady Lund, during working hours is a bad idea. So when the handsome CFO of Lund Industries shows up at her favorite dive bar and catches her cutting loose, she throws caution aside and dares him to do the same.

After sparks fly, Brady finds that keeping his hands off Lennox during office hours is harder than expected. Though she makes him feel alive for the first time in years, a part of him wonders if she's just using him to get ahead. And Lennox must figure out whether Brady wants her for the accomplished woman she is or the bad girl she was.

It's been a long while since I read Lorelei James but I've always enjoyed her writing. So when I saw she had a series revolving around a big family running a family business, it was a no-brainer for me. Now I admit that I'd only read her cowboy series - and the Need You series is more contemporary romance than the steam her cowboys create, but I enjoyed meeting these businessmen and women.

My favorite things in What You Need:

• A big family - I like stories revolving around a big family and I love the dynamics between the siblings, cousins, etc. The Lund's delivered.
• Brady and Lennox - these two were great together. They proved that you can't judge a book by its cover - so to speak - defying the stereotypes of their professional positions and their appearance. They had a lot in common despite their very different upbringings and the difference in their social status. And Lennox was good at witty comebacks. The banter between these two was fun as well as aiding in turning up the sexual tension between them.
• They didn't jump into bed immediately. What?!? *gasps* I know! They took the time to get acquainted first and I liked that.
• The details - I like when details about the characters' jobs are given. Not only did we learn about certain aspects of Lund Industries, how it was founded, its history, and how it's run currently, but we also got some detail about teen counseling and professional football. These details make me feel more invested in the characters and their family.
• Roger Wayne and Lidia Dornet - Their narration brought all these characters to life. They deftly conveyed the emotions and kept the pacing perfect. I've sometimes felt Dornet's range was limited but this story was the perfect stage for her particular range.

Overall, I had a good time with What You Need and I'm eager to get started on the next in this series.

My TBR List ~ May ~ Polling is Open!

My To-Be Read List is a meme hosted by Michelle @Because Reading. I think it's a fabulous idea because it gets y'all in the game and it helps me knock off some of the many, many books on my TBR list. You're more than welcome to join in the fun! I've included the basic rules below but you can click on the graphic above to hop over to Michelle's site where you can find all the details. 

Here's how it works:
On the first Saturday of each month, I will make a post with three books from my TBR List (these books can be already on your ereader or bookshelf OR books you might want to purchase) and add your link on the linky that will be provided on Michelle's post. Y'ALL will help me choose which book I will read next. The following Saturday, I will announce which book won. Then the last Saturday of the month, I'll post my review.

Fun, right?!?

***

I'm continuing my quest, and working at one of my Bookish Resolutions to catch up on series (since I'm behind in 148 series) I'm once again having y'all decide which series I'm going to work at catching up on this month! :D

FYI, this will be my theme all year. And since I'm letting random.org choose from the list of series I'm behind in, you might see books show up more than once. ;)


Your Choices Are:


Us
Him #2

Synopsis
Can your favorite hockey players finish their first season together undefeated?

Five months in, NHL forward Ryan Wesley is having a record-breaking rookie season. He's living his dream of playing pro hockey and coming home every night to the man he loves--Jamie Canning, his longtime best friend turned boyfriend. There's just one problem: the most important relationship of his life is one he needs to keep hidden, or else face a media storm that will eclipse his success on the ice.

Jamie loves Wes. He really, truly does. But hiding sucks. It's not the life Jamie envisioned for himself, and the strain of keeping their secret is taking its toll. It doesn't help that his new job isn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped, but he knows he can power through it as long as he has Wes. At least apartment 10B is their retreat, where they can always be themselves.

Or can they?

When Wes's nosiest teammate moves in upstairs, the threads of their carefully woven lie begin to unravel. With the outside world determined to take its best shot at them, can Wes and Jamie develop major-league relationship skills on the fly?

Warning: contains sexual situations, a vibrating chair, long-distance sexytimes and proof that hockey players look hot in any shade of green.




Dark Desires After Dusk
Immortals After Dark #6

Synopsis
A seductive beauty he can never have, yet can't resist...
Cadeon Woede will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

A tormented warrior she should fear, but can't deny...
Raised as a human, Holly never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon's wicked touch.

Surrender to dark desires...
Yet just when he earns Holly's trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs -- and claim his heart?





Turn and Burn
Blacktop Cowboys #5

Synopsis
Tanna Barker is a world champion barrel racer. But her personal life has been less of a success, and she's feeling adrift. After her mother's unexpected death, her father has remarried, and sold the Texas ranch she called hom. Now a rodeo injury has lfet the restless spitfire holed up in Muddy Gap, unsure what her next move should be.

Until she meets her match in a wild, wild cowboy.

Veterinarian August Fletcher has always put his job first. He's never found a woman who could handle his on-the-road lifestyle. But when sassy, sexy Tanna blows into town, he finally finds the woman of his fantasies. And there's something between them, but she claims she's been burned by love 'em and leave 'em road dogs before. How can Fletch prove that he's in it for the long haul, and that their sizzling relationship is better than winning any rodeo medal? It'll take some sweet persuasion to convince Tanna that Muddy Gap is where she belongs.




Okay, now vote! And thanks! :D


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**LGBT Month**

LGBT Month is hosted by Cayce @Fighting Dreamer and Laura @Laura Plus Books. It runs through the month of April and it's meant to celebrate LGBT readers, LGBT authors, and LGBT books!

The event has no real rules. All you need to do is read and share LGBT books, in order to spread acceptance of LGBT. There is a Read-Along that you can participate in, if you're interested. 

To sign up, here's what you need to do:

• Link up to your blog/channel/Goodreads/Twitter (you can find the linky by clicking the banner at the top of this post)
• Write a sign up post!

I was thrilled to learn of this event (thanks, Lexxie @Unconventional Book Views AND Robyn @ Robgirlbooks) because it really speaks to my desire for creating a world without hate. And if we can do a little to move towards that through reading, then I'm all for it. :)

As I was thinking about books I have read with a LGBT theme, I decided I'd mention a few that dealt with the repercussions of prejudices.

If I Lie was a touching read about the damage done when a girl is asked to lie in order to protect her boyfriend. She in turn suffers when she's seen as a cheater and a traitor by those who would treat her boyfriend the same way if they knew the secret.






Speechless is another YA tale of the toll of prejudice and hate. When the words of a young woman lead to tragic consequences for a young man, she takes a vow of silence to prove a point.







Trevor and Edgard are two characters from Lorelei James' Rough Riders series. (although they appear is several books, Rough, Raw, and Ready is their story) They are bi-sexual men and it's not easy to be so in the world of rodeo cowboys. I admire them both so much because they found a way to make their lifestyle work and build a happy life, even if they occasionally have to deal with the prejudices of others in their small Wyoming town.






I'm really hoping to read Stripped Clean before the end of the month. Lexxie reviewed it back in December (review here) and it sounds amazing!