HelenKay Dimon

 

Leave Me Breathless

Author: HelenKay Dimon

ISBN 9780758229076

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Publisher: Kensington Brava

 

5 Hearts

 

For readers who love a good romantic suspense you won't be able to put done, HelenKay Dimon's Leave Me Breathless should be your next pickup from your local bookstore.

 

Callie can't believe that someone as smart of Judge Bennett Walker is being so irresponsible with his own life. She has been sent to protect him from a stalker out to kill him, but he won't hear of having a bodyguard. When his brother overrides him and tells him he has no choice, the handsome Judge finally relents.

 

Ben thinks his brother is totally over reacting by getting him a bodyguard. The former solider turned judge is in top shape even though he has spent years in a court room. Besides the bodyguard is a barely there 120 pound woman, he'll have to worry about protecting instead of the other way around. To make matters worse she has no respect for his position and has a mouth on her as sharp as a knife.

 

The attraction between the Judge and Callie is pretty strong. Now if Callie can live through hours of tedious courtroom politics and Ben can get rid of his stalker they just might have a future together.

 

I loved Callie's sassy no-holds-bared attitude. She is the perfect counterpart Ben needs to keep his interest. Ben has spent too much time in the judge's seat and can't believe that someone would actually disrespect him the way Callie has. Callie just see another stubborn male in her mist. As with all of the HelenKay Dimon books I've read this past year, great dialog, sexy heros and an interesting plot keeps readers engaged. This isn't one to miss.

 

Description:

Permission To Approach

 

According to Judge Bennett Walker, trying to kill him is a dumb idea. They might make him wear a big black nightgown to work, but it covers a lot of muscles, and he's definitely packing beneath it. He's also an ex-prosecutor and an ex-GI Joe. So when his brother brings in Callie Robbins to protect him, Ben has a few issues. First, he doesn't need a bodyguard. Second, she's a 130-pound girl—more smoking hot than smoking gun. And third, what if his body wants her guarding the night shift?

 

Callie has no problem brushing aside Ben's disbelief. She left the FBI to escape the boys' club, but she can be deeper undercover and twice as lethal as any beefy John Doe. As for whether someone's after Bennett or not, the death threats and car bombs look pretty convincing to Callie. Of course, she might get distracted, sitting inches from the sexiest judge in DC for ten hours a day. Keeping him safe is no picnic. Keeping it professional—that might be impossible.

 

Holding Out for a Hero

Author: HelenKay Dimon

Series Connection: Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy, It's Hotter in Hawaii

ISBN 9780758229052

Genre: Contemporary romance

 

5 Hearts

 

Deana Armstrong believes that DEA agent Josh Windsor is the only one who can help her save her nephew from life in prison. The teenager has already been convicted and she hopes that hiring Josh to look into the matter will find something that someone missed.

 

Josh isn't too impressed with the boy or his aunt. He's had run ins before with the Armstrong family. He's sure that the boy is guilty and the aunt is being blind to the boy's charm.

When Josh decides to take the case he doesn't expect to find a different conclusion for Deana. He also doesn't expect to find the woman he does under all that cold exterior.

 

Taking place in the beautiful background of Hawaii, HelenKay tells a dark story of an beautiful socialite who has more tragedy and heartache then most could bare. Her nephew is in jail for murdering his parents. Upon hearing that news her father drops dead of a heart attack and to top it all off, Deana has secret heartaches in her past.

 

Josh is going through a bad stretch in his own life. He resigns from his job with the DEA under a cloud of suspicion and isn't particularly interested in working on Deana's case. These two are unlikely lovers, but when HelenKay puts them together the reader has to wonder why they didn't get together sooner.

 

Holding Out For A Hero has a compelling story line with an unusual ending that keeps readers wondering to the end. The supporting characters are familiar to readers of HelenKay's books and really a nice addition to this story, but the hero and the heroine are the stars that shine here.

 

Description:

Deana Armstrong needs a hero—not for herself, but for the nephew all her money and time can't seem to get out of jail. Unfortunately, the best hero in all the Hawaiian Islands is set on turning in his badge and getting his excellent butt into another line of work. If that wasn't enough, Josh Windsor also has a big-time grudge against Deana herself. But if there's anything being rich, smart, and stubborn has taught Deana, it's never to settle for second bestÉ

 

Josh has had it with saving people. He's had it with getting hauled into court. And boy, has he ever had it with Deana. Or well, he hasn't had it. Yet. But the more she pops up sounding infuriating and looking good enough to eat, the more her hot bod and her cold case wriggle into his mind. And there's only so much even a hero can resistÉ

 

It's Hotter in Hawaii

Author: HelenKay Dimon

ISBN: 978-0-7582-2227-5

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

 

4 Hearts

 

Cassie Montgomery lost her brother in a plane crash that the police are claiming was an accident, but she can't believe that. They are implying negligence and that just didn't seem like the brother she knew and love. Add to that that before he died his brother called in a friend to help him with a problem and now Cassie is more convinced than ever that foul play is involved.

 

Cal Wilson was once Dan's best friend, but he knows more than anyone that Dan could be the reckless type. He's not ready to make any rash decisions before he takes a look into what Dan was doing before he was died. Together the couple works against the police and the DEAs advice to find out what happened to Dan. While the danger increases, so does their attraction for each other. Cal just can't resist the smart mouthed, feisty woman no matter how many times he reminds himself that she's his best friend's little sister or that he's keep a secret from her.

 

Once again HelenKay brings readers a smart plot line that offers substance along with some pretty hot love scenes. It's Hotter in Hawaii offers it all--a great plot line, beautiful lead characters with substance and a supporting cast that helps to build a better story line. I liked that Cassie was so loyal to her brother, even after the evidence was piling up against him. Cal was a strong hero, which was needed in a story like this where the heroine could easily have walked all over the hero. Cassie was strong and feisty sometimes to the point of almost being annoying. Sometimes I even wanted to slap her.

 

All and all this is a great read for someone looking for short suspense with some great, hot sex scenes.

 

From the back of the book:

ALOHA, GORGEOUS. . .

Cassie Montgomery was in no mood for messing around—until she got an eyeful of the sizzling-hot miscreant breaking into her half-brother Dan's Hawaii home. Turns out he's not a criminal, but a friend who's just as suspicious of Dan's "accident al" death as she is. Cassie's beyond tired of bashing heads with thick-skulled local law enforcement, so there's only one thing for it: team up with Caleb Wilson, and try to keep her secrets—and hands—to herself. . .

Having a gun trained on him is nothing new for Cal. But when said gun is brandished by a goddess sporting short-shorts, a bad attitude, and a hidden agenda? A man should consider his choices very carefully. Option one: Seduce first, ask questions later. Option two: Find out why she's in his Air Force buddy's torn-up house, then seduce her. Option three: Let the islands do their work and let the woman behind the weapon seduce him. . .

 

About the author from her Website:

HelenKay Dimon is an award-winning author of more than a dozen novels and novellas. Her first single title, Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy, was excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine in August '07 and spotlighted at E! Online.

Her books also have been published by Doubleday Book Club and Rhapsody Book Club and translated into several languages.

HelenKay's road to publication took a few turns. She's not one of those authors who burst out of the womb with a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other. She didn't know she wanted to write until much later in life. She tried international travel and journalism and enjoyed careers in politics and law first. After graduating from Syracuse University with a double major in newspaper journalism and political science, she landed in Washington, D.C. A few years as a legislative assistant to a member of the House of Representatives convinced her law school might be a good idea. Three years at Wake Forest University and one bar exam later and HelenKay moved back to the D.C. metro area as a lawyer. General civil litigation gave way to a specialty in family law and an eventual partnership in a highly respected boutique firm.

After twelve years as a divorce lawyer specializing in unhappy endings, HelenKay now writes romance for a living. The sudden career change resulted from her husband getting one of those "can't turn it down" job offers. With only a few months' notice, his work took the family from Maryland to their current home in California. So, instead of days filled with court, clients and a great deal of whining and complaining, HelenKay now writes for a living. She thinks of herself as a "recovering lawyer" and is grateful every day for the ability to write full time.

 

 

Hot As Hell

Author: HelenKey Dimon

ISBN: 978-0-7582-2225-1

 

4 Hearts

 

Description:

She's mad as hell. He's hot as hell. The desert may not be big enough for both of themÉ Tell me more. . . Lexy Stuart is nobody's fool. . .not since she wised up to the fact that her fiancŽ, Noah Paxton, wasn't just sporting the hardest bod this side of the Ironman competition. No, he was also harboring enough secrets to make a CIA operative blush. Little things he never thought worth mentioning like, oh, a previous marriage. So, Lexy gave back the ring—with extreme prejudice—and made sandy tracks straight to a remote desert spa. Problem is, with a man like Noah, a girl can run, but she can't hide. Nor does she particularly want to. . . Alexa Annabeth Stuart. The stuffy name couldn't be less suitable for a woman as fiery and free as Noah's Lexy. And Lexy is his—always will be—the tricky part will be getting her to realize it. Of course, Noah's always up for a challenge. Which is a good thing, since between the crazy heat at this god-forsaken "retreat" and the looks Lexy's shooting him (not to mention the shockwaves he's getting from her hot-pink bikini), winning his ex back could be one dangerous mission. But if Noah doesn't survive it, well, he intends to die a very satisfied man. . .

 

My View:

For the most part, I liked this book. I could easily fall in love with Noah for the cover picture alone, but more to the point I liked his character and all the complexities that went along with him. I even liked Lexy's brother, Grey. He is someone I'd love to see in an upcoming book. Lexy, however, was a problem for me. Noah and Lexy were together for two years and she agreed to the marriage proposal and then decided she didn't like his secrets. At times during the story I wanted to shake her. The author gave her some great characteristics, and I liked the part about her messy lifestyle and even the history of her parents. The problem was she didn't just come out and tell Noah what her true problem was. The other thing I thought was unbelievable was that she didn't immediately go to her brother when she thought Noah had stolen from the client. It seemed out of character for her. The reason why I gave this book such a high mark was because the book was humorous, I loved the sex scenes, as well as the ending.

 

These guys are hard as nails, until they find true love

Hard As Nails

Author: HelenKay Dimon

ISBN: 0-7582-1583-5

 

4 Hearts

 

Description:

What's better than a man who's good with his hands? Try a trio of hard-bodied hunks who'll be happy to flip your house, your heart. . .and anything else you have in mind. . . This Old House—Architect Cole Carruthers's mission is simple—visit his company's latest rehab project and cajole the sweet old lady who once owned it into vacating the premises. But the sultry, sledge-hammer-wielding woman he finds is far from old, nor particularly sweet. For reasons she won't reveal, Aubrey Matheson refuses to leave the house she claims is her birthright. As far as Cole's concerned, there's only one thing to do with this squatter: hunker down with her and discover every single one of her sexy secrets. . .

 

All About Adam—The last meeting tough-as-nails Becky Carter took with sharp-witted, wicked sexy real estate rehabber Adam Thomas culminated in a scorching-hot game of kiss-and-run. Becky was the one running, and she's regretted it ever since. Now Adam's back to do some actual business. . .or so he says. If Becky has her way, this weekend of negotiation will speed from boardroom to bedroom—and stay there. . .

 

Man at the Door—After finding herself famous for all the wrong reasons, artist Erin McHugh just wants to fix up her house, open her art studio, and settle down out of the spotlight. Then job foreman Ray Hammond walks through her door and Erin recognizes broad-shouldered trouble. Hot, young, and always in the news, Ray is everything Erin wanted to avoid. The challenge is how to resist a guy who can build anything, fix anything—and make Erin feel everything. . .

 

My View: Hard as Nails tells the story of three men who work together at T.C. Limited. The stories follow Cole, Adam and Ray during the purchase, sale and remodeling of an old house and the surprises they found there. This is one of those books where you will both laugh and cry, as you make your way through the three stories. Each couple HelenKay creates has great chemistry and blends well together. I especially like Aubrey and her sledgehammer. I also like the way each of the small stories blend together to bring you one full story.