When Seconds Count Series (Books 1 & 2) by DL Roan with Giveaway

Second Chances and Second Nature have been reviewed by Kota Reads.

Kota rates the series as it currently stands

4 and a 1/2 Hearts 

Second Chances (When Seconds Count #1)

Synopsis

Six years after the McLendon brothers lost their wife during the birth of their twins they are merely existing, focused only on running their ranch and raising their boys....until Claira Robbins drops into their family like a baby bird falling from its nest.

She certainly ruffles more than a few feathers. Matt and Mason believe she will be the one to heal their hearts and family. Their older brother Grey? He plans to live out his life comfortably numb from the neck down, even if it kills him...and it just might if Claira's lethal past catches up to her.

Can they convince Grey to let go of the past and give love a second chance? Or will his own haunting secret destroy what is left of their family for good?

Second Chances is an 88,000 word novel.

WARNING: Second Chances is an M/F/M/M erotica ménage romance and contains explicit sex, ménage à quatre, anal sex, adult language, and violence. Oh, and absolutely no steamy action between brothers, because that would just be awkward. Recommended for the adult reader only.

Review

DL Roan spins a tale of lust, love, intrigue, murder and mayhem, and boy does she spin it well.

We meet Claira who is new in town, and is teaching at a posh school.  She happens to be teaching the McLendon twins, who make an impact as she gets to know the class.  We learn little snippets about Claira along the way, but needless to say she is running from something…  and it doesn’t take long to learn she is running from something big!

Claira is introduced to Grey McLendon, and there is some instant attraction, but Grey is emotionally disconnected, and that suits Claira perfectly, as its safe to say those close to her, usually end up dead.  

Not long after being introduced to Grey, Claira has the pleasure of meeting Matt, and then his twin Mason. Poor Claira – all three McLendon’s are HOT – what is a girl to do!

As the blurb indicates, the McLendon men lost their wife during child birth, 6 years ago – and they have not found another woman who they want to share their love with.  You see the McLendon men, for generations, live in polygamous relationships.  With the brothers sharing their wife.  While I didn’t know what to expect when I started the book, I was intrigued as to why the intro would say that there was no brother on brother action – because that would be awkward…  Now I know!  LOL.  

Polygamy is not something I readily understand, but the way the author tells this story – it is a beautiful relationship between Claira and her three men.  Their coming together was driven by a need to keep her safe, even though they really didn’t know what they needed to protect her from.  

Oh and did I mention that the McLendon Men are Ranchers?  Imagine what takes place in their barn… hmmmm..

Ok so onto the intrigue, there is not a moment that this part of the storyline is not simmering away, there are sneaks and twists that keep you guessing at most turns and as the Drama unfolds – it unfolds with a bang!

DL introduces us to some secondary characters in this story, mainly Grant and Daniel.  Grant gets his story in Second Nature – so be sure to read my review on that one.  Daniel also has an ever present role in both stories.  You see Claira is the daughter of a mobster/trafficker.  Her father was killed, and his 2IC is just a little bit obsessed with Claira, and fully intends to find her and take possession of what is his…  Daniel has a personal interest in keeping Claira safe, so he has been helping her out.  Again Daniel’s reasons get explained in this story, but there is much more too it!  But lets be honest – you guys need to read this story to find out any more about the plot twists, turns, drama, and the ultimate climax!  

Oh PS – DL writes some SERIOUSLY hot scenes….  

Did I like Second Chances – yep – I sure did.  I thought DL did an amazing job of introducing these very complex characters, and allowing the reader to connect with all of them on different levels.  The McLendon Men all had different personalities which shone through loud and clear.  She made it evident to see how Claira fell in love with each of them, and how she fit into their family, baggage and all.  I enjoyed the intimate moments between Claira and each of the men, but became frustrated at how their connections dragged out. At one point I was very much like “where the hell is the Menage a quatre…”  Lets just say the epilogue did not disappoint and it was beautifully written (I did think that maybe just maybe Mason was a tad too soppy and caring, but he was balanced nicely by all the other elements of his personality.)

Oh and as for the thriller side of this story – I did not see the connections until they were spelt out for me at the end, and even then I almost didn’t believe them.  DL did an amazing job of giving you enough information to let you make assumptions, and in my case usually the wrong ones, without ever misleading you.

DL – thank you for an entertaining read.  I love your tone and your style, and you definitely have a new fan.   

I am giving Second Chances 4 ½ hearts.

Second Nature (When Seconds Count #2)

Synopsis

Grant Kendal has spent his life hunting the shadows of evil. He can feel it changing him; twisting him into the very thing he despises; a mindless killer.

Thalia Brezlin is a marked woman, hell-bent on revenge. She is haunted by the nightmares of her past. A past that lies in wait to destroy her. When she washes ashore Grant’s desolate island of exile, beaten, stabbed and clinging to life, their worlds collide.

Follow them across Africa, Madagascar and India into the underworld of human trafficking. Where innocence isn’t lost, it’s stolen.

Passion will rage, rules will be broken, lives will be shattered and the truth will be revealed. Survival is Second Nature.

WARNING: Second Nature is a contemporary erotic romance and contains explicit sexual content, adult language and graphic violence. Recommended for the adult reader only. While Grant’s story can certainly be enjoyed on its own, the author recommends becoming better acquainted with him and his journey by experiencing his debut in Second Chances (When Seconds Count, #1)

Excerpt

Grant meets Thalia

He re-covered her bare leg and reached for the top of the sheet. Ignoring her wordless protests, he peeled down the white cotton sheet, sparing only a quick glance at her plump, bare breasts as he examined the cut over her ribs. “The good news is the swelling above your eye has gone down enough so that you no longer look like a science fiction experiment. The bad news is your leg is infected. You need a doctor.” “No. No doctors. I can…” “Yeah, I figured as much.” Grant watched her struggle against her bonds. She froze when he pressed his hand to her bare chest. “I said relax. Do you want me to untie you?” Her eyes darted up to the cord around her wrists in another wordless plea. “Well, see, I only have one problem with that.” Grant smirked and pointed to the cut on his cheekbone. “Seems you have one hell of a right hook.” At least she had the decency to look contrite as she studied his face. He knew it was an act. She would fight balls to the wall as soon as he released her. He counted on it, in fact. “That’s okay, I don’t need an apology. I know you didn’t mean it. You were pretty out of it last night.” He reached for the knot above her head but stilled, searching out her gaze. “You won’t do it again, will you?” He almost laughed at the puppy dog eyes she gave him as she silently shook her head. Well, here goes the neighborhood. He took a little longer than necessary to work the knot free, watching as her muscles bunched and coiled. He could almost feel the energy rolling off her body as she prepared to strike. It was one of the things he missed about his job. Reading the people he was hunting, feeling the energy around him shift and move as the final fatal scene unfolded. One last tug and the cord fell free. She pulled her hands down to her chest and calmly worked at the strands until they slid from her wrists. Almost teasingly, Grant shifted and turned his back to her. She certainly didn’t disappoint. Striking like a cobra, she jackknifed from the mattress, looping the cord over his head and wrapping it around his throat. With a knee in his back, she pulled hard against the cord. Grant had to admit, he’d underestimated her strength a bit. The hand he’d slipped between his neck and the cord began to lose feeling as the cord cut into his palm. He was beginning to think twice about playing games with this chick. With a twist and a shove he was out of her snare and had his hands wrapped around both her wrists. He dodged her knee as she shoved it at his groin, but he couldn’t hold back the curse when she bit down on the back of his hand. “Goddammit!” She was like a damn fossa mongoose; lean, mean, and quick as hell! Grunted curses filled the air as he hoisted her from the cot and then pushed her back into the mattress. No more games with the rabid carnivore. Her arms pinned beside her head, he straddled her hips and hooked his ankles over her shins to keep her from kneeing him in the back. “Enough,” he growled as he hovered above her. Her nostrils flared as she dragged in a series of frantic breaths. Her skin, which had been so pale and gray, was now flushed pink with excitement. He watched as her silver eyes flared with heat, her pupils dilating to encompass the hypnotizing swirls of gray. Grant was astonished. Every misconception he’d had of her being a broken victim flew right out the window. Christ, she was playing him. And she was enjoying it every bit as much as he was. His cock, hard and aching, pressed against her pelvis as the heat from her naked body washed over him. He was suddenly aware of her bare breasts pressed against his chest and found himself wishing he’d decided to go shirtless that morning. Her pink lips parted, her warm breath washing over him as their eyes locked. He fought hard against the need to kiss those lips, to slide his tongue into her hot, wet mouth and devour the taste of pure wildness that radiated from her soul. She didn’t need a snare to capture him. He felt himself being drawn in like a bee to an exotic wildflower. His body warred with his mind as his head dipped a fraction closer. His instincts screamed for him to back away from the edge of the cliff. He knew what she was doing. It wouldn’t work, but damn if he wasn’t tempted to call her bluff.

Review

Again, DL Roan does not disappoint with this story.  Second Nature is significantly darker than Second Chances.  This story continues with the tale that was woven with Claira’s story.  

Grant Kendal decided to semi retire after his involvement with Claira – so what better place that his own tropical island.  His peaceful existence with his primate friend Winston is shattered when a mystery woman washes up near death on his island.

Grant tends to her health and as she recovers, he discovers an instant attraction to her.  For Grant, this is a significant thing, as he has never allowed himself to feel.  

Thalia realises that she needs time to recover, but also needs to follow through on her plans, which are nothing if not dangerous.  However, given she was beaten and stabbed to an inch of her life – her recovery is causing her nothing but trouble by wasting time.  You see Thalia had escaped from some thugs who were working for Jauhar – a leader in human trafficking.   She needs to get back to Jauhar in order to enact some revenge for her family.

This story again has twists and turns that, unlike Second Chances didn’t blind side me, but seriously kept you intrigued as to how it would play out.  This story is full of violence and torture and all of those elements that we can only imagine go on in the world of human trafficking, but really have no basis to understand what it is really like.  DL is descriptive in her story telling, and you cannot help but feel the emotion of the characters as they try to end this underground of criminal behaviours. 

Thalia and Grant are perfect for each other in their independent yet drawn together need.  The scenes between these two are great…  and the fact that Thalia keeps Grant on his toes is just the thing this alpha male with control issues needs.

The climax of this story is big…  and gets the adrenaline pumping! This story ties everything together with an ending that is full of questions, answers and pure compassion and understanding. 

I did have some elements of this story that left me questioning a little bit, and these were primarily with some of the plot fundamentals and there were a few of my pet peeves with typo’s etc, so on that basis Second Nature gets 4 hearts.  DL Roan does it again!

Links

Second Chances

Goodreads   ~  Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK

Smashwords ~ Barnes & Noble  ~ iBooks

Second Nature

Goodreads  ~  Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK

Smashwords ~ Barnes & Noble  ~ iBooks

About the Author

D.L. Roan lives and writes in her "beautifully wild and southern" home state of Florida with her "perfectly flawed hero" husband and two 80lb lap dogs. Completely addicted to the written word, she's had a brood of characters residing inside her imagination for as long as she could remember. Being able to bring them to life and let them out to play has been a life's dream fulfilled. Romance has always been her favored genre. While erotica is her favored spicy flavor, she also enjoys paranormal fantasy and has been known to stalk the work of certain historical romance writers. In addition to exorcizing her characters' lusts, D.L. enjoys scuba diving, fishing, and sitting by a bonfire on a starry night. She loves to hear from her fans so check her out on Facebook or send her a tweet.  

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Giveaway

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