Stacey Kennedy – Bound Beneath His Pain

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REVIEW

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  I feel like I could say that over and over and it would actually sum up how I felt about book.  This book falls into that category where I am completely happy with the book (which very rarely happens).

Allie is the perfect female: strong, determined, and unbelievably intuitive.  She can see through Micah’s bullshit.  She also holds true to the lines that she refuses to cross.  I refuse to offer any spoilers, but I’ll just say this … the underlying bond between Allie and Micah made this book feel very believable.

Micah is an interesting character that ultimately needs to forgive himself.  His journey is well written and paced with perfection.

This isn’t a whip and chains type of BDSM book.  It’s more about control and dominance.  I only mention that because some people hear that there is BDSM in a book and they completely freak out.

Finally, I really enjoyed the character of Darius.  The way that he cares for his sister, Allie, is very endearing.  I hope he gets his own story soon.

BLURB

Real estate mogul Micah Holt exerts absolute control over all aspects of his life. He keeps his dark side hidden away from the press, who will chase down any hint of scandal. He’s always in command of his world, careful to expose his closely guarded secrets only to those he knows he can trust. Then Allie Bennett shakes his legendary discipline. She’s beautiful, pure, untainted. But is Micah willing to sacrifice her innocence for his own selfish obsessions?

When that sexy smile makes her body burn, Allie tries with all her might to ignore it. For one thing, Micah’s her new boss. For another, he’s as complicated as he is devastatingly handsome. Still, Allie can only fight so much before she gives in to his dangerous games. She knows he’s got dark secrets. But when she discovers the true depth of his pain, Allie must decide how far she’s willing to go to light the way for love.

Bound Beneath His Pain is intended for mature audiences. 

Thank You Arc to Stacey Kennedy!

 

 

 

J.D. Brick – Tangled Up in Blue

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REVIEW

Enjoyable story with plenty of twists.  This is a clean romance story where the romantic scenes fade to black after the kissing.  I realize some people prefer that type of book and this is certainly one to read.  Even without the detailed intimate scenes, this book holds a lot of passion.

Blue, full name Blue Danube, is a great romantic hero.  He’s military fit, plays guitar, sings, and writes music.  Yeah, he’s easy to fall for.  He’s not perfect.  He’s made mistakes in the past, but that just makes him more lovable because he’s not conceited.

Keegan is intelligent and independent and isn’t afraid to voice her opinion.  However, she’s very naive.

I like the symmetry of Blue and Keegan’s relationship as he writes music and she’s a journalist.

***Beware of Cliffhanger***  Okay, I don’t like cliffhangers.  I’m impatient and on a constant hunt for a happily ever after.  I most definitely will be reading the next book, Shelter From the Storm, which promises to be the completion of the story.

BLURB

Two books. One hot and heart-wrenching love story…
Keegan Crenshaw needs a hero. She’s a straight-A student from a famous Oklahoma family and the youngest-ever editor of her college newspaper. She’s got a lot to prove. But she’s got enemies. Someone’s out to get her. Someone’s got her running scared. And she runs right into the arms of a boy named Blue.

Deep down, Blue is still the brave soldier who risked his life for others in Afghanistan. He’s still a hero, even if he no longer believes it. All he wants now, though, is to make music and bury the secret that could destroy his future. Blue tries hard to be a good guy. But he’s wrestling with demons he can barely control. And when Keegan moves into his house and very quickly into his heart, his hard-fought control begins to slip away.

Keegan and Blue can’t stay away from each other, can’t stop thinking about each other. They have a connection–body, mind and soul–they cannot resist. But it will cost them dearly. Secrets have a way of exploding into the light. Sometimes it’s hard to know who’s a hero and who’ll turn out to be a heartbreaker.

Is Blue the love of Keegan’s life, her knight in shining armor? Or will he become an agonizing mistake?

Searing and sexy, Tangled Up in Blue explores the consequences of deception, the meaning of courage and the redeeming value of sacrificial love. It contains strong language and adult situations. It is Book 1 in the Ikana College series. 

Book 2, Shelter from the Storm, continues and concludes the story of Keegan and Blue. Book 2 is also available on Kindle. 

Thank You Arc to J.D. Brick!

 

Tessa Bailey – Raw Redemption

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REVIEW

Sometimes I worry that my reviews can’t possible convey how exceptional some books are written.  It is much easier to articulate things one doesn’t like about a book.  This is my second Tessa Bailey book.  She has mastered the art of writing explosively hot steamy scenes.  They come often – the scenes, that is. 😉

The book passes muster for being a great suspense, as well.  I’m a huge Law and Order fan, which means I set the bar rather high for legal issues in books.  There are great twists to the plot.  I love it when an author can catch me with unexpected surprises.  More importantly, the twists support the character development and don’t seem out of place.

The balance between romance and suspense is incredibly enticing and makes this a 5 star book.

BLURB

Loving her might cost him everything…

Disgraced cop Henrik Vance is having a shit year. Banished to a derelict undercover squad, he’s been tasked with hunting down the daughter of Chicago’s most dangerous criminal. His obsession with saving the beautiful girl destroyed his career. And this time, it might cost his life.

Ailish O’Kelly doesn’t need a hero. She’ll save herself from her father’s violent criminal dynasty, thank you very much. Unfortunately, the sexy as sin cop who crashes her hideout isn’t hearing reason—especially not after the kiss that becomes much more.

His boss wants her as an informant. Ailish wants Henrik to keep whispering filthy things against her skin. But she knows too well the evil they’re up against, and when it comes down to protecting the man who owns her body and soul, she only has one choice…

Purchase: Amazon | Paperback | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | B&N| Kobo | iBooks

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See Related Posts:

Tessa Bailey – Boiling Point (A Crossing the Line Novel)

 

Raw Redemption

Thank You Arc to Tessa Bailey!

ABOUT TESSA BAILEY

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Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.

Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of eight years and four-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter

Dale Mayer – Mason Seals of Honor

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REVIEW

This is a quick easy read with a lot of action.  While I included this as a romance book, there’s actually a lot more military action than romance action.  I prefer books where the military action isn’t quite so predominate.  However, I was entertained.

There’s a bit of humor sprinkled in to break up some of the stressful military scenes.  These were my favorite parts.

I liked the female character because she is strong and intelligent, which is in contrast to a lot of Seals books where the heroine is a damsel in distress.

BLURB

Kill or be killed.

Part of an elite SEAL team, Mason takes on the dangerous jobs no one else wants to do – or can do. When he’s on a mission, he’s focused and dedicated. When he’s not, he plays as hard as he fights.
Until he meets a woman he can’t have but can’t forget.

Software developer, Tesla lost her brother in combat and has no intention of getting close to someone else in the military. Determined to save other US soldiers from a similar fate, she’s created a program that could save lives. But other countries know about the program, and they won’t stop until they get it – and get her.

Time is running out… For her… For him… For them…

Thank You Arc to Dale Mayer!

Link to Amazon:

J.L. Leslie – Let the Waves Come In

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REVIEW

This is the epitome of a feel good novel.  It’s an exploration in all different types of love.  It’s got friendship that is as strong as unconditional love.  There’re loves of the past and loves of the present.

The constant comparison in the types of love is seamlessly woven into the story.

The author keeps the reader on their toes (and turning the pages quickly) by not knowing what the eventual outcome will be.  The ending left me feeling completely blissful and happy for the couple.

BLURB

I’m Aubrey Somers. I’ve landed my dream job. I have a great apartment and I still keep in touch with my best friend…even though he lives hundreds of miles away. I’ve even started dating again. I have a lot going for me.

It doesn’t matter that I have to take an anti-depressant everyday or see a therapist every other week. It doesn’t matter that I refuse to drive anywhere. The wreck that ruined everything I had is almost a distant memory. Almost.

But now I have two men in my life. Two men who want to be with me. Two men I never thought I’d have the chance to be with. And I feel like I’m drowning…

“His hungry mouth consumes everything from me. All of my emotions. When he pulls away, I don’t know what to feel. What to want. Who to want.” – Let The Waves Come In

**This book contains explicit language and sexual scenes. It is meant for adult readers only.**

Thank You Arc to J.L. Leslie!

 

 

Rachel Strong – That Girl

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BLURB

After serving half of a three-year prison sentence, James is out and ready to try and get his life back on track, which means forgetting about the girl who sent him to prison in the first place – despite the fact he’s still in love with her!
Katie knows that she can’t see James, but that doesn’t make it any easier. If she does it could send him straight back to prison, but, she still loves him and is desperate to make things right and tell him how sorry she is for ruining his life.
After accidently bumping into each other, James and Katie can’t stay away from one another and so begin to see each other in secret. After a slight wobble on James’s part, when he decides he can’t take the risk of going back to prison, Katie decides enough is enough and it really is time to move on and put James behind her.
Heartbroken, James decides to try and get his life in order. But due to his conviction it’s not as straightforward as he would like, leaving him miserable and despairing at what his life has become.
When a job opportunity comes up hundreds of miles away he doesn’t hesitate to head south and put his troubles behind him.
Can James and Katie forget each other and move on with their lives without one another?

REVIEW

First off, I got hooked into this story immediately.  I was simply dying to know what had happened to land him in jail.  Things aren’t always as they seem and I couldn’t stop reading until I knew.

What an emotional ride! It was amazing how my feelings about the James changed throughout the book. The surrounding characters add their own perspectives that are quite compelling.  There were times I felt so bad for James and other times where I hated him.  The love-hate relationship continues throughout the entire novel.

There is no doubt in my head that this is a five star book. The range and strength of feelings the author was able to provoke makes this an amazing impassioned roller coaster.  I wouldn’t dare go on a real roller coaster, but I couldn’t put down this book.

Thank You Arc to Rachel Strong!

AUTHOR

Rachel Strong is a romance author and lives in Lancashire, England, with her husband, three children and little dog Daisy. Rachel works part time as a Health Care Assistant at her local hospital, but her real passion is writing.
  Ever since she can remember Rachel has been writing stories but never really took it seriously, until summer 2012 when her husband discovered one of her stories, read it and convinced her that it was good. She loves writing and creating characters, sometimes a whole day can pass her by, just sat at her lap top, typing away.
When she’s not writing, Rachel loves to read slushy romance novels and chick-lit and when she finds a spare moment she will be found curled up on the sofa with her nose in a book.

 

Elodie Nowodazkij – Love in B Minor

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REVIEW

I love this rock star romance because of the love interest twist.  I truly appreciate the originality in the story line.  It’s not your typical rock star story.

Each character has more than their fair share of sadness in their pasts.  The author uses their pasts to create both a connection between them as well as a conflict.  The way that the author incorporates the past into the present was outstanding and made this a really good romance.

The romance part of this book was worthy of 5 stars.  Unfortunately, I didn’t care for a significant twist at the end.  Nonetheless, I would highly recommend the book.  I won’t say anything more on that subject for fear of spoiling the ending.  And hey, if you read this book you may feel completely differently about the ending.

Love in B Minor

BLURB

No promises. No fake tomorrows. That was the plan. 

New city. New life. At least, that’s what nineteen-year-old Jen Harrison believes. On the surface, she’s living her dream: dancing in a prestigious dance company in Paris. But her sister’s death and the mistakes she’s tried to bury haunt her. She’s become a pro at hiding who she truly is, and she definitely doesn’t want a guy to derail her, but a one night-stand she can do. Nothing more. She definitely doesn’t plan to see the sexy stranger who made her laugh for the first time in years ever again.

Girls don’t walk away from Lucas Wills. Bad boy turned rock star, he’s got his share of groupies. Always upfront, he doesn’t promise fake tomorrows because love can destroy everything. Been there, done that. His ex not only lied to him, she stomped on his heart, used him to become famous, and almost ruined him. So, waking up alone after a night beyond his wildest imagination with a girl he just met shouldn’t upset him, shouldn’t inspire one of the saddest songs he’s ever written, shouldn’t make him want to chase after her.

When Jen, the one-night stand who got away, auditions to be a dancer in Lucas’ next music video, they can’t stop their growing attraction. But Jen’s secrets and his ex could shatter the careers they tried so hard to build and their hearts…they will have to decide what’s more important and if love is worth the fight.

Thank You Arc to Elodie Nowodazkij!

Overpriced Books – Does Size Matter?

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Do you think that $7.99 for an 117 page book that has a large font and loads of spacing between lines is overpriced?

I won’t mention the actual book or author I’m referring to, but the book was written by a Best Selling Author and the book was the third volume in a trilogy.  As I fell in love with the series in book one, I was frantically eager to read the second in the series, which didn’t compare to the first.  I still loved the characters and knowing that there was another book in the series made me compelled to read volume three.

Being on a budget, I was thrilled to get a copy from the local library.  When I stood at the counter checking out the book, my first reaction was “Wow – that’s a short book.”  When I quickly flipped open the book, I was further disappointed to see that not only was the book thin, but the font was huge and the spacing ridiculous.

I read the novella.  Essentially it was a long epilogue that didn’t offer any twists or any extra perspective on the characters.  Very Disheartening!

Even though I didn’t actually purchase the book myself, it made me think about how irritated I would be if I had shelled out cash for the book.

I’m not naive enough to be ignorant of all the publishing costs involved in selling a book.  There is obviously a minimum cost to producing books.  But was this book overpriced simply based on the author’s past sales?  That seems very short sited on the side of the publisher.  This publisher is in the process of publishing a spin off to this series.  Before I read this book, I was very much looking forward to reading the spin off.  I feel like the publisher has cheated the readers by over charging for this book.  Honestly, I’m less likely to purchase the books in the spin off.

Do you consider the length and pricing when choosing books to purchase?

I apologize for the tone of this post.  I love to read and I usually try and stay positive on my blog, but I can’t help but rant today.

See Related Post:

How to end a book series?