ARC Review: Unfinished Business by Carina Adams

I have been a huge fan of Carina Adams since I first read Always Been Mine and then Honey Whiskey. I would read absolutely anything by her at this point, but that being said I have been waiting for this book! I wanted Rocker's story so badly, and I am happy to say that it was everything that I had hoped it would be and more. 

Rocker is the president of the Bastards MC, the man behind everything that happens and he is always the strong one. Until his past comes back and he finds himself on a mission to make things right and move on once and for all. While Rocker is used to saving everyone else, it just might be time for someone else to save him. 

Rocker and Cris had a lot of history and most times it seemed like they hated one another as teenagers. But there was so much more going on there and I was so glad that we got to see so much of what had happened between them and behind the scenes. This story wasn't easy at all, and there were a lot of rough times for these characters. But I absolutely loved that there was this connection between them the whole way through and I couldn't get enough of them. The chemistry was strong and these two were perfect for one another. 

Overall, this was such a fantastic book. Sexy and gritty, and full of all the feels. Carina Adams is such a talented writer and I can't recommend her books enough. While this book is a spin-off of her Bastards MC series, this book does standalone and you can read it easily without having read the previous books. I highly recommend reading them all though as they are so good and what made me fall in love with Carina's writing to begin with. If you like MC stories, you definitely need to check these out!

**ARC Provided by Enticing Journey Book Promotions**

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ARC Review: Lucky by Carina Adams

I am a huge fan of Carina Adams. Ever since I first read Always Been Mine, I have been hooked on her books. So whenever I see that she has a new book coming out, I always get excited. That being said though, I couldn't wait for Lucky! This blurb sounded so good, and I really loved the story. Carina Adams has once again proved why she is such a great writer, and I think readers are going to love this book! 

Lucky and Sunny meet in a bar and share a hot night together. Though they both can't stop thinking about it, they know that is all they will ever have. But then fate steps in and Lucky soon discovers that his new teacher is none other than Sunny. But with both Sunny's job and Lucky's scholarship and spot on the team at stake, they know that if anything happens between them they could lose everything. Can they find a way to be together and keep what is important to them, or will they decide that some things aren't worth the risk? 

I loved these two! They had smoking hot chemistry from their very first meeting, and I couldn't get enough of them! They were super hot together, and I couldn't wait to see that grow into more. I loved seeing their connection form, and their banter was entertaining. I really felt that both characters were genuine and easy to relate to, with each of them holding their own. I loved Lucky, he was sexy and sweet and really great for Sunny. I really liked her though as well, and that isn't always the case for me with heroines that are a bit older than the hero. She was likable as well as sassy and fun. 

Overall, this was a great story and I recommend it to anyone looking for something sexy and sweet. I was drawn in from the first word and really enjoyed the entire book. The characters were great, and I really hope that we get to know some of them better! I would especially love to get a story for Josh Allen, Lucky's best friend. If you are new to Carina Adams, this is a great book to start with. If you are already a fan of hers, Lucky doesn't disappoint and is one you are going to want to check out!

**ARC Provided by Social Butterfly PR**

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ARC Review: Blurry by Carina Adams

I will be honest and say that I didn't know how I was going to feel about this book before I started it, and while I was excited I was also a bit scared. If you haven't read Forever Red by Carina Adams, you may want to exit now as there will be some spoilers from that book. Having read and loved Forever Red and Out of the Blue (the previous books released in the Bama Boys series by Carina Adams), I was a huge Nate fan. So when I found out that Carina had written a story about Lia with someone else I just wasn't sure if I could connect or even like the story. Carina is such a talented writer though that I never should have worried about it. Blurry is the story of Lia and Craig, before Lia met Nate. 

Cecelia "Lia" Merrill was used to being on her own, lost and lonely she was determined to graduate and leave her tiny town behind her for good. But then she met coach Craig Knightly and everything changed. Craig almost had everything that he had ever dreamed of, but then Lia changed everything that he thought he knew. Soon an unexpected and forbidden friendship between them led to more, and both Lia and Craig knew that their lives would be forever changed in a situation where neither of them could come out a winner. 

Like I said, I was worried about being able to connect here, even though I had loved Lia before. I ended up really liking Craig though as well, and surprisingly I found myself liking these two together. Did I think that they belonged together in the long run? No I didn't, because I knew better and she always belonged with Nate. But that didn't stop me from rooting for these two here or enjoying their time together. For those that haven't read Forever Red, this one will probably be a completely different experience than for those that have read FR. I loved the fact that we got to know Lia better here though and see a bit more into her past than just some details we had been given previously. These two had a great connection and strong chemistry, and they needed each other at the time that they were together. Yet they also both were at a place where they couldn't be together long term, and I think that their time together made them into the people that they needed to be later on. 

I will say that I actually ended up feeling sorry for Craig here, and it broke my heart a bit to see him here knowing what was ahead for him. These two had genuine feelings for one another, yet Craig definitely was the one that I knew would wind up hurting the most. I felt for him even though he had messed things up with Lia to begin with, and I really just wanted him to be happy. It was easy to see how he as well as Mike and Nate could fall for Lia, and I was glad to get more of all these characters. This was an emotional read, and I really struggled knowing how everything would play out in the long run. But I am really glad that Carina Adams wrote this story and gave us more insight into these characters that I already knew and loved. I hope that Craig might one day get his own HEA as I think he truly deserves one. It was great to read about his HFN with Lia here though, and I think fans of this series will really enjoy getting more in this world.

**ARC Provided by Social Butterfly PR**

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ARC Review: Lay It Down by Carina Adams

I will admit that I didn't even read the blurb when I first saw Lay It Down from Carina Adams! I am a huge fan of hers and have enjoyed everything I have read from her, so this was a no-brainer from me. After I started reading though I quickly realized that Lay It Down is actually a box set of books 1 and 2 in Carina's Bastards MC series. Lay It Down contains the novels, Always Been Mine and Honey Whiskey. I had previously read these books and loved them, so it was really great to go back and see some of my favorites again all featured in one book! 

Always Been Mine is Josephine Walker and her best friend Matt Murphy's story. With Jo's world falling apart, she turns to her best friend Matt for support. She is tired of playing it safe and is ready to really live. She knows that if she is looking for wild and crazy that Matt is the one to help her. Matt had resigned himself to friendship only with Jo, but now that he sees he might have a shot, he will do whatever it takes to make her his. 

Honey Whiskey is the continuation of Jo and Matt's story and needs to be read after Always Been Mine. Honey Whiskey picks up after the events of Always Been Mine, with Matt having walked away from Jo. He knows that he messed up and will do whatever it takes to get her back. But after everything that has happened, Matt also knows that he will have to fight for her. 

These two books were such a journey for these characters, and I couldn't get enough of them. I absolutely love Jo and Matt, even if there were times that each of them frustrated me. Their connection was so special, and you could really feel just how deep it went. Not only did they have a great foundation of friendship, but they also had a ton of heat and chemistry between them. I don't want to go into too many details here and spoil anything, but trust me when I tell you that their story is definitely one worth reading! 

I loved having both of these books in one collection so that I could immediately jump from the first book to the next. Fans of this series will love having both books in one place, and if you haven't read these books yet, this is a great way to get both books together for a great price! I highly recommend these books and anything by Carina Adams. Her writing style is one that I absolutely love, and she always captivates me from the first word all the way until the very end. Emotional and steamy, Carina Adams writes unique and beautiful books and that is definitely the case here with Lay It Down. If you are a fan of MC romance novels that are fresh and different, Always Been Mine and Honey Whiskey are not to be missed, and Lay It Down is the perfect way to get them both together in one place!

**ARC Provided by Ardent PRose PR**

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ARC Review: Out Of The Blue by Carina Adams

I will admit that I am a big fan of Carina Adams and every time I see she has a new book coming out I get really excited! But I have to say that I think Out of the Blue is the one that I had been waiting for the most from her. After reading and loving Forever Red, I couldn't wait to get Mike's story! Though Out of the Blue is technically a standalone, it is really a continuation of Forever Red with more of the focus being on Mike and Molly. I would suggest reading these in order though I guess you wouldn't necessarily have to. 

When an accident ended Mike's career in the Navy, he came home to a life that had fallen apart. Needing something to do, he jumped at the chance to work security for one of his best friends who was also a famous country singer. As much as he enjoyed being around his best friend Nate though, it was hard to watch his other best friend Lia with Nate as they got back together. Though he had never made a move on Lia, he always thought that they would wind up together. Needing to get away from them, Mike left the tour and headed home. But when Lia shows up months later looking for his help running security for her new client Molly, Mike finds himself unable to say no. Mike and Molly had been friends before, and they picked up like nothing had changed once around one another again. But the more time they spend together, the more things begin to change and soon they are seeing each other in a completely new light. 

I had really liked both Molly and Mike in Forever Red, so I was excited to get to know each of them better. I felt so bad for Mike with how things went for him and Lia. Though I love Lia and Nate together, I saw the friendship and connection she had with Mike. He is such a good guy, and their friendship and history went back so far. But I really did think that Lia and Nate were meant to be, so it was really good to see Mike moving forward. He was great at what he did, and he genuinely cared about Molly and her safety. It was great to see them grow closer than ever as they spent more time together. Molly was so easy to like, and I thought that she was good for Mike. She was able to help Mike loosen up a bit and start to live his life for himself as well as others. I can't even imagine living life in the spotlight and having to deal with everything that Molly did, and though she did make a few poor choices I completely understood where she was coming from. She wanted to make her own choices and have some fun without the world having an opinion on everything. Where she was good for Mike with helping him be a bit more selfish when he needed it, he was good at grounding her and helping her to let go of all that she had to deal with because of her life as a singer. These two were so great together and I really felt their connection to one another. I also loved the heat and chemistry between them, and I couldn't get enough of them together. 

I really loved this book and just like with Forever Red, I didn't want it to end! I feel so invested in each of these characters and I just love this series! They are all so fun to read about, and I found my heart melting at how cute Mike and Mols were together. Carina is a great writer, and I was so glad to see how she handled so many issues here in this book. I thought that she did a great job of tackling some issues and giving each the respect that they deserved. There were a lot of things going on here, and I felt like the pacing and flow was perfect. Carina Adams did a great job with this story, and I couldn't put this book down. If you are looking for a book that is funny, sweet and filled with smoking hot chemistry, this is definitely one worth checking out. I have loved everything I have read from Carina Adams and I know that I will be anxiously awaiting whatever she writes next.

**ARC Provided by Ardent PRose**

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ARC Review: Forever Red by Carina Adams

I have read and enjoyed books by Carina Adams before, but I can honestly say that Forever Red is my absolute favorite by her. I could not put this book down! It has several of my favorite tropes, and it all added up to one fantastic story. This friends to lovers story was also a second chance romance, and Nate and Lia were fantastic together. I know that I will absolutely be reading more from Carina Adams in the future, especially after this book. 

Nathaniel Kelly is a successful country star but no matter how much he has, he has never been able to forget the girl that broke his heart. He had loved and lost Cecelia when they were kids, and he never expected to see her again. Nate spent years trying to find her, but he never had any luck until he does a show close to home. Nate is surprised to find her there with her friends, but he figures that it is time to finally get some answers. Cecelia had her reasons for doing what she did, knowing that she could never live with herself if she let Nate give up his life to stay with her. That has never stopped her from loving him or wishing that things had been different though. When they are suddenly thrown back together, they realize that the connection they once shared is as strong as ever. But can Nate and Lia have a chance together after all their years apart and all the obstacles that now stand in their way? 

I cannot even begin to describe how much I loved these characters. Nate was so sweet and he really made me fall in love with him right along with Lia. He was such a good guy, and my heart absolutely broke for him when things ended for them as kids. Nate would have done anything for her, and it was clear that it was more for them than just a childhood kind of love. Their connection was deep and their feelings true. Lia had not had the easiest life, and I understood why she made the decisions she did even if I didn't like them. She was doing what she thought she needed to, and I was so upset for her because she broke her own heart right along with Nate's. These two were meant to be together, and that was clear to me right away. Their connection was so strong that it couldn't be broken, even with years and secrets between them. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It was so good, and I was instantly drawn in. I was so captivated by this story that I read it pretty much in one sitting. I found the world falling away as I became more invested in Nate and Lia's story. I loved that Carina Adams gave us both the past and present, and also Nate and Lia's POVs. I felt like it really allowed the reader to get a feel for exactly what each character was going through, and it gave this story a depth that is often missing when a story is told from only one POV. I really enjoyed being inside these character's heads and seeing how they were experiencing everything that happened. I would definitely recommend this book to those looking for a solid romance story with all the feels. This book was exactly what I needed, and I know that Nate and Lia will be characters I want to go back and visit again. I cannot wait to read more from Carina Adams in the future.

**ARC Provided by Between the Sheets Promotions**

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Review: Always Been Mine by Carina Adams

Always Been Mine is the debut novel from Carina Adams. I was really blown away with her writing style and her ability to evoke such emotions from the reader. I think that this story is one that you will definitely have strong feelings about, and I will warn you that there are some difficult topics dealt with in this story including cheating. I really liked Carina's writing style though, and I felt like she did a pretty great job of writing characters that have so many different facets to them that you are constantly learning new things about them as they grow and evolve over the course of this book. I can't wait to read more from her after having read this book.

On the surface, Josephine Walker appears to have it all. She has a great career, she is married to her college sweetheart and has two beautiful children. She also has her coworker and best friend Matt. When Jo's life begins to fall apart and her marriage fails, she turns to Matt for comfort. There has always been an attraction between them, but for the first time she starts to really see him as more than just a friend. Matt has been in love with Jo for awhile, but has resigned himself to having only friendship with Jo rather than nothing. With her marriage in jeopardy, Jo finally begins to see that she wants more than just stable and boring. She wants wild and she wants Matt. But things between them won't be easy after everything in their pasts as well as the secrets that Matt has kept from Jo. Can Jo and Matt take their friendship to the next level, or will they destroy everything including the friendship that they both can't live without?

I really loved Matt. He was so great all the way through this story until the very end when he made me a little mad. But he was Jo's rock and I adored him. He was sweet and kind, funny and caring. He truly loved Jo and would have done anything for her. I loved that he was a professional during the day and had a great job, but that he was also really sexy with tattoos and lived the biker lifestyle at night. He was complicated and had a lot of secrets, and I really enjoyed seeing his layers be peeled back a little at a time. I will admit that while I loved Matt, I struggled with Jo for most of this book. She had a tendency to be wishy washy, and I hated her mood swings. I had a problem with a lot of her actions, and I just didn't like or understand most of what she did. Just as she finally started to really get her act together, I felt like the story was almost over. I will say that the chemistry between Matt and Jo was amazing. They had the physical attraction, but they also had such a strong bond and base from their friendship. I thought that these two were absolutely made for each other, and I never stopped rooting for them to figure things out.

Overall, I thought that this was a really great story. It was different and wasn't something that I had read before. I liked that this story pushed boundaries and really showed a journey. Matt and Jo grew and evolved over the course of this book and had a lot of really hard things that they had to confront and deal with. This book will definitely run you through the emotional wringer, but I loved that Carina was able to really evoke such strong feelings. I am really looking forward to seeing what else she writes in the future and I can't wait to read the next chapter in Jo and Matt's lives. I would recommend this story if you are looking for something different and something that will draw you in and keep your interest. I couldn't wait to see how things would play out and couldn't put this book down.

**Review Copy Provided by Between the Sheets Promotions**

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Review: Honey Whiskey by Carina Adams

Honey Whiskey is the second book in the Bastards MC series by Carina Adams, and is the continuing story of Jo and Matty. I would definitely recommend that you read the first book Always Been Mine before you read Honey Whiskey so that you can get the full back story on the characters and see everything that has happened in their past. I think that both books are worth the read and that you will not want to miss out on any part of what happens for these two characters. If you haven't read the first book, beware of possible spoilers in this review.

Jo Walker and Matt Murphy have been in love with each other for years. Far longer than they should have been, but their friendship grew and changed as their lives did. Matt is a member of the Bastards MC and lives two separate lives. He has never had any regrets about his life except for when he left Jo behind. After everything they had been through, they walked away from one another even though it killed them both. With more secrets between them than truths, there were things that Matt thought that he could never tell Jo. But as they try to continue with their lives, fate has other plans and continues to bring them together. But in order for them to fully be together, Matt must decide if he can finally tell Jo everything. And what happens when Jo finally knows the truth about everything?

I really liked both Jo and Matt. I know that their relationship didn't start off the best in the first book, but life is messy and you don't always control who you fall in love with. I think that the attraction and bond between these two was so strong, and they were meant to be together. It was always clear to me that these two belonged to one another, but that life and outside influences had a way of screwing things up for them. It was hard to read parts of this book, because you could see how much each of these characters were hurting. They had already been through so much, and yet they continued to get dealt some really bad deals and I just wanted them to work everything out between them. I think that both Jo and Matt really grew a lot over the course of the two books, and were able to find out a lot about themselves and each other. Even when they did things that I didn't agree with or like, I really felt like their feelings for one another never went away and that they were true and real. I could not get enough of these two together, and they were so hot together.

Overall, I thought that this was a really good follow up to the first book. While I liked the characters and enjoyed getting more of them, there were a few things that kept this one from being five stars for me. I felt like these two took a really long time to figure things out, and at times their decisions seemed to just be on repeat. They would do the same things over and over that would drive me nuts and I just wanted to shake them both and tell them to be honest with one another and just have a conversation without freaking out or running away. I also felt like this book focused a lot more on the goings on of the club, and the relationship between Jo and Matt got a bit lost in all the details and action. I wanted more of those two rather that all the rest of the characters. I did like that this book gave us multiple POVs though. I felt like it really added a lot to this story, and it was great as a reader to see what both Jo and Matt were going through and their thoughts on everything that was happening. I really loved the friendship that developed between Jo and Rocker in this story. She needed someone really badly at times throughout this book, and I liked that Rocker was able to be that person for her. I can't wait to get to know him better in the next book, and see what happens with him. I would definitely recommend these books, and I think that while you get that MC feel that these are completely different than most other MC stories that I have ever read. I will definitely read more from Carina Adams in the future, and look forward to Rocker's story next.

**Review Copy Provided by Between the Sheets Promotions**

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