ARC Review: Stoned by Mandi Beck

I have to admit that I couldn't wait to read this book after reading the blurb and seeing the cover! I am such a sucker for second chance romance stories and there is nothing better than a sexy rockstar! But I have to also say that Stoned by Mandi Beck left me with mixed feelings, and while there was a lot to like here there were also some things that didn't work for me. 

Stone is the lead singer of Wrecked, one of the world's hottest rock bands. He has loved Willow for as long as he can remember but he also loves the feeling he gets from pills and drugs. Constantly chasing that high, he does things that the real Stone would never do, but Willow leaves him knowing that she can't continue to stick around to watch him spiral even further. Having thrown his relationship away, Stone continues to sink even further until he gets so bad that he winds up in the hospital and must go to rehab. Once clean, Stone is determined to win Willow back and show her that he is the man she fell in love with. But when Stone finds out that she has moved on and things have changed, he knows that he will have to fight for a chance at the future that they always planned together. 

Part of my problem here was the characters. While I liked them and wanted them to work everything out, I had a tough time relating to them. I didn't feel connected to them, and I didn't always feel like we got to see their connection. We started this story right when things went wrong for them, and we didn't get a ton of their past, so it almost felt like we were coming into a story already in progress. I wish that we had been given a bit more of them from before, because I think it would have helped to really solidify their connection for me. I did feel like Stone and Willow had a connection and chemistry, and it was clear that they had a ton of history. But without seeing some of that, their relationship was hard to feel fully invested in. 

I also had a bit of trouble with some of the things that happened here as well. I understood that they were each going through a ton and that Stone was trying to get and stay clean. But a lot of this book was filled with angst and drama, and Stone constantly going on and on about how he had thrown her away but that she was his. It just got to be a bit repetitive and really started to drag the story down. I got to the point that I wanted to skim because a lot of it felt like a rehash of the same thoughts and dialogue we had already been through. Most of this book was these two being apart, and I just never really felt like we were given enough to be fully sold on their relationship. The ending was abrupt and felt rushed, despite the fact that it had been a long time coming. I wanted more, and I felt like that was kind of the theme the entire way through this one for me. While it wasn't a bad book and I definitely had to keep going to see how things would play out, this also wasn't one that I loved either. I think that if you are a fan of angsty romance stories and love rockstar books, that this one is worth the shot. This could just be a case of this story not working for me, as all the ratings I have seen for this book seem to be much higher than my own. So if it sounds like one you would like, I would recommend checking it out.

**ARC Provided by TRSOR Promotions**

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ARC Review: Love Hurts by Mandi Beck

Love Hurts is the first book in the Caged Love series by Mandi Beck, but it is also her debut novel. I have to say that I was really impressed with her writing, and you couldn't tell that this was the first book that she has written. I am really looking forward to more in this series from her, especially after the ending of this book. I will tell you that there is a cliffhanger, but the book was so good that I am glad that I went ahead and read this one now rather than wait for the next book. I definitely can't wait for more of Deacon and Frankie though! 

Deacon "The Hitman" Love has been in love with his best friend for as long as he can remember. They grew up together and have been close their whole lives. When he finally decides to tell her how he feels though, Frankie isn't sure that she is willing to risk their friendship for a chance at more. Deacon might have been in love with Frankie for years, but that hasn't stopped him from being with other women and plenty of them. Frankie loves Deacon as well, but she refuses to end up just another one of his girls and destroy their friendship in the process. But Deacon isn't willing to give up on her, and he is willing to fight in and out of the cage for what he wants. 

I really liked Deacon and Frankie, but I will also say that they both had moments where they made me mad. Deacon had wanted Frankie for years and everyone knew it but Frankie. I don't really understand his reasons for never doing anything about it or saying how he felt. It just never really made sense to me. I also didn't like that he was so weak when it came to other women. Even after he told Frankie about his feelings and was trying to get her, he was still with other women. There wasn't any cheating and he was faithful when they were together, but I didn't like seeing him with other girls when he was after Frankie. I really could tell how much he loved her though, and he would have done absolutely anything for her. Frankie had been through a lot, and I could understand her reluctance to just jump into something with Deacon. She was confused and Deacon's feelings caught her off guard at first, even though I don't know how she had no clue of how he felt. But she was strong and smart, and she was a fighter just as much as Deacon was. She was able to go through something horrible and still come out strong. But I didn't like that she was so resistant to Deacon throughout this book. She was saying that she loved him and clearly had feelings for him, and yet she kept him at arms length when she found out something she didn't like. These two were smoking hot though, and I really enjoyed the passion and chemistry between them. 

I also thought that Frankie's keeping Cristiano around was bit overdone. She wasn't interested in more with him, and yet she really never set him straight. It seemed as though she almost kept him around just to get to Deacon and I didn't care for that. Especially since she was so jealous of Deacon's past girls. I felt like if she really wanted Deacon to give up the girls that she should have been willing to do the same and let Cristiano know that they had no chance. It just felt a bit too much considering that she didn't ever discourage how physical she let him be with her, constantly touching her even when they weren't working together. I really like Deacon and Frankie together though, and I honestly believe that they are meant to be together. They have such a strong connection, and a great base for a relationship. The ending just about killed me, and I really need to know what happens next. I will definitely be picking up the next book as soon as it is out, and I look forward to reading more from Mandi Beck in the future.

**ARC Provided by IndieSage PR**

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