Ramblings From This Chick

Monday, June 20, 2016

ARC Review: Bad Boys After Dark: Mick by Melissa Foster

Every time I finish a Melissa Foster book, I am always anxious for the next. She is a fantastic writer, and I just love her stories! But I honestly couldn't wait to get my hands on the Bad Boys After Dark books after finishing her Wild Boys After Dark series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but these books are all connected to her Love in Bloom series in case you want to read them all. I highly recommend anything by Melissa Foster but you do not need to read them in order to understand anything here, though for full enjoyment it is great to read them all in order to see how everyone is connected.

Amanda Jenner is tired of attracting boring guys and is ready to take control of her dating life. Mick Bad doesn't mix business with pleasure and refuses to do relationships of any type. So when both of them decide to go to a masquerade bar crawl thinking it is the perfect place to fulfill their needs, they both think that they found exactly what they are looking for until they realize who they just made out with. But Mick is Amanda's boss and now that the line has been crossed, both Mick and Amanda find themselves wanting more. Mick offers to give Amanda lessons in seduction, but neither of them are prepared for where the lessons lead them.

I really love Melissa's characters as they are all different and unique, and Amanda and Mick were no different. Amanda was so endearing and I instantly liked her. Seeing her try to be sexy and being a bit awkward about it was cute, and I loved that Mick actually preferred the real her. She had a great personality, and I thought that she was great for Mick. Mick was also easy to like, and was super sexy. He was all alpha, but not in an over the top or jerk kind of way. I thought that he was just as great for Amanda as she was for him. You could tell just how much he had wanted her, but that he had stayed away because of his parents relationship and all he had been through. These two had so much chemistry though that you could tell that it was bound to explode between them at some point and after that there was no going back. I couldn't get enough of them and this one was really hot!

Overall, another great book from Melissa Foster! I love how these books are sexier than her standard contemporary reads, but yet the stories are every bit as good. Melissa Foster knows how to write a well balanced story like no one else, and I would buy anything that had her name on it. She has never let me down yet, and after reading Mick's book I can't wait to get the rest of the Bad Boys series. If you love her contemporary stories but also love your books a bit on the naughtier side, you need to be reading her Wild Boys and Bad Boys books!

**ARC Provided by Tasty Book Tours**

Sunday, June 19, 2016

ARC Review: Ramsay by Mia Sheridan

Ramsay is the newest book in the Sign of Love series by Mia Sheridan. I have really enjoyed every book I have read in this series, and each book is a standalone story based on one sign with Ramsay being based on Aries. This book was really good just like all the others that I have read from Mia, and I honestly cannot recommend this series enough. I am already looking forward to the next one.

Brogan Ramsay fell in love with Lydia De Havilland seven years ago. He was the son of her family's gardener and while their circumstances were different, he never saw her betrayal coming. It not only cost him the girl he loved, but also cost his family everything. Now years later he has worked hard to overcome his circumstances and the tables have turned. Ramsay is powerful now and is determined to get revenge for everything his family has been through. Determined to make Lydia and her family pay, Ramsay quickly discovers that just as he is no longer the same person he was, neither is Lydia. But nothing is ever as it seems, and Lydia and Brogan have secrets that could change everything.

I felt so much for Brogan. He had been through a lot and I hated that it had changed him in so many ways. While I wanted him to succeed, I hated that he had been hurt and was no longer the sweet boy he had been but was now cold and ruthless. The feelings he felt for Lydia were still there, and it was clear that nothing had changed as far as the pull between them went. Lydia though was a different story for me. I had some trouble with her character. While I wanted to hate her for everything that had happened, I knew there had to be more to the story and there definitely was. But I also couldn't quite get over how she handled things with her brother. He was truly awful and she was so blind to everything with him. He did so many terrible things, and it seemed like she just had one excuse after another for him, always cleaning up his messes. I wanted her to stop putting so much stock into what her brother would say and do, and start trusting her feelings for Brogan and finally see what was happening right in front of her face.

I did love the connection these two had, and once we got to see Brogan start to realize that Lydia wasn't who he had thought we did get to see some of that tenderness come back. I was so glad that he hadn't lost all of that with everything that had happened, and I did truly believe that these two were meant to be. I have to say that Lydia's brother and Brogan's ex really frustrated me at times though, and that was the reason this one wasn't a five star read for me. There were just some things that happened relating to them that kept me from absolutely loving this story. I do still highly recommend Ramsay and the entire Sign of Love series though as Mia Sheridan is a fantastic writer and I really can't get enough of her stories. If you are a fan of this series, this is a must read and if you are new to her, this series is one worth checking out. Archer's Voice is still my favorite of this series as well as being one of my all time favorite books period, but I have really liked everything I have read from Mia Sheridan and look forward to more from her.

**ARC Provided by Author**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | iTunes |

ARC Review: Hartstrings by L.L. Collins

Hartstrings is the first book that I have read from L.L. Collins. It is the third book in her Jaded Regret series, but each book can be read as a standalone story. The characters are interconnected, but I had no problems understanding anything here. I really liked this book, and I will definitely read more from L.L. Collins again in the future. This book wasn't always easy to get through, and my heart broke for these characters at times. But I was so glad that I read it and stuck through the difficult parts.

Tanner Hart is known for being a player of more than just the guitar for the band Jaded Regret. Thought to be the All-American bad boy of the band, Tanner's life couldn't be more different. But no one knows about his past, and he is happy to keep it that way. But when he comes across a bad situation and meets Mackenzie Shepard, he can't stop himself from rushing in to save her. Mackenzie isn't looking to be rescued though and knows that trying to get out is impossible. But when Tanner refuses to give up, Mackenzie and Tanner begin to form a friendship that changes both of their lives.

I really liked Tanner. I felt so badly for him and all that he had been through. My heart really hurt for him and how alone he was. He might have looked like he had it all, but there was so much that no one knew about. I was glad that he found Mac and was able to open up to her. I have to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of Mac most of the time though. I have never been in her situation and I tried not to judge her. But there were times that I just didn't understand her and the choices she made, and it frustrated me a bit. I also found it hard to relate to her at times because of that. These two did have chemistry and you could see that they were building a connection and I wanted them to be together.

Ultimately though, I felt like their relationship did come off as a bit rushed. Things seemed to just steamroll ahead once they started to change, and it just felt like a switch had been flipped from friends to more. Don't get me wrong I liked them together and how things ended, it just felt like it changed overnight and I would have liked to have seen a bit more of that transition that it felt like we missed here. Overall though this was a really good story, and I am looking forward to reading more in this series. If you are a fan of rockstar romance stories with some depth and emotion to them, I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot. Hartstrings made my heart hurt at times, but it also built me back up and showed that there is always hope and love can always heal even the most broken of people.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N |

Feature and Giveaway: Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning

THE SINNERS ARE BACK - Reissue of the first in a sizzling rock-star romance series from USA Today bestselling author Olivia Cunning

It’s been months since Brian Sinclair, lead guitarist for the famous rock band, The Sinners, composed anything. Unable to write the music that once flowed so naturally, Brian is lost without his musical mo-jo. But when sexy psychology professor Myrna Evans comes on tour to study groupie mentality, Brian may have found the spark he needs to re-ignite his musical genius. When lust turns to love, will Brian be able to convince Myrna that what they have is more than just a fling, and that now that he’s found his heart’s muse, he doesn’t want to live without her?

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes | Kobo |