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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Guest Post with Author Codi Gary and Giveaway

Meet Codi Gary author of I Need a Hero.

An obsessive bookworm, CODI GARY likes to write sexy small-town contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and blush-worthy moments. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading her favorite authors, squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her children. She lives in Idaho with her family.

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ARC Review: Mad Love 2 by Colet Abedi

I have been waiting for what feels like forever to get the sequel to Mad Love by Colet Abedi. So when I heard that we were finally getting Mad Love 2, I could not have been more excited. Mad Love ended with a cliffhanger, and I needed to know what would happen for Clayton and Sophie. Mad Love 2 is the continuation of their story, and it does need to be read in order. So if you haven't already read Mad Love, there will be spoilers below. 

After her whirlwind romance in the Maldives with Clayton Sinclair, Sophie returns home broken hearted when she sees pictures of him with his ex-girlfriend splashed across the covers of magazines. So when her best friend lands her a job in the south of France, she views it as her chance to start the rest of her life. But upon arrival, Sophie finds out that things were too good to be true and is forced to face Clayton once again. The chemistry between them is as strong as ever, and soon Sophie finds herself unable to fight the feelings between them. But when a family tragedy happens, Clayton shuts her out and Sophie must make the choice between letting go of him once and for all, or fighting for a future together. 

I really loved Clayton and Sophie in Mad Love. The chemistry and connection between them is undeniable. Things between them happened very quickly, yet it always felt so real. Unfortunately for most of this book though they each drove me nuts. Sophie was a constant blubbering mess, and she came off as very weak here. There were a few times that she seemed to finally gain some strength, but it wasn't enough for me. Clayton was so hot and cold here, and I felt like he never really warmed up fully to Sophie. He did open up more here, but it still wasn't much. Plus to be honest he was way too controlling and acted like a jerk for the majority of this book. I just had trouble really seeing an actual relationship happening rather than just constant circling which would end up in them fighting and pushing each other away. It was mostly Clayton doing it here, but Sophie wasn't the best either. These two were just as hot together as ever, and that was the one place that they never struggled. But when it came to believing that these two had a real and believable relationship that felt steady and stable, I never did believe that here. 

Overall, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed here. I expected to feel better about Sophie and Clayton, and for the most part I would say that things were even more unstable in this book than they were in the first. I kept waiting for these two to finally come around and it just didn't ever really seem to get there. Though I did like some things about the ending, it still felt unfinished to me. It was definitely more of a happy for now with things still up in the air, than a finished series. I would have liked an epilogue or a few more chapters to really finish things off here. I also had some issues with the book itself when it came to the writing. There were several times that it would basically stop in the middle of something and switch to another time or location with no warning at all. It was disorienting and the transitions were almost non-existent. It really disrupted the flow of the story to have to try and figure out how in one paragraph Sophie and Clayton were together, yet the next Sophie was with someone else completely in another location or time. Those issues along with the characters and lack of development here were what unfortunately sealed the deal here for me. As much as I wanted this book to be as great as the first one and to give Sophie and Clayton the ending they deserved, I just never saw it and was left disappointed and wanting more. This one had so much promise and I really loved the first book, but this wasn't the ending that I had been hoping for or expecting.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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ARC Review: Hard Beat by K. Bromberg

Hard Beat is the newest book in the Driven series from K. Bromberg. This book is a complete standalone though, so if you haven't read the previous ones you don't have to worry about starting here. While this book takes place in the Driven world, this story is about Rylee's brother Tanner who we have only seen a little of previously. I have to say though that I have been waiting for Tanner's story! I couldn't wait to really get to know him, and each book that I read from K. Bromberg just seems to get that much better. It is so hard for me to pick a favorite character of hers, because just when I think that no one can top my favorite she finds a way to prove me wrong! This is one of my absolute favorite group of characters ever though, and I really cannot recommend every book in this series enough! 

Foreign war correspondent Tanner Thomas is used to living for his work, but after losing his best friend he needs his job more than ever. Convincing his employers that he needs to get back to work, they set him up with a new photographer that tests him right from the start. Though Beaux Croslyn doesn't have a lot of experience, she is determined to do whatever it takes to make it. The attraction between them is instant, but they don't get off to the best start. But Beaux has secrets that she won't talk about and when they start to threaten everything, Tanner is will stop at nothing to find out the truth. But will Tanner's determination put them in even more danger than Beaux's secrets? 

These two were so hot together, and the heat between them was instant! From their very first interaction the sparks were flying, and I just knew that these this book was going to be one of the steamiest I have read! Tanner was struggling with losing his best friend, and I felt so bad for him. It was easy to see how close they had been and just how much he had cared about her. He was really lost and Beaux helped to give him a way to move forward with his life. These two might have had strong chemistry right from the start, but it took awhile for them to warm up to each other beyond just the attraction they felt. Beaux was feisty and determined, and I will admit that she wasn't my favorite right off. But the more I got to know about her and see, the more I started to like her. K. Bromberg is great at writing strong heroines that have so many sides to them, and Beaux Croslyn was definitely everything that I have come to know and love from her. I like that she could challenge Tanner and give just as good as she got, and I think that she was exactly what Tanner needed. 

Overall, this was another great book in the Driven world and I just love all these stories so much. K. Bromberg never disappoints, and I love that all the characters and stories are so different from one another. Though the characters are interconnected and you get to see familiar faces as the series continues, you really get so many different types of stories with each of these books. Tanner and Beaux's story was different than any of the rest of the books in the series considering their occupations and the situation they were in, and I loved it just as much as I have all the others. It was great to see Kristy deliver every bit of emotion and steam as she is known for, but to also see that she really can write anything she puts her mind to. Beaux and Tanner's story grabbed my attention right from the start, and I couldn't put it down. If you are a fan of Kristy's, you will love this book! But if you are new to her, this is a great place to start. I highly recommend this series, and I am really looking forward to whatever she writes in the future.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: The Play by Karina Halle

Wow Karina Halle really did it again with The Play! The way this book started off, I just knew that this book was going to be amazing yet at the same time wreck me. I have loved everything I have read by Karina, but I have to say that there is just something about her sexy McGregor guys that gets me each time! The Play features Lachlan McGregor who fans of The Pact and The Offer will recognize as Bram and Linden's cousin and Kayla Moore who is friends with both Stephanie and Nicola and shares a bit of history with Linden. I couldn't put this book down, and I really loved it. 

Kayla Moore is tired of one-night stands and always feeling like a third wheel with her friends, so she puts herself on a dating and sex strike. But when she meets Lachlan McGregor, she begins to rethink her choices. Talked into writing an article to help out Bram's cause, she interviews Lachlan and things between them become too hard for either of them to fight. Though Lachlan is set to go back to Scotland, they decide to spend the little time he has left in America together. But when Lachlan asks Kayla to go with him when he returns home, Kayla must decide if the risk of something with Lachlan is worth leaving behind her entire life. 

I really loved Lachlan. I have to say that Karina probably set a record with how quickly she tugged my heartstrings here, and I was instantly invested in Lachlan's story. It absolutely broke my heart what he had been through, and I couldn't have loved him more. Lachlan struggled so much, but he was such a great person. His capacity for love and good was beyond what you could ever imagine for someone who had been through what he had. Kayla was so much more than you first see, and I really liked getting to see who she really was. She was fun and feisty and yet she had a vulnerable side that most never saw. I really thought that these two were perfect for each other, and it really felt like they were two outsiders who had finally found the place that they belonged. They had explosive chemistry and you could see the attraction, but it was their intense connection and bond that made these two so special. 

Overall, this was a really great story and I loved Lachlan and Kayla. I loved how much Lachlan gave back to the dogs that he rescued, and that he cared so much. It wasn't just a charity to make himself feel better, but was who he was and what he was passionate about. I have always believed in helping strays and animals that need help, so to see that as such a large part of a story was really moving for me. There are so many animals in this world that need help and are unable to ask for it, and I loved that Lachlan did as much as he did. I also really loved that this is something that Karina Halle feels so much about personally that she decided to donate a portion of her sales for The Play to animal charities. Not only is Karina Halle a beautiful writer, but it just shows how big her heart is as well. This book is one of my favorites of Karina's and I know that fans of hers will love this story! If you are new to Karina's books this is a great place to start and I would definitely recommend checking out her other books as well! I cannot wait to see what Karina writes in the future, but whatever it is I know I will be reading it!

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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