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Saturday, December 3, 2016

ARC Review: Deny by Jade Chandler


This book seemed to have everything for a reader like me. Motorcycle club, check. Erotic romance, check. Sex club, check. And a splash of BDSM, check. So what could go wrong? Well it appears that although I love all of these features in seperate books, if you put them all together in one book, it's a lot. Like half way through this book, my head was just spinning. There were so many things to focus on, I couldn't keep track of any one thing.

The book starts out really promising and the action continues throughout. Jericho stages a coup and overthrows his possible Dad to become president of his MC. His other possible Dad wants to take the club from him and starts stirring up all kinds of trouble at the BDSM club run by the MC. Jericho is trying to balance maintaining order in the MC and protecting the club employees. Enter Marr.

Marr is the sexy Dom at the club who Jericho wants in his bed but needs on his team. Marr is the inside woman at the club who may be able to get info that will help Jericho get the situation under control. The problem is that Marr wants to dominate Jericho in her dungeon and that's not really something he is up for. Let me take this opportunity to say neither am I. I'm not really the female Dom type of reader. I was also confused about how all this was going to work out considering we were dealing with 2 Doms.

The situation with Renegade trying to undermine Jericho keeps escalating. Both Marr and Jericho are forced to decide what is really important to them and the result is HOT! I couldn't decide how to rate this book but despite my disagreement with some of the plot twist and the number of storylines, I'm going with 4 stars. I had fun reading this book and I was thoroughly entertained.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Forever Tattooed by Alicia Rae


Forever Tattooed is the third and final installment in the Tattooed Billionaire series by Alicia Rae. This book continues the story of Damien and Raelyn and should only be read after Tattooed Emotions and Tattooed Scars. If you haven't read those yet, make sure you start there and are aware that there will be spoilers in this review for those two books. I have been waiting for this book since the minute that I finished Tattooed Scars, and I needed to see how things would end for these two. While I was ultimately happy with where they ended up, I am torn about this book itself.

Raelyn has made it through her health scare, but she is different from the woman she once was. As she struggles to regain her life and ease back into her career, she longs for Damien to finally open up to her. Damien would do anything for Raelyn, but the one thing he plans on never doing is revisiting his past. He knows that if Raelyn knew the truth, that she would leave him and he knows that he can't lose her. But will Damien's inability to fully let Raelyn in be what causes him to lose her once and for all, or will he finally open up to her about his past so that they can have a future together? 

I have loved Raelyn and Damien since the very start of this series, and that wasn't any different here. These two are absolutely meant to be together, and have had more than their share of obstacles thrown their way. I wanted nothing more than for them to finally get their HEA, but I knew that it wouldn't be easy. While I loved that things finally seemed to be resolved with Raelyn's health, I hated that Damien continued to hold back when it came to letting Raelyn know about his past. He was so scared to lose her, and yet he didn't seem to realize that they love they had was strong enough to withstand anything but his inability to let her in. What I hated the most was that when it came down to it, he never did open up to her until his hand was forced. Raelyn should have found out from Damien what he had been through, not through someone else and that made me lose some respect for his character. These two still had a lot of chemistry and a stong connection, but I just wanted him to finally let her in and it just felt like he never actually did it because he loved her but instead because he had to. 

My other problem with this book is that while we did finally get closure, it felt like this book wasn't entirely necessary. There was a lot that felt like it could have been condensed here, and much of it dragged on. Even though I love these characters, I was a bit disappointed with this final chapter in their story. I think that their story could have easily been resolved in a couple of books or even a couple of books and a novella. Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed this series and how things turned out for all the characters. But this book felt as though much of it was filler or content to stretch the story out and it could have been much shorter. Alicia Rae is still a go to author for me when it comes to contemporary romance, and if you like sweet and heartfelt romance novels you definitely need to check her books out.

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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A Historical Christmas Event with Sophie Barnes


Born in Denmark, Sophie has spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world. She has studied design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor's degree from Parson's School of design, but most impressive of all - she's been married to the same man three times, in three different countries and in three different dresses.

While living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion - writing. She currently lives on the East Coast.

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Friday, December 2, 2016

ARC Review: Craving by Helen Hardt


This is my first book by this author. I had no preconceived notions and truthfully no idea what kind of book this was going to be. I can honestly say I was presently surprised and patting myself on the back for picking this one.

My first impression of this book was nothing like my thought on the last page. The book starts out kind of like a sweet contemporary romance. I thought this was going to be the story of Jade redeeming Talon from his demons and loving him back to health. I thought they were both going to be each others redemption and ride off into the sunset. Jade had been left at the altar, Talon had battle demons, you can see where this is going right? Wrong! The first shock is that this is book 1 in a series.  I'm not sure how many parts it is but hopefully it is only 2 parts. I was not expecting that or the extremely steep cliff we get left hanging on at the end. SN: I'm not really into serials these days. I want instant gratification. I will only recommend a series if it was really good and this one is good enough.

As the story unfolds, you find out that nothing is quite what it seems. One of the most shocking things is that Jade is much stronger than she seems at first. Jade isn't taking any crap but somehow she is also secure enough to deal with Talon's brand of crazy. I loved how Jade threw herself in front of the moving truck that was Talon's total inability to cope with past trauma. Talon was a soldier but the source of his trauma is much deeper and much more disturbing than I saw coming at first. Talon has series issues that he has had for a long time. Jade is the only person who has been able to get close to him and at every turn he tries to boot her out of his life. The push and pull between these characters is intense times 10. Every interaction was like a slow build up followed by an explosion. It was really something to watch happen.  

Oh, and did I mention that the sex is filthy, dirty and hot? That is something I really wasn't expecting.  Jade had only had one partner so I didn't think she was up for the super hot nasty.  Talon was all semi-cray so I didn't know what that was going to be like. But omg, it all came together, a lot. I loved it.

Ok, a couple quick notes, Jade's first lawyer job is ridiculous and completely unreal. Sometimes Jade gave in to Talon and I wasn't sure it made sense. Talon crossed the line with his aggression a couple of times and I felt like what he needed was to be slapped, not screwed. Which brings me to my next point- part of Jade's strategy for dealing with Talon's issues is to give him her body. I'm not sure that was everything that he needed and many times in the book I wished Jade had pushed Talon more to open up or get help. Last note, nobody in this book can hear. Jade and Talon are banging away making all kinds of noise in a house with all kinds of people but no one ever discovered they were together. I'm just sayin...

I wished we could have gotten more answers in this installment but in the end you wind up with a good book and many many questions.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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A Historical Christmas Event with Vanessa Kelly


Named by Booklist as one of the "New Stars of Historical Romance," bestselling author Vanessa Kelly's books have been nominated for awards in a number of contests. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Maggie Medallion for historical romance. With a Master's Degree in English Literature, Vanessa is known for developing vibrant Regency settings, appealing characters, and witty storylines that captivate readers.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

ARC Review: Own by K.I. Lynn and N. Isabelle Blanco


Own is the third book in the Need series by K.I. Lynn and N. Isabelle Blanco and needs to be read only after the first two have been read. This is the continuation of Kira and Brayden's story and these cannot be read out of order. This series has captivated me right from the start, but I have to say that it has had it's ups and downs for me. While I was glad to see how things turned out for these two, ultimately I was left with mixed feelings on the series after finishing Own. 

Kira and Brayden are finally together, yet they are unable to be together openly. Everyone knows them and they have more going against them than ever. But both Brayden and Kira are determined to do whatever it takes to make their relationship last forever.

I have loved seeing the growth of Brayden over the course of this series. He started out on the immature side, sleeping with almost anything that moved. Yet I really saw him make some progress in the second book of the series and that continued here. What I will tell you though is that I never felt like Kira made the same progress. I wish I had seen more growth from her, and honestly I thought she acted more immature than ever here. She knew everything about Brayden and chose to be with him anyway, yet every time they disagreed she would throw it all back in his face. I understood some of that in book two, but here I felt like it was just too much and she needed to get over it or let him go. These two had as strong of chemistry as ever, with their sex scenes super steamy and hot. But I felt like the authors really did these two a disservice by having Brayden's past constantly thrown in their faces, making Kira's constant harping about it even worse. We didn't really need his ex flings constantly going up to him and grabbing his crotch to prove that he had slept around.

I also felt like the whole forbidden stepbrother bit just didn't work. These two had known each other for years before their parents hooked up, and they had only been married like three and half years.Their connection was already solidly formed at that point and it just didn't make sense why they would suddenly be off limits to each other. The calling them brother and sister and stuff just didn't work for me when considering how they grew up. While I did have these issues with the story, I will also say that I couldn't put these books down. I was captivated from the start and had to know what would happen. I wish that this book had explored a bit more of an adult relationship between these two and that things had been a bit more mature. There was so much drama here that it really just felt too over the top at times. I still liked the series overall, but I think that there was the potential for me to really love it instead of just liking it. I will still read more from these two in the future, and I am looking forward to Ryan's story up next in Stay.

**ARC Provided by TRSOR Promotions**

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ARC Review: Children of Eden by Joey Graceffa


The setting is a world where humans destroyed our Earth. Trees and animals no longer exist. About a large city's worth of people were all that survived, and now they dwell in a sanctuary called Eden. Since the rest of the world is a wasteland, they only have a limited amount of space. Therefore, each family is only allowed to have one child. Rowan, our protagonist, was unfortunate enough to be born only a few minutes after her brother.

Rowan grew up in secret never leaving her family's home. Since her eyes were never corrected (like everyone's in Eden), they'll give away what she is to anyone who sees her. As is typical for these types of situations, Rowan hits a breaking point and sneaks out to see the rest of Eden. She has quite the adventure, but not long afterward, it's discovered that her existence has been detected by the authorities. Rowan and her mother flee, hoping they can get new lenses and a new family for Rowan.

And so Rowan embraces a new life that is nothing like her past. She makes new friends and experiences romantic love and affection for the first time in her life. Rowan is almost constantly in danger throughout the story, and little by little we learn more about this society and all of the skeletons in its closet.

I was very impressed with the language in this story. though written for a young adult audience, they used some words I had to look up. It wasn't overdone and made the book better. I like that they didn't feel that they needed to dumb it down for younger readers. There is a weird love triangle that seems to be forming, but it wasn't completely clear what Rowan's feelings were. I couldn't tell if she was feeling butterflies or just happiness for friendship and interaction. It kept it interesting, and I hate love triangles so that has to mean something.

I really liked this book. Rowan's journey to interact with other people, find out who she is, and the mystery of what really is going on in this society kept my attention and curiosity. It was action packed, but it had those sweet and caring moments, too. The explanations of the scene at the beginning (which can be overly boring in a lot of these book types) were done well and spaced properly so as to not detach from the story too long. I'm excited to see where this story leads.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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A Historical Christmas Event with Samantha Grace


RITA-nominated historical romance author, Samantha Grace, discovered the appeal of a great love story at the age of four, thanks to Disney’s “Robin Hood”. She didn’t care that Robin Hood and Maid Marian were cartoon animals. It was her first happily-ever-after experience, and she didn’t want the warm fuzzies to end. Now that Samantha is grown, she enjoys creating her own happy-endings for characters that spring from her imagination. Publisher’s Weekly describes her stories as “fresh and romantic” with subtle humor and charm. Samantha describes romance writing as the best job ever. Part-time medical social worker, moonlighting author, and Pilates nut, she enjoys a happy and hectic life with her real life hero and two kids in the Midwest.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Review: The Sexy One by Lauren Blakely


While I have been a huge fan of Lauren Blakely's since I first read Playing with her Heart, the last few books that I had read from her had just been okay for me so I took a break from her books for awhile. But when I saw a blurb and cover for The Sexy One, I knew I had to read it! I love books about hot single dads, and this one just appealed to me right away. Unfortunately, this was yet another book of hers that just didn't work for me like her early stories and I was disappointed here. 

Simon and Abby both want each other, but there are more than a few reasons they shouldn't cross that line. Not only is there an eight year age difference, but Abby is the nanny for Simon's daughter Hayden. But the more they try to fight the attraction and growing connection between them, the harder it gets and they soon find themselves unable to fight it. But Abby needs her job, and Simon needs to keep Abby for his daughter's sake. Can they have it all, or will they ruin everything by crossing the line with one another? 

I liked both Abby and Simon. It was clear that they were attracted to each other right away, and I liked the friendship and connection they were forming. Abby was great with Simon's daughter, and they all just fit together well. Both Abby and Simon were sweet and caring, and I loved seeing them with Simon's daughter. But as must as I felt the chemistry and connection between them growing, it all felt so rushed. This book really felt like I blinked and it was over, and it all just seemed to happen overnight. While I liked them together, it just felt too fast for everything. 

Though this book was sweet and sexy and had some really cute moments, I just didn't feel overwhelmed with emotion or as though I was ever 100% invested. I think a lot of that was because this book felt so rushed, so I was left feeling kind of meh about the whole thing. I wanted to love it and the premise was one that I usually love. But the execution here was lacking and it just felt as though the author rushed her way through the entire thing and unfortunately that really showed when reading it. While I love Blakely's early books, the last several I have read from her have been this way for me and I think maybe it is time for me to just stop. If this one sounds like something you might like, I recommend you give it a try. I usually seem to be in the minority when it comes to her books as of late, so there is every chance that this is just me and that a lot of readers will really enjoy it.

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ARC Review: Seaside Whispers by Melissa Foster


Seaside Whispers is the newest book in the Seaside Summers series from Melissa Foster. Each book is a standalone story though they are interconnected. Each of these is also connected to the much larger series, Love in Bloom. I highly recommend this entire series as they are all fantastic, but you do not need to read them all to understand anything here. I have to say though, that I have really enjoyed each book in the series that I have read and I love seeing familiar faces as the series continues. 

Matt Lacroux has dreamed of becoming Dean at Princeton, but as it starts to slip away his getting a book deal could not have come at a better time. Determined to make the most of it, he heads home in order to focus on writing. But while there, Matt also decides that it is time to win over his father's employee, single mother Mira. Though their lives are hours apart, a summer in Cape Cod will change everything for these two. But with Matt's stay only being temporary, can these two find something lasting or will it be over when it is time for Matt to leave?

I really liked these two! The two things that I love most about Melissa Foster's books are her ability to write such different and unique characters, and the focus on love, friendship and family with each story she writes. Those things were definitely true here, and I couldn't get enough of Mira and Matt. Matt was smart and sexy, and I loved his patience. He was great with kids and was perfect for Mira and her son. Mira was a fantastic mother, always focused on putting his needs first and creating the best environment and life for her son that she could. As great as it was to see her in that aspect of her life, I also loved seeing her grow over the course of this book and with Matt's help to really see that she deserved a life outside of being a mom. She definitely deserved to go after what she wanted too, and she and Matt belonged together. 

Overall, another amazing story from Melissa Foster. Each story I read from her is so good, and she never disappoints or lets the reader down. I don't know how she does it each time, but her stories just seem to get better. Melissa Foster is one of my absolute favorite authors, and I seriously don't think I can say enough good things about her. Seaside Whispers was sexy, sweet and such a joy to read and I think that romance readers are definitely going to love this one! If you have read Melissa's books before, this is everything that you have come to know and love from her, and if you haven't read her books before she is a must read for fans of contemporary romance. Seaside Whispers is one that I highly recommend and I can't wait for more from Melissa Foster.

**ARC Provided by Tasty Book Tours**

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Interview with Author Paige Tyler and Giveaway

Meet Paige Tyler author of Wolf Unleashed.

Paige Tyler is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kickbutt heroines who fall in love with them.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2016

ARC Review: Bend by Molly McLain


Bend is the first book I have read from Molly McLain and it is also the first book in her new Vegas Heat series. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to more in this series. While there were a few things that kept this one from being 5 stars for me, there was so much to like here as well in this sexy enemies to lovers story. 

Trent is a cop that everyone knows is a hardass. He doesn't take any shit and he definitely doesn't care who you are, if you break the law you have to deal with the consequences. Though Trent respects his Captain, his daughter is a spoiled princess that rubs him the wrong way. But when Kinsey finds out that someone is stealing from the lingerie store she manages, she reluctantly calls the cops and finds herself forced to work with Trent. 

I really liked this book in huge part to the characters. They had great chemistry and I loved the vibe between them. They started off on such opposite sides, and their relationship was one that evolved naturally. I loved that it wasn't rushed and that they became friends before they became lovers. Things were smoking hot between them and I just couldn't get enough! Trent didn't believe himself to be good, and it was really interesting to see his character grow and change over the course of the book.

Overall, this was a great story and I really loved the characters. As much as I loved Trent and Kinsey, I really liked the secondary characters as well. I am definitely looking forward to seeing as some of them get their own stories and we get more of tihs world. This was my first book by Molly McLain, but it won't be my last. I recommend giving this one a shot if you like sexy contemporary stories. While this is the first in the Vegas Heat series, each one will be an interconnected standalone.

**ARC Provided by Author**

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