ARC Review: Stealing His Thunder by Sparrow Beckett

Sparrow Beckett's books have been sort of hit or miss with me, but I was really excited to start this new series from them. I was expecting something of an erotic Fast and the Furious or Gone in 60 Seconds type of story here, and there were some things that I liked and felt similar to that. However there were also some things that didn't work for me, and unfortunately this one was just okay. 

Addison Kennedy loves the rush she gets from stealing cars. But when she gets knocked out while stealing a car, she comes to with the sexy Fox Larson standing over her. Fox never expected for the thief that he knocked out to actually be a girl, and a hot one at that. But he couldn't leave her unconscious and alone in a parking garage. Not only that, but he needed information from her and figured bringing her home was the best way to get it. Soon Addison becomes more than just a thief trying to get in with his group though and the attraction between them heats up. As Addison begins to submit in the bedroom, a big job goes bad and Addison gets her chance. But can Addison and Fox's relationship survive, or will her big chance ruin everything?

I had some trouble with the characters here. I expected them to be strong and deep, and unfortunately that wasn't the case. They felt very one dimensional, and I just wasn't invested in them. I was hoping for Addison to be stronger than she was, and she just came off as weaker than I would have liked. Her and Fox were a huge case of insta-love and this story quickly became more about the sex and instant connection than anything else. I just felt like it was super rushed and I wasn't buying into it. I love some hot sex scenes as much as the next girl, but these seemed to be extremely long and took over the story. I actually found myself skimming trying to get back to the story at times because they were repetitive and just weren't working for me. 

Overall, I was really excited about this one but it just didn't go as I had hoped for. While there were things that I liked, Stealing His Thunder wasn't what I was expecting. It was a lot lighter than I had been expecting, and I had trouble believing in the connection between Addison and Fox. Insta-love can work for me, but it didn't in this case. I just wasn't seeing it, and there seemed to be no real depth or substance to these characters or their relationship. If you are looking for something with a love of hot sex and don't mind that the story is light and surface deep, you might give this one a shot. But if you are looking for more substance with your erotic scenes, this one might not be for you. I have really enjoyed books by Sparrow Beckett though, so I know this won't be the last I read from them. This one just wasn't a favorite for me personally, but I recommend giving it a shot if it sounds like something you would enjoy.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: To Have and To Master by Sparrow Beckett

To Have and to Master is the third book in the Masters Unleashed series from Sparrow Beckett. As much as I enjoyed the first two books in the series, this one just didn't quite get there for me. It felt completely different, and honestly didn't seem to fit this series at all. While there were a few moments that kink or BDSM came into the story, it was rare and wasn't that much of the actual book. This one was a miss for me unfortunately. 

Konstantin is tired of the girls he is used to dating and is finally ready to settle down. So he agrees to meet with a woman from Russia that his family knows and if things go well between them they will marry. Varushka has no experience with men, but upon meeting Konstantin is exactly what he is looking for. She is naturally submissive and brings a piece of Russia with her to the US. But Varushka is also completely unfamiliar with how things are done in the US and has a bit of a tough time adjusting. Just as she is making progress, her father begins to question Konstantin's past and threatens everything that they have been building together.

I think my biggest problem here was Varushka. She was likable enough and sweet, but honestly she was just too naive for me. I understood her having no experience with men and being in a foreign country, but I also just had a tough time going through this story with her being that clueless about things. Things were just too slow and Konstantin was constantly having to explain things, and it just got old. Konstantin was very good with her,a nd I loved the fact that he didn't push too hard or make her feel stupid. At the same time, I guess I expected him to be a bit more firm and Dominant because of the man he was. There wasn't as much heat here as I had been expecting either, which is a shame since the previous books had a great amount. 

Overall, this was my least favorite of the series and I just didn't connect with the characters like I did in the previous books. It wasn't a bad story, I think this one is probably just me not enjoying Varushka's overly naive personality. If you have enjoyed the previous books, I think that this is worth giving a chance. For me personally this just wasn't a favorite, but it won't stop me from reading more from Sparrow Beckett in the future.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Playing Hard to Master by Sparrow Beckett

I have very very mixed feelings about this book. I am right on the verge of really really liking it but stopped short because of a few issues. The book is about Everly and Ambrose. Ambrose is a Dom who is in to serious kink but has attachment issues because of being abandoned by his former submissive/fiance. Everly is a submissive...sort of.

This is where I ran into my first problem with the book. Everly is submissive who doesn't want to submit...or rather she wants to be forced to submit sort of. I found Everly's personality really confusing because I thought the whole point of being a submissive was that you were naturally inclined to submit. The opposite seemed to be true of Everly, she was more given to acting contrary about everything. I'm still trying to figure our why Everly was the most disagreeable sub ever and because I can't it annoys me. Everly was constantly pushing Ambrose by talking back and refusing to cooperate which begged the question why did she want to be a sub. Ambrose was completely fine with Everly's crazy bad attitude. He constantly said how much he loved "brats." Like throughout the whole book Everly is referred to as a bratty sub. It was hard for me to get with that because in my mind a brat is a spoiled CHILD and there is nothing sexy about that.

The second major issue in the book is that Everly hates hates rich people because she had negative experiences with them as a child. It turns out Ambrose is super rich but when he discovers Everly's aversion to wealth, he hides his. When I say he hides it I mean it turns into this very complex web of lies that includes supporting actors and even a fake apartment. It's one of those things that you know from the beginning is going to end in disaster and you yell at the characters in the book but secretly it's really fun to watch it all fall apart. I actually had fun with the story line about Ambrose trying to hide his wealth. The only part that kind of dimmed it for me was Everly's completely ridiculous over generalization of all people with money. Of course the whole thing falls apart on Ambrose and I did not enjoy Everly's reaction even though it was kind of predictable. I also didn't enjoy how much Ambrose seemed willing to give up the fruits of his success to make Everly more comfortable. I think the author was aiming for a love is more valuable than money theme but I'd rather have it all so I couldn't identify with that.

Let me tell you what is really outstanding in this book- the sex. I just have to be honest, these were some really hot, really well written sex scenes. The author added in heavy BDSM elements and a lot of creativity. These were some of the better hot scenes I've ever read. The book went by really fast for me. I cringed over a lot of Everly's attitude and behaviors but I still liked the book and I would read the others in the series.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Finding Master Right by Sparrow Beckett

Finding Master Right is the first book in the Masters Unleashed Series by Sparrow Beckett. Sparrow Beckett is actually a writing team, with each author writing under another name. I thought that these two did a great job of writing the story so that it came off seamlessly, and I loved that they each focused on one POV. I think that this book was very successful because of the fact that we got both Kate and Banner's POVs, and I really enjoyed reading this one. 

Kate is looking for a Dom. She knows that she needs someone to take control and she wants to explore her submissive side. But she isn't willing to give up everything for a man, and her search for the perfect Dom for her so far has turned up nothing but creeps. When her friend throws a part to help her find her Dom, she ends up meeting the sexy Banner. Banner isn't looking for a submissive, but rather a slave. He knows that his kinks and desires are too intense for Kate, but he ends up agreeing to help train her in order to attract the right Dom for her. Once she is trained, he will help her out by introducing her to Doms that he knows will take care of her and find the right one for her. But the longer that they spend together, the more the lines start to blur. Soon both Kate and Banner are beginning to rethink all the reasons they have for not being together as their feelings continue to grow stronger.

I really liked Banner and Kate. I felt like they had a great connection right from the start, and the chemistry was so clear. These two challenged one another, and they fit together well. I liked that Banner was willing to introduce her into the BDSM lifestyle, and he was so great with her. I loved that he was cruel or overly harsh with her, yet he took her outside her comfort zone. Kate was a bit headstrong and liked to challenge Banner. She didn't give up control easy, and she wasn't always the most submissive. Yet she did have respect for Banner, and I liked seeing her learn to trust him and allow him to take control. I will admit that there were several times that Kate got on my nerves a bit, but overall I did like her with Banner. I thought that these two were super hot together though, and their steamy scenes were definitely worth the read.

The one thing that I will say though is that this didn't really feel like a Master/slave relationship to me at all. Banner mentioned several times about how he was and what his kinks were, yet I just didn't get that from him here. With him being a Master looking for a slave rather than a submissive, I would have expected him to be a bit more firm with Kate and yet there were many times that he seemed to go really easy on her. I also thought that for someone actively seeking a Dom, Kate seemed to have very little knowledge of the BDSM world. I understand there are some things that might be unfamiliar to her, but she didn't even know what Banner was referring to when he mentioned DP and that just struck me as something she definitely would have known had she really been interested in living that lifestyle. There were other examples that I found odd that she didn't know, but that one really seemed to be the most glaring to me. I did like these two together though, and if you are looking for a sexy story with some BDSM action, this one is worth looking into. I will definitely check out the rest of the series as I liked the secondary characters here a lot and would love to get to know them better.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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