ARC Review: Slammer by Tabatha Vargo

I have been trying to come up with the right words for this review since I finished Slammer by Tabatha Vargo. This book left me absolutely speechless, and Tabatha Vargo just proved to me once again why she is such an amazing writer! Let me start off by saying that this book will not be for everyone. Take the warnings into consideration and if you are against dark and gritty books with violence, this book probably isn't for you. Slammer is unlike Tabatha's previous books, so I would also caution you to read the blurb before just blindly picking this one up. I definitely think this one is worth the read though, but not every book is for every person and that is okay as long as you know what you are in for ahead of time. 

Christopher Jacobs never expected to find himself in prison, but after ten years he finds that the boy he once was is gone and in his place is the man they now call X. X has adapted to prison life and he knows how to handle himself, as well as what to avoid. But nothing could prepare him for the new nurse in the infirmary. Lyla Evans has no choice but to work at the prison infirmary, even though she wishes different. X is the one they warned her about, yet when she needs help, he is the one to rescue her. Both X and Lyla know that there should be no fraternizing with each other, yet the attraction and pull they feel is one they can't fight. 

Lyla and X were such unique and different characters, and I had never read about any like them before. The connection between these two was intense, and their chemistry was explosive. They had so much going against them with their circumstances, yet the relationship that they found with each other was one that was impossible to deny and felt real and natural. They were proof that it is possible to find love in the most unexpected places, and I loved seeing how deep their connection ran. The fact that they were willing to do so much for each other gave me hope for their situation and I knew that they would do whatever it took to look out for one another. Lyla's belief and support of X made me love her as a heroine, and it was good to see that she was able to look beyond what others saw in him. These two were so special, and I really enjoyed their journey even if it wasn't always what I wanted to expected for them. 

Tabatha Vargo got my attention right away with this book, and I honestly could not put it down. It was shocking and thrilling, and I never knew what was going to happen next. Just when I thought that I had started to figure things out, it turned out everything I thought I knew was wrong. This book as I stated before will not be for everyone, and I do think that some people will have a problem with some of the content as well as the ending. Without spoiling anything I will say that I can understand where some people will have issues, and yet I didn't here. Normally I would have, but I really felt like this story was written exactly as it was supposed to have been. I suggest if you are planning on reading this book to make sure that you have plenty of time, because once you start you are going to want to keep going. As much as I enjoyed the book, the epilogue blew me away. I couldn't believe what happened there, and to say my jaw was on the ground for quite a bit of time would be a huge understatement. There were a few things in this book that thought could have been a bit more clear and seemed to be a bit confusing, but on the whole this book was great. The criticisms I had were very minor though, and they didn't take away from the experience that was Slammer. I definitely recommend this story if you are a fan of dark reads and unconventional endings. I am a huge fan of Tabatha's and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

**ARC Provided by Author**

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RFTC Back to School Event with Nazarea Andrews

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

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ARC Review: Illusive by Nina Levine

Let me just start by saying, I love MC romance. If you haven’t tried it and you like dirty talking, alpha bad boys with criminal tendencies, you really should try some MC books. Illusive is the 6th book in the Storm series and it is marked as a standalone. However, I have not read all of the other books in the series and I found myself tying to play a little bit of catch up sometimes. There are a lot of issues in the club that are being played out in this book and honestly I just felt one step behind the polka half the time because I didn’t know what was going on. I think you can read this book as a standalone, but I would recommend you read the other books in the series first. If you plan to read the other books in the series anyway, I think this one probably spoils some of the stuff that happens in earlier stories. So do yourself a favor, read in order this time.

Illlusive is Griff and Sophia’s story. Griff is the VP of the Storm MC and Sophia is the neighbor of his surrogate mother. As the book opens, I figured out that the Storm MC was struggling with some internal traitors. Griff is personally dealing with some issues from his past which I won’t spoil for you. I can tell you that Griff’s Storm brothers don’t know about his past and Griff is willing to go to some truly criminal lengths to maintain their ignorance. There is a fair amount of plot line devoted to Griff’s struggle to maintain his present and deal with his past. Sophia is ok…I like that she kind of says whatever is in her head, sometimes without even coming up for air. Sophia’s past of neglect and abandonment give her character some interesting layers and help to explain her aversion to “hooking up.” I guess my only issue with Sophia is that I would have liked for her to make her attraction to Griff a little less obvious. She wasn’t actively pursuing him, but the whole calling him “handsome” as a nickname just didn’t appeal to me when he was pretty much ignoring her.

Yes, Griff is a brooding alpha type who is extremely economic with his use of the English language- So he doesn’t talk a lot. But I liked that. I liked Griff’s introspection and the reasons for his brooding were logical. When Sophia and Griff finally get together, it’s a good match with great sex. I enjoyed the relationship between the two but I wish it had taken up more of the plot line. My problem with this book is that there were a lot of page spent on “club business” and the stuff from Griff’s background. I have to be honest, I had moments where I was kind of bored because that just isn’t what I was reading the book for. At the end of the day, I would say this is a decent book with decent writing. It gets off to a really slow start but picks up in the middle. There is a great romance in here somewhere but a lot of other stuff too.

**ARC provided by Author**

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ARC Review: The Culmination by Lauren Rowe

The Culmination is the fourth novel in The Club series by Lauren Rowe and I could not have been more excited to read this as soon as I found out about it. I have loved every book in this series so far (all rated at 5 stars for me!), and Jonas and Sarah are without a doubt one of my all-time favorite couples! So to get more of them was something that I could not have been happier about, and Lauren Rowe definitely did them justice here. I knew that there was so much more to their story that could be explored, yet you always have to wonder at what time is it appropriate to say enough is enough. Well Lauren Rowe definitely proved that there was plenty to write about and I couldn't get enough of these two as their love story continued. 

The Culmination picks up after The Club trilogy and needs to be read in order. Make sure you start at the beginning so you don't miss out on all that Jonas and Sarah have already been through to get where they are here. So like I said this book picks up after the trilogy with Sarah and Jonas married. These two are in a good place, living life and their HEA. I don't want to give away too much in case anyone hasn't read the first three yet, but we get more of our favorite couple as well as Josh, Kat and Henn. These two might be living their HEA, but that isn't to say that things always go perfectly and I loved seeing how their relationship was progressing here. Trust me if you are a fan of the trilogy, you will want to read The Culmination. This is a full novel and has no cliffhanger.

Jonas and Sarah were even more fantastic here than I remembered, and I honestly will never forget this couple. These two are so special, and their love is rare and unique. I thought that Lauren Rowe did a great job here of giving us more of these two without repeating the same thing over and over. There was more story to tell, and I loved every bit of it. Jonas and Sarah are still the same sexy couple as they have always been, and their chemistry was hotter than ever here. These two really do have it all, and I loved seeing how they continue to deal with things together no matter what gets thrown their way. 

Overall, this another excellent story from Lauren Rowe and I honestly don't know if I will ever be ready to move past these two. I love them so much, and they always bring out all the feels! If you are looking for a series that is filled with humor, sweetness and some very steamy scenes, this is definitely the one you are looking for! Lauren Rowe is a great writer and she has never disappointed me yet. I highly recommend this series, and I honestly cannot wait for more from her! I am really looking forward to getting Josh and Kat's story too!

**ARC Provided by Sassy Savy Fabulous PR**

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ARC Review: Capture by Rachel Van Dyken

Capture is the first book in the Seaside Pictures series from Rachel Van Dyken. This book is a standalone story with no cliffhanger, and if you have read the Seaside series by her you will notice some familiar faces here. I am a huge fan of Rachel's, but her Seaside series is one that I haven't read yet. I thought that she did a great job of introducing those characters here without making the reader feel as though they were missing something by not having read the other series. I am definitely going to be reading it in the future though after reading this book and liking them all so much!

After losing her parents in a car accident that she blames herself for, Dani lost the ability to speak. Though she has a lot to be thankful for including her sister and best friends, she still feels responsible for her parents dying. But when she gets a job working for Hollywood's newest heartthrob Lincoln Greene, she begins to wonder if she has a chance to turn her summer job with Lincoln into something more.

I really liked these two. Lincoln treated her differently that she was used to, and I liked that he accepted her for who she was. He didn't use kid gloves with her, and I think that was exactly what she needed. He was charming and sexy, and impossible not to fall in love with. Dani was sassy and fun, and she also had a really sweet side to her. These two were so much fun to read about, and their chemistry was strong right from the start. I enjoyed seeing Lincoln be vulnerable with her, while supporting her as well. Lincoln and Dani definitely connected on every level, and I couldn't get enough of them.

Overall, this was a really great story. It was everything I have come to know and love from RVD. Capture was sweet and funny, while also being sexy and emotional. Rachel Van Dyken always draws you right in with her unique characters and great stories, and this is definitely one of my favorites of hers. It is impossible to pick an absolute favorite from her, because I really think that you can't go wrong with one of her books. She never disappoints, and I always know that each book of hers is going to be a good one. I highly recommend checking this one out if you haven't already, as I think that this is one that most romance fans will be able to connect to and enjoy. I can't wait to get more from Rachel in the future, and I am looking forward to reading more in this series as it continues. I also really love the fact that the cover is actually a picture of Rachel and her husband! I am huge on covers, and the fact that she used a picture of them together is just something that makes this book that much better to me!

**ARC Provided by Inkslinger PR**

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