Review: More Than Everything by Cardeno C.

More Than Everything is the third book in Cardeno C.'s Family series, but this one can be read as a standalone. I had never read anything by Cardeno C., but I really enjoyed the book and I liked the writing style a lot. I thought that this book was everything that you could ask for, and really brought out all the feels. This one had me laughing at times, but was also heartbreaking as well as sweet. I definitely can't wait to read more from Cardeno C. in the future, and look forward to reading the rest of this series.

Charlie "Chase" Rhodes fell in love with the boy next door when he was a teenager. From the day Scott Boone moved in, Charlie and Scott were almost inseparable. They were great friends, and quickly developed romantic feelings for one another. But everything changed when Scott moved away and they slowly grew apart. The long distance was too much for them at such a young age, and though they loved each other it wasn't enough. Years later, Charlie's dancing career is going well and he is now going by the stage name of Chase Rhodes. He meets Adan Navarro and they are instantly drawn to one another despite being complete opposites. Adan and Chase's relationship is based on sex, and they never go out together. Despite their growing feelings, things take a turn for the worse when after eight months Chase realizes that Adan is embarrassed by their relationship. After several years, Charlie's sister passes away and he is left to take care of her two children. Things get even more complicated when Scott and Adan show up on his doorstep together and Charlie finds out that they have been with each other for five years. Scott and Adan have both changed in the years that they have been apart from Charlie, but they both regret losing him and will do anything to fix it. Can they convince him to trust them again though and to have a relationship with both of them?

I loved these guys. Charlie was so comfortable with himself and I loved that he wouldn't change for anyone. He wasn't afraid to be different and definitely wouldn't alter himself despite how other's viewed him. I felt so badly for him at times in this story because he really had some horrible things happen to him. He was so sweet and loving and was constantly getting hurt. Adan was hard to like when we first met him. I liked how he was with Chase in private and thought that they were great together. I loved his innuendos and the fact that he wasn't afraid to dirty talk and ask for what he wanted. But I hated the fact that despite being out he was constantly judging Chase for his clothes and actions and it hurt my heart that he was embarrassed by him even though he was developing feelings for him. I really liked him later in the story though after he realized how wrong he had been and had changed so much. I loved Scott. He was sweet and kind, and he didn't care how others view him or Charlie. He was always there for him through school when others were picking on Charlie and I liked the ease of their relationship. I understand why he did the things he did, and I really think that the reason for things not working out the first time were just age and distance. I wish both Adan and Scott would have tried to find Charlie, but I understand that neither knew the man they both still loved was one and the same. I thought that they all had great chemistry together and were super hot!

Overall, I liked this story a lot. I thought that it was well written and was easy to get into. I liked the guys and I thought that this story was really about love and hope, and showed how people grow and change. There were times that my heart absolutely broke for them, but I think that everything worked out how it was supposed to and I loved seeing how far they had all come. I really believed that the relationship between the three of them was about love and that all of them fit well together with no jealousy between them. Often times with a menage it can end up feeling as though someone is left out sometimes or that it is not quite even with the feelings, but I didn't feel that way at all with this story. I think it really helped that both of them had loved and lost Charlie before, and they weren't about to let that happen again. They went out of their way to show him that he was their missing piece, and it just worked for me. I would definitely recommend this one if you are a M/M fan and like menage stories. I look forward to reading more from Cardeno C.

**Review Copy provided by We Love Kink Promotions**

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Guest Post with Author V.K. Sykes and Giveaway

Meet V.K. Sykes, author of Payoff Pitch.

V.K. Sykes is really two people—a husband and wife team who write USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance. Vanessa also writes bestselling historical romance for Kensington Zebra as Vanessa Kelly. You can find her at www.vanessakellyauthor.com.

Find V.K. at:

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ARC Review: Songbird by Jaymin Eve

I was really excited to read Songbird by Jaymin Eve even though I had never read anything by her before. I was so intrigued by the blurb and I loved the idea of such a kick ass heroine. I don't think I have ever seen a heroine that was an underground cage fighter, and I was looking forward to really seeing such an empowering female as the lead. But while I did enjoy parts of this story, I also thought that this one was pretty unrealistic and it drove me sort of nuts after awhile. I kept waiting for things to come back around to what the blurb had promised, but unfortunately this one just fell flat for me and continued to decline as the story progressed.

Melodee Lee has been on her own since she was thirteen. She is now twenty-three and supports herself by being an underground cage fighter. After winning a fight, she heads to Syracuse and looks to find a place to stay for awhile. She ends up getting a ride from a neighbor when a storm approaches only to get into a car accident along the way. Her neighbor and the driver of the car that hit them are killed leaving Melodee to figure out what to do with the baby that she found in the other car. When she sees the handsome Nathan approaching, she agrees to go with him to his place in order to get out of the storm with the baby. They hit it off right away and both will do anything to take care of the child. Soon they are falling in love with each other and the baby that they have named Jewel. But with Nathan on the track to become a professional basketball player and Melodee's trust issues, can they find a way to make things work? What happens when someone from Nathan's past comes back and threatens both Melodee and Jewel?

I liked Melodee and Nathan. I thought that they were both sweet and that they worked well together. Nathan was beyond great and was such a genuine guy. He could have been arrogant because of how he was raised and yet he was so caring and kind. He couldn't have been more patient or more perfect. Melodee was strong and was definitely a fighter, but she had a lot of trust issues and insecurities from her upbringing. I liked seeing her with Nathan and learning to let him and his family in. But I do feel that it was really rushed. I thought that they definitely had chemistry and a connection, but I still feel like it was pretty much insta-love. I did like them together though, and I thought that they made a great couple and were really good for one another.

My biggest problem with this story was that it was not realistic at all. With Nathan and Melodee both being twenty-three, him in school on the way to a pro career and her being an underground cage fighter with no schooling I thought that the events with the baby were not believable at all. I felt like it was all excused because of Nathan's family's wealth and fame, and I just didn't like the way that everything happened and the speed of it. I also felt like for as much as Melodee started off as a badass, she quickly lost her edge and this book just took a completely different turn. The blurb really leads you to believe that this is about cage fighting and basketball and these two athletes falling for one another and adjusting to a new set of circumstances and life together. But it ended up being so different from that and I thought that it kind of lost it's way from what the blurb had led the reader to believe. I liked Melodee and Nathan together, but I just felt like this wasn't the story that I had been expecting at all. I also felt like there were times that the phrasing of things was strange and that at times the story seemed to jump around a bit with things coming out of nowhere. I will say that the characters in this story were definitely the highlight, and I really loved all of the Sinclair brothers. I would definitely be interested in seeing more of all of them, and hope that the future books in this series don't have the same problems as this one did for me.

**ARC provided by YA Bound Book Tours**

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ARC Review: My Beautiful Enemy by Sherry Thomas

So, I’ve read Sherry Thomas before and really like her. Since I have such high expectations of her writing and story I might be a little harsh with three stars but I don’t think four stars would be right.

My Beautiful Enemy starts off with a big action scene. While I LOVE stories where there is action and the heroine is kicking butt it was too much. I had to re-read the scene because I kept thinking, what the heck is going on? Also, because the author jumps right into the story I couldn’t figure out who the characters where. I love when a story doesn’t take forever to get started but I think Ms. Thomas jumped the gun or in this story she jumped the knife.

After I pushed through the beginning I tried to sort out who the characters were or who they weren’t… Our heroine is Catherine. Catherine or Ying Ying is the illegitimate daughter of a Chinese courtesan and an English man. She grew up longing for acceptance and a place to belong. Her stepfather is a part of the high ranking society in China. Her stepfather sends her on a mission to England. Catherine was trained in different arts and is a type of warrior/ spy. When she is in England she meets her ex-lover-Captain Leighton Atwood. However, both are in disguise… Ying Ying (now Catherine) met Leighton before on a mission disguised as a boy. He sees through her disguise and they become involved.

Ok, so a lot is going on in this book. The story jumps around so much I felt like I needed to draw a graph and follow who the characters were and where they were. The story also jumps around from the past to the present, from China, India to England. I think this is a Thomas signature. She’s done this before in her other books (different countries and present and past) but in this book it all felt very chaotic… and I struggled to stay engaged and interested.

As the story unravels, we learn that Leighton and Catherine are on similar missions and that they share a common enemy although the enemy is pretty well hidden (I have to admit I did not guise who the “traitor” was. I personally think that the book would have worked better if Thomas dealt with the past first and then made her way to the present instead of mixing it up. Catherine and Leighton eventually work out their differences and clear up big misunderstandings that happened in their past. They had great chemistry and great adventures just a very chaotic storyline. Also, because there is so much going on I never really understood Leighton. I didn’t really get him as a character. I really liked Catherine and I think this book would have worked better if it was an adventure instead of a romance. Overall, I will continue to read Thomas and anyone that likes a book packed with adventure, mystery and travel will enjoy this book.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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Review: Stay by Hilary Wynne

Stay is the first book in Hilary Wynne's Alexa Reed series, and I really enjoyed this book. It frustrated me at times and there was a lot of push and pull between the characters, but I really loved it and I can't wait for more. With this being my first book by Hilary Wynne I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really liked Hilary's style and I thought that the characters were so real and believable.

After a horrible relationship in her past, Alexa Reed doesn't go out or date anymore. She has no interest in going out but when her friends talk her into going out for her best friend Luke's birthday she can't say no. She literally runs into the hot and notoriously single Julian the owner of the nightclub where Luke works. There is an instant attraction and connection between them and the two find themselves thinking of each other constantly. As Julian tries to get to know Alexa, things between them are far from easy. They are both used to not being committed to anyone, and they both have secrets in their past. But they both realize that what they are feeling is beyond just physical and make an effort to try and let each other in and move forward together. But they both have insecurities and their relationship must survive more than just themselves. When outside influences continue to threaten their relationship they must learn to trust one another and be honest about everything.

I really liked Julian. At first he comes off as an arrogant player used to getting what he wants. But he was so different with Alexa. He was patient and kind and gave her so many chances to work through her issues and see that he was really interested in a future with her. I loved that he never gave up on her and that he was truly interested in seeing where things would take them. He was always honest with Alexa, and I thought that it made him so much easier to like. Alexa had a lot of issues. She was fun and easy going at times, but she was also really vulnerable because of her past and would freak out and run easily. You could tell that she really wanted to see where things with Julian would go, but she was already really scared and had a hard time letting anyone in and trusting them. I really loved that although she was still struggling with things all the way through that she was also making progress and Julian was helping her to heal and move forward. It was so real and believable because it didn't happen overnight. They had amazing chemistry together and were always hot with one another. But I really enjoyed seeing them begin to develop feelings for one another and start to let each other in. They had a great connection, and I loved seeing different sides of each one that they only shared with each other.

I will admit that when I started this book, I was really expecting to love Luke and be on his team the whole way through. But Julian was impossible not to fall for, and I really loved his character. Both Alexa and Julian had moments that weren't their best and their actions could have been better. But they worked through them and never gave up. I ended up really thinking that Alexa belongs with Julian, and was surprised by Luke. I was really disappointed with his actions and think that he made some seriously bad choices. I understand his motivation and the feelings behind what he did, but I was really frustrated with him because he had waited too long and I felt like Alexa was right in that he just didn't like seeing her with someone else. I had a hard time believing that his feelings for her were beyond friendship and it was more that he was just jealous. I was not ready for this book to be over, and I really need to know what happens next. I will admit that I thought that the push and pull got a bit old after awhile, and I am hoping that it doesn't become a problem throughout this series for me. I know that there are at least two more books planned for this series, and I am really curious to see how that will play out. I am hoping for the best and that it doesn't continue with the hot and cold because I am just not sure that I can take it. I find myself getting irritated if the back and forth goes on for too long, and I think a lot of times that it is just added for extra drama and can really distract from the story. So I will be curious to see how things continue. I will also say that I didn't care for how detailed things were at times, especially when it came to the descriptions of everyone's clothing and the brands they were wearing. It was a bit ridiculous at times, and I didn't need several paragraphs full of those details. I found myself just not caring about that stuff and would feel the need to skim each one after the first few times it happened. I am curious to see where things go though, and will definitely be interested to read more from Hilary Wynne in the future. I would recommend this series if you are looking for a sexy story about characters with painful pasts learning to love again and heal.

**Review Copy provided by Xpresso Book Tours**

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