ARC Review: Truly, Madly, Whiskey by Melissa Foster

If you follow this blog, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Melissa Foster's! Seriously, she is one of my all time favorites! I know with each book I read from her, I am going to love it and that it will be hours well spent lost in whatever world she takes me to. I don't even read her blurbs anymore, I just automatically add to my TBR. That being said, Bear's story is one of my favorites and when I went back and read the blurb it would have sold me on the book had her name not even been on the cover! 

Bear has been pursuing Crystal while she is determined to keep him at arm's length. Being close friends, he knows exactly how she is and that she is worth the effort. While Crystal pushes Bear away though, she can't help but find herself wanting him. When things between them start to change though, the past returns and threatens everything that they thought they knew and were building together. Can they find a way to move forward together, or will there be too much standing in their way? 

I could not have loved Bear more! He is probably my favorite hero that Melissa Foster has ever written! He is just so sweet and caring and he never gave up on Crystal, despite her many attempts to push him away. He was sexy and alpha and protective, while just being a really great guy. Crystal had been through a lot and she was so strong on the surface yet vulnerable underneath. I loved that Bear was so patient with her and let her come to him. He might have been persistent with her, but he always let her open up on her terms and he never took things too far. They had a great connection and friendship, but it was obvious right from the start that there was so much more between them. I couldn't get enough of these two. 

Overall, I am absolutely loving this series. The first book is one of my favorites I have ever read from Melissa Foster, but Truly, Madly, Whiskey was just as good if not better. Melissa Foster continues to amaze me with her writing talent and I cannot get enough of her books! Each one is better than the last and I seriously can't recommend her books enough. Melissa Foster is my go-to author for contemporary romance and if you are a fan of the genre her books are must reads!

**ARC Provided by Tasty Book Tours**

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ARC Review: Brutal by Jenika Snow

Brutal is the first book that I have ever read from Jenika Snow, and this one was a super quick read. Brutal is the 11th book in her Real Man series of standalones. While this one did have some good moments, I was left wanting more. Because this one was so short, I just don't think that it really allowed for much story and things were just too easy for me to fully get behind. 

Axel and Roxie are best friends who have always had feelings for one another but have never told the other how they feel for fear of risking their friendship. Axel is a boxer used to going after what he wants, and he knows that he needs to step up and tell Roxie how he feels. Roxie has done the same, watching him push away other girls while hoping that someday he might see her as more. But can they finally admit how they really feel? 

I liked these two for one another. They had a genuine connection and clear chemistry. I loved how close they were and the fact that they were there for one another no matter what. I would have liked to have seen more depth to their relationship though, as it felt like we came into their story in the middle of it after they had already developed everything except taking things to the next level. I wanted to see how these two became so close, rather that just be told that they were. 

The other thing that kept this one from being one I really loved was the fact that while there wasn't any real depth, there also wasn't much beyond the overly sweet constant I Love You's that these two seemed to immediately start saying to one another. I get it...these two have pined for each other and now that things are out in the open they can't say it enough. But it was just way over the top sweet and there really wasn't much else to hold my interest. I wanted more than just the super sweet, everything is perfect story that we got. There was no conflict and things just happened far too easily to keep my interest with the only reason I finished being that this one was as short as it was. Overall, it wasn't horrible, there just wasn't much to it.

**ARC Provided by Ardent PRose**

My Favorite Things Event with Sarah Castille

Sarah Castille is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Redemption Series, Ruin & Revenge Series, Sinner’s Tribe Motorcycle Club series, Legal Heat series and the Club Excelsior series. A recovering lawyer with a fondness for dirty-talking alpha males, she now is a full-time writer, who lives on Vancouver Island.

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ARC Review: Restrained Under His Duty by Stacey Kennedy

This is the third book in the "dirty little secrets" series which focuses on the members of the Blackwood Security team. In addition to being world class security agents and multimillionaires, the Blackwood security owners are also the owners of three private sex clubs where they indulge fantasies and dominate women. Ryder is also the long time security provider and closest confidante to one United States Senator. The Senator is the Father of Hadley who has been in love with Ryder since she was a little girl.

Ryder always felt like he couldn't be with Hadly because of his duty to the Senator. I'm not entirely sure it made sense but it seemed to me that for a long time Hadley was too young for Ryder. After Ryder got into a certain mode of responding to Hadley, it seemed difficult for him to switch and start responding to her as a soman who he wanted in a sexual way. But then all the members of the security team and Hadley are threatened by someone who appears bent on getting the Senator out of office. And the threats are not just any threats. Hadley has been up to some very very freaky side activities. Someone knows about what Hadley has been doing and they have photos and videos and are blackmailing Hadley.

All of the intense pressure that comes with Hadley being threatened forces Ryder to acknowledge that Hadley may have sought out the kind of activities she did because he continued to reject her. Ryder finally realizes it's time to give whatever is between him and Hadley a chance. Ryder is fiercely protective and once he claims Hadley, that's it. On the other side, I really like Hadley. She is strong and smart and stands up for herself. Hadley was involved in a lot of freaky side activity before Ryder but hey, she was young and single. I loved the dynamic between Ryder and Hadley after they got together. They were just a very good compliment for one another and a strong couple. 

I'm sad that this is the first book in the series I've read. I will definitely check out other books in the series.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

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ARC Review: Invaluable by Alana Albertson

Invaluable is the second book in the Trident Code series by Alana Albertson, with each book being a standalone story. The blurb really sold me on this story, so though I haven't read the first in the series I needed to read this one. While there were things that didn't work as well for me her as I had hoped, it was a nice quick read that I enjoyed. 

Kyle and Sara met at a club and shared a sexy night together. Kyle promised to call but knowing he was being deployed ended up not getting in touch with Sara. Now months later Sara shows up in Afghanistan, never expecting to see Kyle there as well. Kyle had told her that he was a football player, which he used to be, so she is shocked to learn that he is actually a Navy SEAL. Though they both know that things can't go beyond some fun together, things quickly change when Sara finds herself in danger with no one but Kyle and his team to save her. 

I liked these two for one another. I will admit that there were times that Kyle seemed a bit cocky and hard to connect with at first but I ended up liking him a lot. I thought that he and Sara had a genuine connection and the chemistry was clear from the start. I do think that things felt really rushed here though, and I wasn't entirely convinced that the strength of their feelings was possible in the amount of time that things seemed to form between them. I did think that they were good together though, I just wish that we had been able to see it form a bit more organically without it feeling so forced in such a short amount of time. I just think there weren't enough pages here to really do their story justice. 

Overall, this was still a good story and I did like the characters. I wish that there had been a bit more to the story as things felt a bit surface deep and I would have liked to have been able to really dig into their story a bit more. But this one was a good quick read that I liked in the end. While this one isn't a story that I will remember or have stand out long term, it was worth the read and I look forward to reading more in this series about the rest of Kyle's team.

**ARC Provided by IndieSage PR**

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