Category Archives: Review
ARC Review: Beginning Forever by Laramie Briscoe
Beginning Forever
Laramie Briscoe
Heaven Hill MC series, Book 7
Published March 17th 2015
Love
Fear
Hope
Danger
Tyler and Meredith Blackfoot have a long and complicated history. A relationship born out of the worst thing a woman can endure has blossomed into a greater love than either of them could have ever imagined. Now, with answered prayers and Addie a permanent part of their family, they are ready to move forward.
Meredith with her work as Director of the CRISIS center. Tyler busy mentoring younger members of the club and the teenagers that look up to him with wide-eyed amazement.
Life is going exactly the way they want it to until a woman shows up at CRISIS that could threaten everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve. She’s dangerous, and only a select few know why. Secrets are kept and stresses mount as the Blackfoots get the biggest surprise of their lives.
Tyler will do anything to protect the woman he loves and the young family they’ve created together. When the reason he breathes is threatened, he does everything in his power to prove it’s not the end, but the beginning of forever.
5 Stars
Laramie Briscoe has quickly made her way as one of my favorite authors in a very short period of time. I know when I open a book by Laramie I am going to be taken on an emotional ride. Be given a story with wonderful characters, humor and a feeling of family. Not to mention her Heaven Hill Bikers, well they just rock! Sexy!!
Tyler and Meredith have been my favorite couple since before they were a couple. The dynamic between the two of them is unlike any of the other couples in the series. They complement and challenge each other. Their love comes to through the pages as pure magic. Their challenges broke my heart heart while their happiness made me cry tears of joy. Watching Tyler and Meredith as parents made me stop reading and look over and smile at my son. Ms. Briscoe made me feel a moment a pure bliss while reading Beginning Forever. That is the biggest compliment I can give.
Beginning Forever is Ms. Briscoe best work to date. And now my new favorite of the Heaven Hill MC series! Deep emotions and hot bikers, what more do you need!
A complimentary copy of this title was provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
ARC Review: Lust Actually by Heather Long
Lust Actually
Heather Long
Tempting Signs Series, Book 1 Aries
Fated Desires Publishing
Release March 26, 2015
12 Authors. 12 Zodiac Signs. 1 Explosive Series. What seductive, contemporary romance will you find today? ARIES.
Ethan Andrews makes his living reading people and tailoring his sales pitch to what they want. He lives his life on the road, traveling from city to city, hotel to hotel, and it all works for him until he meets Norah Silver—the woman he wants to come home to.
Norah Silver has a plan, one that requires focus and dedication. She’s working sixty to eighty hours a week between her two jobs—one for money and the other for her passion. She thrives on giving solid relationship advice that may be based in the stars, but also grounded in reality. The last thing she expected was to find a sizzling love connection of her own.
Sparks fly when these two stubborn Aries launch into an impulsive relationship. Telling themselves lust is actually enough turns out to be a lie, but can these rams bend enough to recognize it or will their off the charts chemistry explode before they really get started?
4.5 Stars
Chance encounters, spontaneous actions and rising passion!
For anyone who enjoys astrology, it’s always fun to see when two people of the same sign couple. Both are so alike but yet different. It could be an explosion, of both good and bad waitien. Heather longs novella Lust Actually begins the Tempting Signs with the Aries. The ram, spontaneous and optimistic people by nature also inpatient and egotistical. They are kind of hardheaded but have the mind to get things done.
Ethan and Nora have it in every way possible. The chemistry is off the charts, their personalities complement each other, the passion and lust is instantaneous. They knew how to have fun without trying too hard to have fun. Ethan’s charisma and personality along with his mannerisms and charm had me wanting to be right next to him. Norah’s honest, fun and even though it pained her at times she has this go with the flow attitude that I had to admire.
Heather Long gave great characters a fun and sexy story spotlighting all the qualities of the Aries sign. A quick read that will have you laughing as the pages get steamy.
A complimentary copy of this title was provided for an honest review.
Review: Random and Rare by Cat Porter
Random and Rare
Kindle Edition, 262 pages
Published March 10th 2015
I am that gash in her soul.
Once I loved Grace, really loved her.
And she loved me, and it was so fucking beautiful.
Once.
That pendulum swings to and fro.
We’re here,
and then we’re—
No.
How can that rare beautiful be rendered irrelevant, intangible when I still feel so damn much?
Does all that energy, that glory, that significance simply dissolve?
Turn to smoke?
To nothing?
It can’t. It just can’t.
Are the moments that shape us absolutely random?
Is time not fluid?
I made promises to them, to her.
Especially to her.
Promises I still burn to keep
4.5 Stars
Sometimes you have to go backwards to move forward.
Random and Rare is just that. A series of moments and events seen from another side in a completely different light. Changing memories and deepening love both past and present. Not shedding a new light, but definitely adding a new perspective a crazy story.
Dig was a hard living, badass man with a heart I would not mind having a piece of. Seeing things through his eyes made him a completely different character than I had perceived from the prior book. He had conscience to him that we don’t see in all the bikers we read about. He broken my heart and made me love him over and over.
Please note: You should read Lock and Key, book 1. As Random and Rare is a prelude and an extension of the first book. I don’t think a read could truly appreciate what the story is without reading the first book.
A complimentary copy of this title was provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
ARC Review: Rock Hard by Nalini Singh
Rock Hard
Nalini Singh
Rock Kiss, Series Book 2
Wealthy businessman Gabriel Bishop rules the boardroom with the same determination and ruthlessness that made him a rock star on the rugby field. He knows what he wants, and he’ll go after it no-holds-barred.
And what he wants is Charlotte Baird.
Charlotte knows she’s a mouse. Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO—a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake—clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.
If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.
4.5 Stars
Verbal foreplay at its finest.
Sensuality, sexuality and sassy makes Nalini Singh’s Rock Hard a steamy and fun read.
Charlotte is extremely intelligent woman, who is timid as a mouse. She hides behind herself. When forced to take a promotion, a job she was already doing, Charlottes exterior walls starts to crumble. She goes toe to toe with her workaholic and super hot boss rekindling feelings she thought lost to her. Giving herself some of her life back. As the shell breaks, Charlotte reveals a lot of sass, a quick tongue and a naughty side I did not see coming from her.
Gabriel also known as T-Rex is a rock star on the field and in the boardroom. A man who gets the job done, is respected and intimidating. The man is hands down sexy, alpha, demanding, has a dirty mouth and is very protective of what’s his. Upon their first meeting he took this protective possession over Charlotte that quickly changed from just want protect to want her in his bed. T-Rex surprised me with the amount of patients he expresses and the genuine caring nature to him.
T-Rex and Charlotte dance around the sexual tension they have built in Rock Hard with some of the best witty, sassy and sexy bantering. Add some hot office sexual and we have a winner. This is a playful and fun story even with the scars that had to start to heal. Ms Singh has created a story that would be very true to life in my opinion, healing and love both take time.
Readers note: Although I very much enjoyed Rock Hard, I am a bit confused as to why story is about an ex rugby player/CEO and not a rock star. Yes Gabriel is a rockstar in what he does.
I’m just not sure how this is playing into the series.
I received the complimentary copy of this title from Netgalley for an honest review.
Review: Tamed by Stacey Kennedy
Tamed
Stacey Kennedy
Club Sin Series, Book 5
E-Book
Expected publication: March 10th 2015 by Loveswept
Porter Marshall has nearly achieved his goal of becoming a Club Sin Master, but his new sub poses a much bigger challenge than he anticipated. Despite their mutual attraction and red-hot dungeon sessions, Kenzie Hart plays her own games. Her bratty, you-can’t-break-me attitude masks terrible personal hurt—pain that only the exquisite touch of a skilled Dom can release. But when Porter suggests taking their connection to the outside world, Kenzie denies him . . . which only makes him want her more.
Kenzie can’t ignore the raw, fierce bond she has with Porter. But she can’t give in to his dangerous demands, either. Is the passion they share real, or is he using her to solidify his status at Club Sin? And yet, who else can she trust with the shattering secrets she holds within? As Porter expertly brings her to the point of no return, Kenzie surrenders her body—and, piece by piece, her heart.
Tamed is an erotic romance intended for mature audiences.
5 Stars
Kenzie, the bratty sub. Of all our Club Sin Ladies, she is the one I wanted to know the most. Pushing the bounds, is what she does best. I would have never guessed that she would be so complex or a book nerd for that matter. She broke my heart and made me laugh. They always say that actions speak louder than words. In a test of wills, so to say, Kenzie met her match. A Dom who can read between her lines. A Dom that had made her weak in the knees. A Dom who want more than her submission, he wants her.
Porter has just taken over my number one spot of favorite Club Sin Masters. Given the impossible task of taming the untamable. Porter sees something the other Masters and Doms didn’t. Realizing there is something more to the bratty sub. He will charm, command, protect and fight to make a hardheaded woman realize what bonding really means.
Stacey Kennedy out does herself with Tamed! Sassy, sexy and deep. Porter and Kenzie step outside the dungeon and show the readers of the Club Sin series that BDSM is not just sexy. Tamed has a bit of a darker tone than the previous books in the series. Giving Kenzie and Porter’s intense, emotionally driven story many layers. Through pleasure and pain, soul binding bonds are formed, healing the worst scars of the past through erotic means. My new favorite of the Club Sin Series!
A copy of this book was provided by Netgalley for an honest review.
Review: Before I Fall by Jessica Scott
Before I Fall
Jessica Scott
Stay focused. Get a job. Save her father’s life.
Beth Lamont knows far too much about the harsh realities of life her gilded classmates have only read about in class. She’ll do whatever it takes to take care of her father, even if that means tutoring a guy like Noah – a guy who represents everything she hates about the war, soldiers and what the Army has done to her family.
Noah Warren doesn’t know how to be a student. All he knows is war. But he’s going to college now to fulfill a promise and he doesn’t break his promises. Except he doesn’t count on his tutor being drop dead gorgeous and distracting as hell. One look at Beth threatens to unravel the careful lies Noah has constructed around him.
A simple arrangement turns into something neither of them can deny. And a war that neither of them can forget could destroy them both.
4 Stars
As I started reading Before I Fall, I thought this was going to be another one of those New Adult books. Boy was I wrong. Before I Fall is one of those too close to real life romance that I have read in a very long time.
Beth is a struggling student. Classes are the easy part for her. It’s make sure she has money for rent, trying to keep the lights on and taking care of a parent who is in pain constantly and an addict. A girl that had to grow up to fast. Beth is saint, survivor and a damn smart woman. I related to her all too well.
Noah carries mental and physical scars from war. Trying to live life as a college student is more than a challenge for him. Somedays it hard to tell if the anxiety is worse than the pain. The thing I loved about Noah is, one he knows his issues. Two, he wants to change himself and not rely on pharmaceutical means to get through a day. And three, he’s sweet, caring and willing. That’s a good man.
Where do I begin. Before I Fall is an emotional ride to say the least. This book is going to make you think. This is not a story where the hero comes in and makes it all better. Many social issues play a big part in this book. Addiction, poverty, health care and PTSD, just to name a few. Just like in real life when everything is in utter chaos there will be these moments and people you meet that make you stop and pause in life. A breath of fresh air. That’s Noah and Beth! They struggle everyday and keep going! The characters will pull you in and their stories will get your heart.
Ms. Scott gave me an unexpected thought provoking read.
A complementary copy of this book was provided for an honest review.
Review: Gray’s Skye by Vanessa Noble
Gray’s Skye
Vanessa Noble
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vanessa-Noble-Author/
After a devastating divorce Lucy, a young adult novelist, escapes to Scotland to recover. What she finds instead is a gorgeous neighbor who makes her question her future. Gray is a teacher who has lived on Skye his entire life. The two start a friendship but Gray wants more. How can he make her see it is worth giving him a chance?
4 Stars
Touching and heartfelt romance!
Ms Noble surprised me with her sweet and sexy romance, Gray’s Skye. Although I found the beginning a bit slow, the characters really do pull you into the story.
Lucy is on the mend from an unfaithful ex husband. A sweet and caring woman, a best selling author, a loving daughter, sister and aunt. She in a way allows fate to pick the spot where she is to mend herself, then push fate a way for fear of the past. A simple yet complex woman who will cook her way into your heart.
Gray is a dream man. Kind, caring, thoughtful, a true gentleman. A very different man ol from those whom I been reading. He’s a good man! A teacher who loves his family and thinks of others. He has the patients of a saint. Oh, and he’s Scottish. Very hot! And he will make you one damn good cup of coffee.
The time that Lucy and Gray spend together give the meaning to ” the little things in life”. They not only get to know each other, the learn what love is and is really about. They are the sweet couple that you want to strangle when you see them on the street because they are so damn sweet. A sweet read that made me laugh and drop a tear or two!
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
Review: One Night With A Santini by Melissa Schroeder
One Night With A Santini
Melissa Schroeder
The Santini Series, Book 8
Kindle Edition, 96 pages
Published February 24th 2015
Harmless Publishing
http://www.melissaschroeder.net
He was searching for something that was missing from his life.
Brando Santini is headed to New Orleans to blow off some steam with a few of his buddies. The respite from his life as a Marine doesn’t really seem to do the trick until he runs into his college crush, Kaitlin Fitzpatrick. After a little dancing and a few drinks, they end up in bed together and Brando knows she’s the one for him.
One night will never be enough.
Kaitlin never forgot Brando. She never would have thought the sexy nerd would have remembered her. More than that, she definitely didn’t expect he would be interested in seducing her. Their time in New Orleans is intense but much too short. The memories of his lovemaking leave her counting the days until she sees him again.
A complication neither of them expected.
By the time Brando arrives in Maryland, Kaitlin suspects that their one night together has left them with more than memories. When Brando insists on marriage, she refuses on the grounds he doesn’t love her. But what Kaitlin doesn’t understand is that when a Santini wants to prove his love, nothing will stand in his way—not her five brothers, his own annoying family, or even the woman he adores.
4.5 Stars
I truly adore the Santini series. There is nothing like the moment when a Santini man stumbles over his self when he realizes she’s the one. Then watching (reading) what these tough, sexy military men will do to prove their love.
Brando and Kaitlin have harbored secret crushes on one another for years. A chance meeting, an amazing night of passion, a stubborn woman and the Santini curse. Leaving more than longing and memories. Giving this reader just what I love about a Santini book.
Brando and Kaitlin’s chemistry sets this novella on fire. Melissa has this amazing way of writing couples that are perfect for each other. Giving each distinctive personalities and charisma, that you can’t help but to like. Humor, meddling families, insatiable passion and romance make you fly through the pages. The Santini Family will suck you into their world!
Readers note: I got a very strong feeling while reading One Night With A Santini that Mel is hinting around at some thing. Maybe spin off to another series. Maybe a prelude to something. I could be wrong and just imagining it. However from what I read it feels like something good is coming.
A review copy was provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.
ARC Review: VANDAL by Carian Cole
Vandal
Carian Cole
Ashes and Embers Series, Book 2
e-book
publication: Feb. 26, 2015
She takes my breath away; she is so beautifully damaged.
Yes I had broken her, ravished her life, destroyed her happiness. I brought her to ultimate despair. I was responsible for all the pain and suffering that now brought her to her knees in front of me.
Broken.
Hopeless.
Reckless in her agony.
She is a mirror of my own tortured soul.
But what I took away I can give back.
In ways she cannot even begin to imagine.
She is everything right in all my wrongs.
She loves me. She needs me.
She has no idea I’m the one who wrecked her life.
5 Stars
An emotionally dark and flippin intense read from begin to end.
Vandal is a deep, hot mess, that will command his way into your heart, body and mind. Linger there, tempt you, give to you, take from you. Step back and smile because he know you’ll ask for more. He’s dark, private and at times not the nicest of people. He’s beautiful and talented. He’s scared so deep, there seems to be no hint of light in him. I totally fell for Vandal.
Tabi’s a ball passion, unconditional loving and full of desire. Even if she doesn’t see herself that way in the darkness that has come upon her. Fractured and angry, making quick discussions Tabi steps into a darkness willing. Set on destroying herself, she find something very different than she thought.
Love is never easy. It’s a lot of overwhelming excitement, fluttering feelings, fear and emotions entwined together that consumes ones being. Your biggest fears and most secret wishes combined. Passion and pain. Love is not alway pretty. In fact it can be ugly and raw. A test of everything we are. Its a struggle and a fight at times. Then there are these moments of bliss and joy that make time stand still. Knowing that this is the person that truly changed your life forever. Soul binding love. That’s Carian Cole’s Vandal. This book will not be everyone’s cup of tea! It’s dark and walks a fine line. It’s intense and emotional. Alluring and dangerous all in one. I loved this book.
Ms. Cole beautifully gives her readers an amazing book about a darker side of love that not many people experience and only few understand.
An ARC was provided for an honest review.
ARC Review: Alluring Ink by Ranae Rose
Alluring Ink
Ranae Rose
Inked In The Steel City series, book 7
Love is risk. Love is heartbreak. Love is an addiction a single mom like Crystal can’t afford. And accomplished tattoo artist Dylan is a temptation she can’t resist. He’s only in town for a few weeks as a guest artist, but the attraction is instant. With her past shadowing everything she does, it feels good to have someone who doesn’t judge … and doesn’t know.
Love is just the spark before the crash and burn, especially when your demons are something more than standard-issue. Dylan craves Crystal with everything he has, but their days together are supposed to be numbered.
3.5 Stars
Sweet romance with insatiable passion.
Nothing is better than finding that person that you can connect with, when you are least expect it.
Ranae Rose has this wonderful way of writing characters that are just made for each other. Dylan and Crystal are another perfect example.
I loved their natural meeting. The instant connection and chemistry, the fun and playful personalities, the fight in both Crystal and Dylan give Alluring Ink a real life feel. While the list and passion that scorches the pages get the fantasy wheels rolling.
The issues of recovering addiction and mental health add a bit of darkness and depth to Alluring Ink that the other books in the Inked in the Steel City series don’t have. With that said, Alluring Ink is one of my favorites in the series.
A review copy was provided by the author for an honest review.
Coffee Books Life 