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Dark Reads October: The Dark Duet by CJ Roberts

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love, It's a Binge Read, Review Post by

When I think about dark romances that have been recommended to me over the years, the two that come to mind first definitely have to be Monsters in the Dark by Pepper Winters and The Dark Duet by CJ Roberts. Having already devoured one of those series during Dark Reads October, I knew that I had to read the other. Especially since I had already read half of The Dark Duet almost a year ago. 

Let me explain. 

Almost exactly a year ago I read Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts. I devoured it. I couldn’t put it down. Literally. I couldn’t stop thinking about Livvie and Caleb, their dark and at times depraved story, and I couldn’t stop wondering what the next book would bring for those two. I actually started that second book, Seduced in the Dark, but I had to stop. I needed a breather. The reason I needed a breather was 100% on me, and not that book, so I was determined to finish their story during Dark Reads October...and I’m really glad I did.

Seduced in the Dark was a fantastic conclusion to this duet, and it definitely had me thinking and feeling all of the things with Caleb and Livvie. Those two definitely push you to the edge. In fact, at times I think they push you over it, but in a way that works because that’s what this story is. This story is dark and twisted in so many ways. It’s about kidnapping, trauma, sex trafficking, abuse on every level, and so much more. But it’s also a story about two characters who shouldn’t be together, but you also can’t help but root for them in a crazy way. 

This duet is a story of two broken people who have a seriously dark and twisted story, who soon find that the one person they shouldn’t fall for is the the one who might just give them the absolution they never thought they’d get. 


I have to say that CJ Roberts really got me with what she created in this duet. 

She made me think and consider so much while reading this book. She made me reconsider so many things while I got what I did with Livvie and Caleb. She made me root for characters who did the wrong thing, who did bad things. But more than that, she let me see that there was hope within this story and within these characters. I might’ve had to dig a bit for it, and I might’ve had to go through so much with these characters to get to that, but I found it. 

And honestly, while reading this book I found that everything these characters went through, every life altering choice they had to make, every moment when they had to go through the worst, made what I got with them even more impactful and memorable…and it also made the last moments with them feel even more memorable.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I am definitely an ending person, and I liked how CJ Roberts brought this duet and series to a close. I felt like she did a good job of reminding me why I couldn’t stop thinking about these characters and their story, while also making me work for it with all that I had until the very very end. And that felt very Caleb-esque and beyond fitting quite honestly. 

I will tell you now that Caleb and Livvie’s story is definitely not for everyone. Over the course of my reading career, and even in Dark Reads October, I have read a range of dark romances. I have even said before that a book might not be for everyone, but I do really mean that with this one. This book is dark. I know it’s not the darkest out there, but it is definitely dark and covers a range of topics that are bursting with trigger warnings. Livvie and Caleb both go through a lot. They both do things that aren’t okay, but they also allow you to understand the why behind that in a way that is truly riveting. 

CJ Roberts definitely knows how to write and craft a layered story that will have you thinking and feeling it all. She allows you to really see these characters, their flaws, and everything in between. She lets you get why they do what they do, why they stay, why they don’t, and she lets you see that even the darkest of situations and scenarios can give you something or someone you didn’t even know you needed. 

And that person might be the exact last person you should feel anything for, but they also just might change everything for you. 

And that? Well that is just part of what makes this an all consuming story that will have you second guessing everything you thought and felt as a reader. And in the end, it’ll bring you a story that is intricately layered, consuming, raw and twisted, and that will have you guessing until the very end what you’ll get with Livvie and Caleb. 

And that is the actual best. Trust me. 

I am really glad that I went back to this duet. It only took me a year to finish it (again, my bad completely), but it was worth the wait. I see why this series has stood the test of time and I know why everyone has recommended it. It was well written, consuming in so many ways, and dark in a way that pushed every boundary and moral compass I had. I shouldn’t have wanted to root for these two, yet this author made it so I had to. She made me rethink everything, and by the end of it all she had me feeling all the things for these two in a way that truly blew me away. 

I loved that so much. I loved that I finally made the time to go back to these books. I loved that Caleb and Livvie had one of the most unorthodox and dark stories I’ve read, yet I still found myself rooting for them in a way I didn’t think was possible. I loved that this book turned every thought and feeling I had on their head, and it did it in a way that I didn’t expect. 

The Captive Duet was definitely a read that gave me so much, and I can’t say enough how glad I am that I finally got to experience its well written and beyond fitting conclusion. If you are looking for a read that will captivate you on every level, push you to and over the ledge, while giving you an intense as all get out story, then run yourself to this duet this second. 

You won’t be disappointed you did.

Not one little bit. 

****

There is only 1 week left in October, which means Dark Reads October is officially almost over. 

*makes all the sad faces*

I can’t believe this blog series is almost done. I’m not ready y’all! But don’t worry, I plan to keep reading all of the dark romance after this month, and I actually already have my next couple of reads planned out to finish out the month strong. I’ve got 2 standalone reads planned for this week by two authors I’ve never read before, and I am ready! 

Be sure to stay tuned to see what I picked to read, and as always, thank you for your support of me and this blog series! It has meant everything and I can’t wait to keep sharing all of the dark and amazing reads with y’all! 

Read My Reviews:

Captive in the Dark

Seduced in the Dark

The Epilogue

Buy The Series:

Amazon

B&N

KOBO

Dark Reads October: Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love, It's a Binge Read, Review Post by

When I set out to do Dark Reads October, I knew I needed help in deciding what to read. I knew I needed all of the recommendations because I wasn’t sure where to really start with my dark romance reading. Even though I have read and loved some seriously amazing dark romance books, I also knew that I was really more of a novice in this particular subgenre, so I needed help. 

I wanted to read new authors. I wanted to discover new worlds and series. I wanted to find some amazing new dark romance reads that I wouldn’t have been able to find on my own. 

And let me tell you, my book friends showed up in the absolute best way. On TikTok and this blog’s Facebook page, I got tons of great recommendations. Some I’d heard of, some were absolutely brand new to me, and some were books I had owned for years. 

I also found that many books and series were recommended over and over again by my fellow readers, and I have to say that those were some of the ones I was drawn to most. Not just because so many readers had recommended them, but because so many of the books recommended multiple times were ones that were brand new to me…and I LOVE me a brand new book and author to fangirl over. 

If Monsters in the Dark was the number 1 series that was recommended to me for Dark Reads October, then Still Beating by Jennifer Hartmann was the number 1 standalone novel with multiple recommendations, so I knew I HAD to read this book. 

And I am damn glad I did because this book was absolutely INCREDIBLE y’all. 

It has to be one of the most unique dark romances I have EVER read. 

It was exceptionally written, thoughtfully crafted, and brought to life through words and feelings and every emotion under the sun that OWNED me. This book consumed me in every way possible. I read it in one sitting because I literally could not put it down. 

I needed answers. 

I needed everything with these characters.

I needed more of every single ounce of what this story so authentically and deeply gave me. 

I needed everything that this book delivered.

I was obsessed with this book, this story, and these characters. And quite frankly, I think I’m still obsessed with them, and I love it. I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I finished reading late last night. My mind has been thinking about Cora, about Dean, about their story, about their shared trauma, about their fight for what could be and the possibilities of them. 

I haven’t been able to stop thinking and feeling and experiencing what this author creates with them and their story. Hours later, and I’m still hooked. Hours later, and I’m still processing and feeling it all. Hours later, and I’m still enamored and enveloped within this dark, heart wrenching, and deeply emotional story. 

So suffice to say, this book is definitely going on my top reads list for the year because all of that is just part of what I LOVED about this phenomenal book. 

Still Beating is a dark romance that explores trauma, healing, every step in between, but most of all, what happens after. I think one of my favorite aspects of this standalone dark romance was the fact that it does look at that after. That after is a huge integral part of the story, and honestly, it was that after that made this book for me.

It is what showed me so much about these characters. It is what allowed me to connect so deeply to both Cora and Dean as they attempted to heal and make sense of what they went through together. It is what pulled my heart and soul to those two as they became more vulnerable than they thought possible, as they tried to wade their way through the ocean of feelings and thoughts they had about one another. 

This book was absolutely incredible. 

From start to finish I was floored in the best way by this author’s writing and storytelling and what she allowed me to get with these characters. She throws you in the thick of it, let’s you feel and breathe and live it all with them, and you hit the ground running with those two. Switching so thoughtfully between their points of view, Jennifer Hartmann does the most exceptional job of allowing these characters to reveal themselves to you. 

She let’s you get the simultaneous past, present, and future of these characters in a dark, forbidden, and all-consuming romance that will make you question everything, that will pull your heart to these characters in the most fierce way, and that will have you NEEDING these characters to find the ending they both so deserve. 

I truly could go on and on about how much I loved this book and what I got with Cora and Dean. Those two have a complicated relationship from the start, and things only get more complicated with the shared trauma they experience and the battles they’re about to face….But I am telling you, if you stick with them they will make it all worth it. I promise you that. If you go in blind, ready to feel it all, ready to experience darkness, struggle, but also so much light and hope and heart. If you just keep yourself, your heart, and your mind open to what could be, you will not be disappointed in what you get with these two. 

Not one little bit.

And in the end, you might just find right along with Cora and Dean that the one person you discounted, the one person you thought you hated most in the world, and the one person you never wanted to be around just might be the exact person you need. That person might be off limits, they might be the last person you expected them to be, but they also might be your salvation from every hurt that’s been thrown your way. 

They might just be your lifeline and they also might be the one thing that keeps you going through it all. 

Still Beating is a dark, heart wrenching, deeply emotional love story that will make you think and feel and question everything about what is right, what is wrong, and what is possible. It isn’t an easy story to experience, not at all, but that doesn’t take away from the breathtaking beauty and heart and vulnerability these characters will so authentically give you and show you. It will hurt you, it will heal you, and it will make you feel everything, all while showing you that true human connection and heart can save you…if you let it. 

*****

I cannot tell y’all enough how glad I am that I picked up this book. The recommendations for it were very well deserved, and I am so glad that I finally listened when y’all told me to read something!!  

It was definitely the right choice to read, and it is shooting its way to the top of my favorites list for the year. I can’t recommend it enough, so be sure to check it out! 

Thanks again for sticking with me through another installment to Dark Reads October. I already know what I’m planning to read next, and I can’t wait to share it with all of y’all, so stay tuned! I will be back soon with more dark romance read recommendations!  

Read My Review:

Still Beating

Buy The Book:

Amazon

Dark Reads October: Monsters in the Dark Series by Pepper Winters

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love, It's a Binge Read, Review Post by

When I decided to do Dark Reads October, there was one series that everyone told me to read. 

And I mean everyone. 

There was one series that everyone told me I had to read if I was going to jump head first into the world of dark romance. This is a series and an author that have been recommended to me for YEARS. And honestly, I don’t have a good reason for waiting so long to read this particular series and author. I should have read these books years ago. I should’ve listened to the many recommendations I have gotten for this author and this series. 

But so goes the story of my life.

I once again waited to read something when I shouldn’t have…and only a few pages into this series, I knew that it had been so wrong to wait to dive into this dark, immensely intense, pain and pleasure filled world. I knew that I had messed up waiting to experience this deeply emotional, seriously layered, and completely unforgettable world that contains two of the most enigmatic, dynamic, and gloriously complicated characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading. 

And that series I waited waaaayyyy to long to read, you ask? 

Well that would be The Monsters in the Dark Series by Pepper Winters. 

This series, comprised of 3 full length books and a novella, is hands down one of the best series I have read this year and ever. It contains a story unlike any other I have read before, and it has two characters that OWNED me from start to finish. And boy let me tell you, did I go on one hell of ride with those two. 

Q and Tess are an epic love story. They will take you for the ride of your life and will have you questioning EVERYTHING. They will push your boundaries, push your moral compass beyond what you thought possible, all while rooting for a love story you didn’t even think was possible. Through it all you will get to know them. You will peel back their complicated and flawed layers to see them. The real them. The messy and honest and dark versions that they hide from the world.

The thems that you will soon find are only meant for one another. 

Told through an intense, adrenaline spiking, and dark and twisty story, the more you get with them, the more you crave. The more you crave them. The more you crave their pain and pleasure. The more you crave the answers that they so meticulously reveal to you and one another. The more you NEED them. The more you need what they share. The more you need what only they can give one another. The more you crave every single morsel of what they bring to life within the pages of their story. 

I will warn you now, their story isn’t easy. In fact they have many hurdles and obstacles that they must face head on to even have a chance to be together. But what I will tell you, is that if you stick with them, if you keep the faith in them and what could be, and if you keep your heart open to intense vulnerabilities and passions and emotions these two will share, then they will not do you wrong.

In fact, they will make it all so beyond right. 

They will fix it all. They will see you and each other through. They will show what true depth of love means and the utter beauty it can give you if you let it. They will show you that darkness and light are two sides of the most sensual, beautiful, deeply flawed, and very real coin. They will show you that anything is possible with the one who makes all the difference. They will show you and each other that through every fight, every dark and broken piece of themselves, through every heart wrenching twist and turn, that they are one. That they are real. That they can be what each other needs, if they only allow themselves to feel it, to take it, and to never let it go. 

What can I say? I loved these books. So damn much.

I loved how dark and twisty they were. I loved that it was one wild and adrenaline filled ride from start to finish. I loved that every time I sat down to read a book in this series, I couldn’t put it down. I loved that I devoured these books as much as they devoured me. I loved that Q and Tess were complicated and messy and flawed because it made what they shared and built together so beyond right. I loved that these two pushed EVERY limit. I loved that they made each other work for it and that their fight for what could be wasn’t easy because that fit them. 

Their love, their passion, their desires, their hearts, and who they were together wasn’t easy, so it completely fit that their love story would be just as hard fought and complicated as they were…but in the end, they showed that as uneasy as it all was to get there, as much as they had to go through to peel back those hardened layers to find each other and what could be, being together was the exact right thing they needed to do…and that, well that was the easiest, hardest, most beautifully complicated decision those two ever made. 

Suffice to say, I loved this series.

I am so glad that I finally read these books and I’m even happier that this is the series I chose to start with for Dark Reads October. It just seems fitting that I start with the best. It seems even more fitting that I opened the gates to dark romance with a couple that definitely put me and themselves through the wringer. But most of all it just seems fitting that I opened up this month of dark romance reading with a series that I know will forevermore be one of my all time favorites. 

Thank you Tess and Q for one wild, dark, and twisty ride. Y’all sure know how to make a girl work for it, but I wouldn’t trade one second with the two of them because it was perfect. It was perfectly them in its flawed and intense beauty and pain, and it gave me a love story that I will truly never forget. 

A love story that truly shows how one person can change everything.

A love story that shows that beauty and pain, darkness and light, and monsters and salvation are one in the same.

A love story that will stick with me forever.

And honestly, it NEVER gets better than that. 

****

So there you have it y’all! The first read of Dark Reads October is finished and I am in LOVE. I cannot wait to read more dark romance! I feel like I have so much to catch up on and the month is flying by too quickly, but don’t you worry! I plan to squeeze as much dark romance as I can into these next couple of weeks because I want it all! 

And I may (read: definitely) already know what I’m reading next….so stay tuned!

Read My Reviews for the Series:

Tears of Tess

Quintessentially Q

Twisted Together

Je Suis A Toi

Buy the Series:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Dark Reads October

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, It's a Binge Read by

It is no secret that I am a lover of love stories. 

I love all kinds of love stories. 

Emotional ones. Sweet ones. Seriously angsty ones. Ones that make you want to throw the book across the room, ones that you want to hug tight and swoon in forever, and ones that have every kind of love story in between. 

I love every kind of love story, but I have to admit that I find myself having not read enough of certain kinds of love stories. It’s not that I don’t want to read these books, it’s just that I haven’t found myself reading them. I haven’t made the time to read more of them. 

But I want to fix that. 

I want to read more kinds of love stories. I want to keep finding new authors. I want to keep broadening my love of love stories. 

And that is where Dark Reads October was born. 

A month dedicated to only reading dark romance novels.

You see, for a long time I’ve really wanted to read more dark romance books. I also love a good theme. Like a lot. (See: Summer of Series) So I decided to dedicate some real time to reading dark romance books. I want to not only read dark romance, I want to find some new to me authors to fangirl something fierce over. I want to experience the unique and dynamic kinds of love stories that you get within dark romance. 

This is my TBR list for the month! THANK YOU to everyone who sent me recommendations!

Plus with it being October and all, it felt only fitting that this is the time I committed to finding myself some new dark romance to read. So for the next month I will be doing just that. I will only be reading dark romance. And let me tell you, I am ALL kinds of excited for this. I have a good long list of books and authors to read, and I am ready! 

Super shoutout by the way to my fellow book lovers on TikTok and Facebook for helping me make my list of books and authors I want to try to read over the next month! I have so many amazing dark romance books to get me started this month. Even though I know there’s no way I’ll get to read them all this month, I’m SO dang excited that I have them so I can go back to them! 

I’m ready to finally read some dark romance books that have been on my TBR list for years. I’m ready to experience a bunch of different kinds of dark romance books. I’m ready to fall even more in love with the dark side of romance.

And I’ll be documenting it all right here because that is what the best thing about book love; spreading it around! I truly will never get enough of sharing the book love and connecting with fellow readers about books and love stories. It is the absolute best, and I am beyond looking forward to connecting with y’all about these dark romance reads!  

I can’t tell y’all enough how excited I am for this next month of reading! It’s going to be epic. I can feel it. I can’t wait to write about all of the amazing dark romance books I’m going to read. I can’t wait to discover some incredible dark romances. I can’t wait to share all of it with you, and I can’t wait to chat about all of the glorious, angsty, layered and dynamic dark romances.  

So are you ready? I know I am. 

Let the dark romance reading begin! 

Welcome to Dark Reads October. 

P.s. If you have a dark romance read recommendation that isn’t on my list, please let me know! I am always eager for more recommendations!

@megankathleeen22

#Inverted Tell me your fave dark romances! 💔📚 #booktok #spicybooks #darkromance #tellmewhattoread #bookrecsneeded #bookblogger #darkreadsoctober

♬ original sound – Megan Kathleen

My Reviews from Dark Reads October:

It’s a Binge Read: Kristen Ashley (a.k.a. The Longest & Best Binge Read of My Life)

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love, It's a Binge Read by

I am a binge reader. 

Like a big one. 

If you’ve been following me or this page for any amount of time, that is probably not a secret. And if you’re new here, welcome! Let me introduce myself. My name is Megan, I am a binge reader and am proud of it. 

Like real proud.

I live my life in the midst of  binge reads and binge watching TV shows. It’s something I’ve gotten really good at (I say that like it’s a skill you can develop and make stronger) over the years. Depending on what mood I’m in you’ll find me in the middle of a binge read of a certain trope or genre, series, or author. Same with TV shows. Sometimes my binge reads last a few days, other times they last a couple of weeks depending on what I’m reading. 

Suffice to say, I am a pretty experienced binge reader. I love binge reading. I love getting so sucked into a series or an author’s backlist that I don’t know which way is up. I love getting to spend an extended amount of time in a certain world or within a certain feeling that books can evoke. I love that for days or weeks of time, all I can think about is that next book in my binge read and what it’ll bring. I also kinda love feeling like I’ve accomplished an Olympic level feat when I finish a binge read, especially a particularly long or large one.

I live for a good binge read. It is one of the things I love as a reader. And honestly, it’s something I highly recommend taking up as a reader because a good binge read can change everything. 

And I do mean everything. 

Case in point: my latest binge read. 

The longest binge read of my life.

Let me set the stage for you. 

Back in November of last year, I was feeling all kinds of down. Between the craziness of work virtually teaching my tiny humans, feeling isolated from those I love because of the panoramic (or pandemic for those of you not yet obsessed with Tiktok and its pandemic references), and all of the things happening, I was struggling. I was missing my people. I was just not in the best place and I was searching for whatever could be found to cheer me up. 

Enter in Kristen Ashely and her amazing, unforgettable, and all-consuming books. 

I don’t remember the first time someone told me I needed to read a book by Kristen Ashely, but I do know that the number of times her books have been recommended to me over the years is probably around 67 bajillion. She is a queen in the romance community, and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t listen to those 67 bajillion recommendations for almost 7 years because I am stubborn. Like real stubborn. I tend not to listen, and then find myself regretting that lack of listening for years to come. (Just ask my book friends how many times I’ve told them over the last few months that they was right and I was wrong and so very dumb for waiting to read KA’s novels.) 

It’s not that I don’t want to read what’s recommended to me, it’s just that I really am a bad listener. I always think something along the lines of “one day I’ll get to that”, but one day always gets further and further away. I’ve even been known to buy those books recommended to me and hold onto them because I know that I need to read them, even though I have no idea when I’ll actually do just that. 

Kristen Ashley is a prime example of that. 

Me and some of those aforementioned book friends at Apollycon 2018, who’ve been trying to get me to read Kristen Ashley for years!

I was even lucky enough to meet her in 2018 at Apollycon, but at that point I hadn’t actually read her books. (Remember when I said I was stubborn as hell and didn’t listen?!) But I did know I needed to read her words, so I interpreted that as clearing out a full shelf of her books at my local Books-A-Million. Let’s just say I am equally so thrilled that I did that because I have so many of her books in print, but also so mad at myself that I waited SO long to read her books that I couldn’t properly fangirl over her when I met her. 

Can you say holy freaking missed opportunity?!? *smacks head with e-reader again*

When I finally came around to pulling my head out of my butt and starting her books in the fall of 2019, I literally wanted to hit myself with my e-reader because I had waited to read them. I devoured the first 3 books in her Rock Chick Series, simultaneously falling in love with everything I was reading, while also telling myself that I should’ve been reading these books YEARS ago. I had planned to keep reading all of her romance book goodness then, but of course life got in the way and I was pulled away. 

Flash forward over a year later, I found myself back to her books because I needed a sure thing. I needed a book I knew I would love, and after having read a few of her books the year prior, I knew I could count on her to deliver what I felt was missing. I went into that book needing a pick me up and needing something to take my mind off the craziness going on around me. I started that first book, Rock Chick Revenge on November 30th, and almost 3 ½ months later I completed the longest binge read of my life. 

One of the TikToks I made in the middle of my binge read!

60 books. Over 3 months of time. Countless 5 star reads. Thousands and thousands and thousands of pages. So many all-consuming series that I will literally treasure forever. So many characters who will forever own pieces of my heart….and so much more.

And you know what? It saved me. In more ways than one. 

This binge read, the longest I’ve ever done, saved me. It saved my mental health. Reading these books, living these stories with these characters, and just basking in every moment was my form of self care. This binge read gave me sooooo many things to look forward to. It gave me SO many unforgettable and dynamic characters that each took me on one hell of a ride. It gave me stories that swept me up and that never let me go. It gave me real and fictional worlds that owned me heart and soul. It gave me so many conversations with my book friends and people about these books that just made my heart and soul happy. 

It gave me everything.

And let me tell you, after a year of serious craziness these books were the lifesaver I didn’t even know I needed. They not only saved my mental health and brought me back to me. reading them, talking to all my book friends about them over and over again, and experiencing every moment of them was the best. The actual BEST. (Seriously never doubt the power of a good book y’all.)

If I’m being honest though, I didn’t think I’d make it this far in this binge read. I can definitely tell you without a doubt that I definitely didn’t think I’d be sitting here having read 60 books by one author in the last 3 months.  But here I am y’all, living the best kind of binge reader dream.

Me being absolutely ridiculous on TikTok when I got my KA book order in!

That’s not to say I didn’t want to read all of Kristen Ashely’s books, but I tend to be a big mood reader, so I often find myself jumping from trope to trope to subgenre to subgenre quite a bit when I am a reader. (Luckily KA has it ALL, so she delivered everything I didn’t even know I needed with her entire backlist.) I also might have a touch of a self-diagnosed focusing issue that can often prevent me from focusing on one type of book for too long. When I started that first book of the binge read back in November I thought I’d finish the Rock Chicks and maybe read some more of the paperback books I owned by Kristen Ashely and call it a day. I figured my reading mood would eventually shift, and one day I’d come back and finish wherever I left off. 

Flash forward to mid March and I was practically in tears because I didn’t have any more Kristen Ashely books to read. 

For 3 ½ months these books OWNED me, heart and soul. They consumed my every thought and feeling. They gave me life. They took hold of every emotion I had, every part of me, and truly, they never let me go. They were all I could think about. All I could talk about. All I could post about on my social media and blog page. All I wanted and needed to read. Really, just all I wanted and needed. 

These books, this binge read, these stories, the writing and characters…they were everything I needed. 

Everything and more.

Frannie & Frannie

I even named my new succulent plant after a character in these books. That’s how much I couldn’t get enough of everything I was reading and how much I loved these characters. That’s how addicted I was to everything I was reading. (Plus when you meet Frannie in Midnight Soul, you’ll understand why that was the perfect name for my succulent.)

Throughout this binge read I’ve joined the crazy wonderful Rock Chicks, fallen in love with the Dream Men and Dream Team, spent some time on the darker side with some Unfinished Heroes, and joined a motorcycle club named Chaos. I’ve spent my days running away to the Colorado Mountains, a Burg in Indiana, the coast of Maine, small towns and big towns across this country and world, and even a parallel world that doesn’t actually exist. I’ve fallen in love with Moonlight & Motor Oil, The Honey Club, and a blue genie named Fazire who will always own a piece of my heart.

These books encompassed so many moments, so many characters, so many stories that I will forever treasure. Told through some of the best storytelling and writing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, these books and stories gave me so many moments that shook me to my core. 

Moments that took my breath away. Moments that made me laugh my ass off, cry my eyes out, and feel practically breathless with what these characters gave me. Moments that I will never forget. Moments that I’ve already gone back and reread multiple times. Moments that will go down in my book history as some of my favorite book moments ever.

Some of my favorite KA moments. (Not spoilery, as most are out of context and you won’t get it until you read the books…but look at the list at your own risk!)

Moments that I will truly never forget reading or experiencing.

I’ve lived and loved it ALL over the last 3 1/2 months with these books and fictional characters. I’ve traveled to worlds that aren’t real, and worlds that I wish with everything I have, were real. I’ve had some of the best reading experiences EVER.

And honestly? I just wish I could give Kristen Ashley the biggest hug right now because what she gave me within her books. I also want to say thank you to her a million times over. What she so infinitely created with her characters and moments and stories and worlds, what she allowed me to live and feel and breathe with her characters, and what she gave me to experience along the way is something I will treasure for the rest of time. Her writing is on a whole different level, and the moment you read and experience one of her books you will know that with every bone in your body. 

You will love it, you will crave it, and you will need as much of it as possible. Trust me on that.  

Simply put, Kristen Ashely has firmly cemented herself as one of my all-time favorite authors and reading these books, all 60 plus of them is something I will never forget. 

Just a couple of weeks ago, I found myself reading my last Kristen Ashely book. (That is until she writes more romantic goodness, which I cannot wait for!). I purposefully chose her Loose Ends Anthology to end with one last little bit of some of my favorite characters, as well as to get the stories for a few characters that I had been dying for. To celebrate I got me a cinnamon roll the size of my face and a good as hell coffee to accompany me with that last KA book. If you read any of these books you too will have an appreciation for baked goods and coffee from small businesses.

And let me just say, as sad as I was for this binge read to end, I couldn’t be happier that I finally listened to the 67 bajillion people who told me I should’ve been reading these books years ago. 

Y’all were right, I was stubborn as hell and didn’t listen, but I got there in the end. And I will be forever grateful that I did. 

So there you have it. 

The longest binge read of my life. 

The best binge read of my life. 

The binge read that brought me back to me. The binge read that brought me a multitude of fictional characters and stories and moments I will forever LOVE and cherish. The binge read that brought me to one of my favorite authors ever. The binge read that gave me so many moments that literally took my breath away. The binge read that showed me a million times over that a book, an author, a series can truly give you everything you need and more. 

The binge read that truly gave me it all. 

Never doubt the power of a good binge read y’all. 

Seriously. 

It just might be the pick me up you need. It also might be everything you didn’t even know you needed and then some. If you’re really lucky, it just might give you some of the best damn books and reading experiences of your entire life. 

And really, it doesn’t get better than that.

Trust me. 

A glimpse into my 3 month binge Kristen Ashely binge read.

Summer of Series: The Return to Me Series by Corinne Michaels

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love, Review Post by

Y’all we have officially reached the end of summer, which means this is my last Summer of Series post.

*sobs*

You know it’s funny, about halfway through this summer I didn’t know if I’d even finish one series. You see work took up a big chunk of time, and then things were just crazy and I couldn’t get my head to focus on reading. Even though reading is the one thing that helps me in all of the craziness, I just couldn’t read. But then I thought about all of the books I had set out to read, all of the series I wanted to devour, and I jumped in. I jumped in heart first ready to read.

I finished my first series of the summer in August and I didn’t look back.

Since then I have spent the last 4 weeks devouring books. I have spent the last 4 weeks traveling from prisons to Oxford, spent my days with some cocky men and two men who couldn’t be more right for one another, and I just spent my last week with 3 brother bound and determined to break every one of my emotions.

It’s 4 weeks later and I have just finished my fifth, and last series of the summer.

And boy was this series the PERFECT one to close out the summer with. 

It was emotional. It was consuming on the deepest of levels. It was so raw and real that it physically hurt my heart at times and stole my breath at others. It was unforgettable. It was everything. 

So without further ado and fanfare, I bring you, my last series of my Summer of Series:

The Return to Me Series by Corinne Michaels

Now let me start this write up by saying that this series is probably one of the most emotionally murdering series I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and that is just part of what made this series SO DAMN GOOD. This series was HIGHLY emotional. It was bursting with every feel you can think of. It was angsty to the point I thought I, and these characters, might not make. It was bursting with tension and heartache and so many emotionally gripping twists and turns that turned my heart and soul upside down.

It was a series that owned every part of me while I was reading. And honestly, I have a feeling this series will own a piece of me for the rest of time.

That’s how good it was. That’s how unforgettable it was. That’s how utterly incredible it was. 

Now I should have known going into this book and this series that Corinne Michaels would deliver some serious feels and emotional murder to me. You see, I have been a fan of hers since the very beginning. I read her first book Beloved on the 4th of July right after it came out. (I honestly think that’s a huge sign that you’ve met an author or a book you will never forget when you can remember what day you read the book.) I read that book in a day. I was emotionally murdered by that book in a day. (And I LOVED it!) And I knew in a day that Corinne Michaels was going to be one of my favorite authors.

But honestly, as much as I thought I was prepared for the emotional murder I thought these books would give me, I definitely was not adequately prepared for the emotions and feels she would give me as I traveled to Bell Buckle Tennessee with her Hennington brothers.

I was not prepared for what those men would make me feel. I was not prepared for the women of this world who would equally shatter my hearts to pieces. I was not prepared for the first chapter of Say You’ll Stay which EVISCERATED me. I was not prepared to be so enamored and consumed with this world and these characters that truly took ahold of my heart. I was not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster these books would take me on, and I was certainly not prepared to feel it ALL with them along the way.

But you know what? I might not have been prepared, but I loved it. I loved every incredible, unforgettable, and all-feeling word of it. 

This series is hands down one of the most emotionally charged, angsty, and all-feelingly intense series I have EVER had the pleasure of reading.

From the moment I jumped into this world, I was so taken and owned with its characters. With their struggles and heartbreaks. With their anguish. With their choices that took them all to so many different places they were not prepared for. With their hearts and who they all were. With everything about them. I was taken. I was taken for one hell of an emotional ride that I will never forget.

You see those Hennington boys and their special lady friends (aka the women they were all so meant to be with), well they kind of broke me. And I LOVED it. I loved it so so much. 

They made the emotional masochist in me so beyond happy because not only did they give me some of the most emotionally unforgettable stories I’ve ever read, they let me feel and live and breathe it all right along with them.

They broke me. They made me cry. Like a lot. They made my chest physically ache. They shattered me. There were actual moments reading these stories where I was pacing the room because I wasn’t sure if these characters (and I) were going to make it through everything that came their way. They killed me and my feels, but you know what? They also made it better. They took me through their pain. They showed me their true selves, who they were and what they wanted, and they all showed how far they were willing to go and how hard they were willing to fight for the one who really mattered. For the one meant everything. For the one who changed it all.

These characters might have tried to break my emotions and all my feels, but they also made it better. They showed me what could be. They gave me that more. They showed that hope can truly be found even in the moments when you feel all is lost. Along with that they gave me love stories that I will never forget reading and experiencing, and they showed me again and again that true love can triumph even when you think all is lost.

They showed me that sometimes second chances really do exist, and that they can give you it all and more than you could’ve ever imagined, as long as you’re open to them.

They showed me that sometimes unexpected turns can lead to the most amazing and life changing things, and that even when those turns don’t turn out like you hoped or expected, it doesn’t make them any less meaningful or amazing.

They showed me that sometimes the one person who’s always been there and the one person you can’t seem to let go of might just be the one person you need to hold onto with all that you have.

They showed me that sometimes it takes opening your eyes and your heart to what’s always been right in front of you to find exactly what you’ve always needed.

Corinne Michaels completely connected me into this world, heart first and on a soul deep level, in way that I will never forget. 

Her writing and storytelling truly made this series what it was. She put me in the thick of it with Zach and Presley, with Trent and Grace, with Cooper and Emma, and with Wyatt and Angie. She let me get get them all. She let me understand each and every one of them, and she let me get exactly why things went the way they did for all of them. Even in those moments when she had me crying and aching for their struggles, her writing and thoughtful storytelling is what pulled me through. It is what showed me that these characters needed to feel these things. It is what had me believing in them and what could be. She let me know and feel and completely understand they had to struggle in order to try to get to that better place and to something more.

She let me understand them all in such a real way that was so honest and heartfelt. She let me see them. Their raw and messy and complicated selves, and most of all, she let me love them. She made it so there was no way that I couldn’t love those stubborn assess and strong willed women. Even in those moments when I wanted to jump into these books and shake some sense into all of them, she had me knowing through her writing and through what I was getting with them that it would all somehow be okay. Even in those moments that threatened to tear me and my heart apart, I knew that in my bones and that was everything to get.

It was everything and more. 

Now don’t get me wrong, while these books will break all of your emotions and push you to the edge about a bajillion times, it will also give you some seriously swoony and amazing love stories. Love stories packed with more heat and connection than you can shake a stick at. Love stories that still have that lightness to them, even with all of the glorious angst that push and pull you through it all. These love stories will own every part of you, and even when you think you can’t go on, they will show you the light and the hope of it all.

And they will have you knowing with everything you have that these characters are meant to be and that the love they share is something else.

Something so much more. Something truly special. Something you have to have with your entire heart and soul.

If there is one series you read this year, I highly recommend this one. It is emotional, gripping, and consuming on the deepest of levels. It will make you cry and hurt and feel like there is no happiness in sight, but then you will turn that corner. You will see the light. You will feel that hope that these characters do. You will feel it and see it and practically touch it, and it will show you that if you stick with it, if you stick with these characters, they will give you it all and they will make it better. They will show you just how amazing love can be if you fight for it, if you give your all for it, and if you find that one person to share it all with.

This series is one of the best I have ever read, and as sad as I am to leave the world of Bell Buckle, I cannot wait to get my hands on more books by this amazing author because her words are giving me everything right now!

And I am beyond desperate for more.

I’m basically an addict now. An emotionally masochistic addict who needs more emotional murder…and Corinne Michaels is my dealer of choice and I am READY for more of her words in my life!

The Hennington men and the women who bring them to their knees gave me stories that were meaningful, emotional, and all kinds of consuming. They definitely made me work for it and they sure as hell didn’t make it easy, but that is why I loved them SO MUCH. It’s the hard work, the feels and emotion, and the fight that exemplify who these characters are and why they’re all so meant to be.

I’m telling you, if you read these books, if you keep you’re heart open to these characters and what could be for them, you won’t be disappointed. 

Not one little bit. 

And in the end, you’ll be damn glad you took that emotional and breathtaking ride with them, because that ride? It’s everything. And then some. 

Find Out More About The Return to Me Series

~Say You’ll Stay~

One Click

One word.

Stay.
It was all he had to do. Instead, he got on that bus and took my heart with him.

That was seventeen years ago.

I moved on. Marriage. Kids. White picket fence. Everything I ever wanted, but my husband betrayed me and I was left once again.

Alone, penniless, and with two boys, I had no choice but to return to Tennessee. He wasn’t supposed to be there. I should’ve been safe. However, fate has a way of stepping in.

This time around, the tables are turned. It’s my decision. Second chances do exist, but I don’t know if we can repair what’s already been broken . . .

Read My Review

~Say You Want Me~

One Click

There’s no way I’ll fall for Wyatt Hennington.

He can keep his Southern drawl, irresistible smile, and those pick-up lines all to himself. I made the mistake of sleeping with him not once, but twice. I’m not stupid enough to give him round three, especially after he left me in the middle of the night so I could see myself out. I vow to return to Philadelphia and forget him.

It proves easier said than done.

When the doctor informs me I’m the winner of door prize number two, I put my life on hold and head back to Bell Buckle. Three months and if we can’t make this work, I’m gone.

The problem is—when the cards are stacked against us, and I can’t bring myself to leave him, I’ll finally know if he truly loves me or if all my fears were real . . .

Read My Review

~Say I’m Yours~

One Click

I spent twenty years waiting for Trent Hennington to open his eyes and see me. But it was all for nothing. He chose to keep himself guarded and let me walk away, proving that my time and efforts were wasted.

I’m done being invisible.
It’s time to move on.

A single dance sets my new reality into motion, and I welcome it. After all, Cooper Townsend is perfect. He’s kind, sexy, and attentive—everything a girl could want.

I thought I got it right this time.
That my heart could mend, and I would be happy.
Apparently, some things really are just too hard to walk away from.

Read My Review

~Say You Won’t Let Go~

One Click

Emily Young had two goals in her life:
1. Make it big in country music.
2. Get the hell out of Bell Buckle.

She was doing it. She was on her way, until Cooper Townsend landed backstage at her show in Dallas.

This gorgeous, rugged, man of few words was one cowboy she couldn’t afford to let distract her. But with his slow smile and rough hands, she just couldn’t keep away.

With outside forces conspiring against them, Cooper hires the McKay-Taggart team to protect her. Emily refuses to let Cooper get hurt because of her. All she wants is to hold onto him, but she knows the right thing to do is to let go . . .

Read My Review

So there you have it y’all. My Summer of Series is officially done…and as sad as I am for both summer and this blog post series to be done, I’m so excited to jump into more books! I’m planning on binge reading more of Corinne’s books and then who knows where my reading mood will take me! The sky’s, or should I say my never-ending book pile, the limit. I want to thank you all for joining me this summer through this blog post series. I have read some incredible books, and I have loved sharing them with y’all! And I honestly can’t thank you enough for your support of me and this blog. I hope you know it means the world to me. 

Summer of Series: The PresLocke Series by Ella Frank & Brooke Blaine

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love, Review Post by

Y’all I am IN LOVE with two men. Like I am deeply, wholly, and completely in love with two men.

And you know what?

I am 100% okay with that because these men, well they’re everything.

They are compassionate. They are sexy as hell. They are real and authentic. They are pure fire and goodness. And they are probably two of the best characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading and falling in love with.

They also happen to be beyond right for one another, and getting to read their love story is something that I will NEVER forget. Like ever. I am 100% positive these two men and their story will always own a part of my heart and I just love it. When I tell you there is something so special and so beyond right about the two of them and what you get with them, I mean that with every fiber of my soul.

These two are perfection in every sense of the word. They are fate defined. They are them through and through, and that is just part of what makes them my new fictional husbands and two utterly amazing characters that wooed themselves into my heart something fierce. 

So without further ado, I introduce my husbands to you…Ace Locke and Dylan Prescott aka PresLocke. (aka the current owners of my heart and soul.)

The PresLocke Series by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine

Let me start this series write up by saying that I have not read a story so consuming, so all-feeling and meaningful, and so full of fire in quite some time. When I say this book consumed me, I mean it OWNED me. From the very first page until the very last, I DEVOURED these books. I think from start to finish I read these books in 36 hours.

That’s how good they were. That is how much they owned me. That is how much I LOVED every moment with Ace and Dylan. That is how much I was wooed something fierce by this story. 

I could not put it down…I couldn’t put them down. I couldn’t turn away from Ace and Dylan. I couldn’t stop reading their story with everything that I had. I couldn’t stop feeling and living and breathing it all with them. I seriously chugged iced coffee at 11 o’clock at night to be able to stay up to finish these books. That’s how consuming they were. That’s how much I NEEDED everything with them. That is how much I LOVED these books.

I truly wish I had a stronger word than loved to use to describe what I felt for these two and what I got within their story. Love just doesn’t seem adequate enough to fully capture what I felt for them along the way. It just doesn’t seem like a strong enough word to describe the amazing, all-feeling, and unforgettable reading experience they gave me.

It just doesn’t seem like enough to capture them.

But honestly, I feel like that’s also fitting for Dylan and Ace and what I got with them because what those two share, what those two feel for one another, and what those two experience with one another is beyond words. 

It’s just so much more. So much glorious more. 

What Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank created in this series was spectacular. It was emotional and heartfelt. It was honest and real. It was funny and sweet. It was BURSTING with so much fire and connection. It was vulnerable and full of feels. It was Ace and Dylan. It was their story of love that felt so written in the stars that everything felt beyond right and meant to be. It was just everything.

It was everything and then some.

The PresLocke Series follows Ace Locke, the world’s number 1 action star, and Dylan Prescott, an up and coming model who cross paths in more ways than one. The two of them have a very memorable first meeting, and from there it’s off to the races for those two. Their connection is fierce. The pull they have to one another is fire. The feelings growing between them have the effect of the strongest magnet possible, and no matter how much is stacked against them, they want each other. They need each other. And the more they get to know each other and the more they start to fall off that edge into their sea of feelings, the more they realize that they might have just met the one person who will change everything.

The three books in this incredible series follow the development of their relationship as they face their fair share of troubles and hurdles, as they get to know one another on the deepest of levels, and as they see what true and honest love can bring them. Through every turn of that page, everything that comes their way, and through every twist and turn, you are in it with Dylan and Ace. You are in it with your heart wide open, feeling and experiencing it all with them, loving and living every second.

And it is the actual best.

That is a true testament to what Brooke Blaine and Ella Frank so fantastically create within this series that you get all of that and more. 

What I loved about this series was that it allowed both Dylan and Ace to be their true selves. It allowed them to feel. It allowed them to be who they are and who they were always meant to be. It allowed them to truly see themselves and to find everything they didn’t even know they didn’t. This story and what you get with them allowed them to be them. It allowed them to fully embrace everything. The fire, the pull, the spark, the emotions, and the reality of what was between them. It allowed them to live their truths, with full hearts and open eyes, and with a love that literally gave them everything.

It allowed them to give their hearts so honestly and deeply to one another, and for you as the reader, this story allows you to be through every second of that feeling it all. This series and its events weren’t always easy for these two, but let me tell you what they share and their love makes it all worth it.

So. Beyond. Worth it. 

What you get with Ace and Dylan will have you believing in the power of love. It will have you believing in everything that could be. It will have you knowing that there is something so inherently right about the two of them. And it will have you knowing with every fiber of your being that those two men are the perfect match for one another.

This series will give you everything you need and more.

It will make you melt and swoon. It will woo you. It will consume you in every way possible.  It will have you knowing that they were never to people more meant to be together than Ace and Dylan. Every word with them will have you knowing and believing that with all that you have. And when you reach that last page, and when you reach the end and are overwhelmed in the best way with their love and heart and just who they are, you will truly be forever grateful that you had the chance to experience it all with them.

I know I am.

I am truly and forever grateful that I met these two amazing men.

Their story is wholly and uniquely theirs. It is the pinnacle of emotion, vulnerability, and pure fire and connection. It is the story of what happens when you meet the one person who changes everything, who makes you see yourself, and who allows you to be the best you possible. It is a story of love. True, deep, selfless, feel it with every part of your heart, love.

It is a story of fate, of soul touching love, of fight and heart and of so much healing that will put every part of you together again.

It is truly one of the most special stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading. And as sad and a little devastated as I am as I sit here knowing that my time with them is done, I can’t help but just feel so beyond happy and thrilled and grateful that I had the chance to experience their story with them. It is truly something else and I will be forever grateful that I had the chance to experience their literal magic and amazingness.

So seriously, RUN yourself to these books and what these authors so beautifully and meaningfully created. I truly cannot recommend this story enough to y’all. It is hands down one of the best series I have ever read, and I will truly cherish the time I got with Ace and Dylan.

They made me laugh. They made me melt. They made me swoon. They made me feel and live and love. They made it all amazing. They made it them, through and through, in the most memorable and incredible way possible. 

And that, well that is the actual best. Just like them and just like these books.

Find Out More About The PresLocke Series

~Aced~

One Click

What happens when these two worlds collide?

Ace Locke is Hollywood’s hottest action hero. Women across the globe fling their panties in his direction, but Ace isn’t interested in those—he’s more of a boxer briefs kind of guy. Specifically, those of the nearly naked male model on a billboard he drives past every day.

Though he recently made headlines for his public coming out, Ace is wary about pursuing a relationship, fearing what the court of public opinion will do to his career. But there’s something in the model’s expression that intrigues him and has him wondering what if?

Dylan Prescott just scored his biggest modeling campaign yet. One that has him plastered all over L.A. in not much more than what he was born with. And when he’s cast in Ace’s latest blockbuster, it puts him in close proximity to his ultimate fantasy.

Outwardly confident, Dylan has no problem with his sexuality or his pretty-boy looks, and uses both to his advantage to get what he wants. And what he wants is the impossible—Ace Locke.

Read My Review

~Locked~

One Click

“ACE LOCKE JETS OFF TO SIN CITY WITH MYSTERY MAN”

Sorry, ladies—and fellas—Hollywood’s hottest action star, Ace Locke, is officially off the market!

The man on Locke’s arm has been identified as Dylan Prescott, the sexy new “it” model currently featured in the latest Calvin Klein ads. Sources tell TNZ the men met on the set of Locke’s upcoming action film Insurrection 2, and that “they only have eyes for each other.”
This is the first public gay relationship for Locke, who came out a year ago, and there has been much speculation on who would finally be the one to catch his eye.

According to multiple eyewitnesses, Locke whisked Prescott away on his private jet for a romantic weekend at Syn, the most exclusive hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. After pictures recently surfaced of the new couple, affectionately named PresLocke, it appears from the possessive way Locke keeps his new beau close that things are heating up.

The world is watching #PresLocke, and we’ll be sure to keep you up to date on this budding relationship!

Read My Review

~Wedlocked~

One Click

Because you have believed in them,
Celebrated with them,
Loved and encouraged them,

Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine
Invite you to join

Ace Samuel Locke
and
Dylan Prescott

Saturday, the twenty-fourth of May
at six o’clock in the evening

The Floridian Hotel
4406 Palm Way
Orlando, Florida

For love, laughter, and a happily ever after.

Read My Review

 

So there you have it y’all, another must read series has been read and I could not be more in love! I am so glad I decided to do Summer of Series again because I have read some AMAZING books this summer and it has been the best! I thought this was going to be my last series I read before the end of summer, but since I devoured these books so quickly, I have time for another! I don’t know what I’m going to read next, but I know that I can’t wait to decide!! If you have any thoughts on what you think I should read next, be sure to let me know! I’d love to hear from you!

Summer of Series: The Cocky Bastard Series by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love, Review Post by

Let me tell y’all, when I first started this blog post series I knew I had lofty goals. I mean I think I picked 20 different series that I was hoping to somehow read between Memorial Day and Labor Day. And here we are just 2 weeks before Labor Day and I’ve read 3 series…but you know what, I am 100% okay with it.

You know why?

Because this summer I have read 3 new and utterly amazing series by 4 authors I had never read before. And that, well that is just kind of the best.

New books. New authors. New series. New words to fall in love with. It really doesn’t get much better than that. 

So am I going to even read a quarter of the series I set off to read? Probably not. But have I had the chance to read some amazing stories this summer that have owned my heart something fierce? YES!

And it truly doesn’t get better than that. 

I started this summer wanting a forbidden romance, then found myself in the middle of a paranormal romance that I became fully obsessed with, and now I’ve just finished a series that’s a bit on the cocky side and all kinds of incredible.

So without further ado, the third series in my Summer of Series….

The Cocky Bastard Series by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland

The Cocky Bastard Series is a series of standalone novels that I have owned for longer than I would like to admit. Like I seriously want to kick myself for having these books for so long and not reading them. I am the worst y’all. The actual worst for waiting on these books because these books were EVERYTHING.

They were swoony. Funny as hell. Romantic. Full of some feels and moments I was not prepared for, and some serious twists I was really not prepared for. Filled to the brim with some very memorable characters, personalities, and dynamics, this series had it all.

It had every kind of story. It had characters that each took a piece of my heart with what I got with them. It had the romance that I die for. It had such a consuming pull within it that connected me into every part of these stories. It had the full package, and truthfully that is just part of what made me love these books so much.

These books are cowritten by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland, two authors who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and who wrote some seriously good books. I am so ashamed to admit that I haven’t read these authors prior to this series (except for one book by Penelope Ward that I loved and read years ago), so I was super excited to read these books. I had heard such great things about these books and what these authors had created, and let me tell you I was not disappointed one bit in what I got from these stories!

They were exceptionally written, memorable in every way, and just so damn enjoyable to read. 

The Cocky Bastard Series truly is a series of standalone novels. (In fact when you look on Amazon and Goodreads that’s the title of this series!) You can read them in any order, since they do truly stand alone…though I would recommend reading Cocky Bastard first because that’s where it all starts and you’ll just love that book. (And the rest that follow it.)

What I think I loved most about this series was that even though these books were all different, with different couples, taking place across different places of the world, there were still things and aspects that made it feel like a connected series.

There was always a funny and memorable as hell first meeting. There was always a twist that changed everything. And I mean everything. There was always characters who were seemingly opposite or who should’t work together, yet so inherently did. There was always that little bit of fun too. That along with the romance, the heat and fire and connection between all of these different couples, and the writing and storytelling that brought it all together made for a series that I will never forget reading.

These books were just exactly what I needed right now. 

They were consuming on the deepest of levels. Every time I sat down to read one, I didn’t stop until that book was finished. I stayed up reading these books into early hours of the morning because I needed every word of them. I needed all the time with these characters and after each twist, I NEEDED to know how it would all come together. I seriously couldn’t stop with these books, and more than that I didn’t want to. I wanted every word. I wanted every character. I wanted every moment I was living within these books.

I wanted it all.

I especially loved these books because they just had some serious swoon to them and some of the best characters that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. These different characters made me work for it, they pushed me to the edge time and time again, and they dug themselves into my heart through every turn of that page. Each of them were different and unique and wholly them, but they were all so real. So real, so charming, so vivid in their own ways, and just so them. They were all so easy to love and root for…even those ones with their guards up and those hardened exteriors, and I loved them all.

I loved getting to be in the thick of it with them. I loved every adventure I went on with them. I loved every leap of faith and risk they took, even when it scared them out of their ever loving minds. I loved every bit of what made them who they were. I loved every moment that showed me and the person that they wanted to be with that they were so worth every bit of struggle and fight to get to that happily ever after. I loved that every turn of that page just solidified what I felt for them and how hard I was loving their story.

I loved it all. I loved them all. And then some. 

These authors wrote 6 exceptional stories that I just loved every word of. I loved the fun and spark. I loved the romance and feels. I loved that they kept me on my toes. I loved that they made me work for that ending as much as they made their characters work for it, and how it never felt like too much. It always felt right. It always felt like just enough. It always felt like it was meant to be.

And it always had that genuinely enjoyable sense of cockiness…and that was just the best amount of everything. 

From chance meetings at a rest stop in Nebraska, to lost phones on the subways of NYC. From an airport bar, to a broken down elevator pitched in darkness. From a fishhook in an area it so shouldn’t be, to a fender bender over a parking spot. These books span the different parts of the world and different ends of the country that bring a world of adventure and life and spark and change to these characters lives. This series takes you on sweeping journeys of the heart that will have you believing in every possibility of what could be for these characters.

Through it all, each of these stories and its characters give you it all. They invest you, they woo you something fierce, and in the end they show you that with a little cockiness, a little sass and fire, with a healthy dose of feels and heart thrown in, you can truly find what and who you didn’t even know you needed in your life. 

And it truly doesn’t get better than that.

So please, I beg of you, do not be like me an wait to dive into this series or the amazing writing of these authors. It would be wrong to do that and you would be missing out like I was for so long. So seriously, run yourself to this cocky world. Get lost in it. Live and feel it all. And just love and treasure every second of it.

I know I did.

So fucking much. 

Find Out More About Each Book in the Series Below

~Cocky Bastard~

One Click

He was someone who belonged in my wildest fantasies instead of a rest stop in the middle of Nebraska.

A sexy, cocky, Australian named Chance was the last person I expected to run into on my cross-country drive.

When my car broke down, we made a deal. Next thing I knew, we were traveling together, spending sexually-tense nights in hotels and taking unplanned detours.

My ordinary road trip turned into the adventure of a lifetime. It was all fun and games until things got intense.

I wanted him, but Chance wouldn’t make a move. I thought he wanted me too, but something was holding him back.

I wasn’t supposed to fall for the cocky bastard, especially when I knew we’d be going our separate ways.

All good things must come to an end, right?

Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming.

Read My Review

~Stuck-Up Suit~

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It started out like any other morning on the train.
Until I became mesmerized by the guy sitting across the aisle.
He was barking at someone on his phone like he ruled the world.
Who did the stuck-up suit think he was…God?
Actually, he looked like a God. That was about it.
When his stop came, he got up suddenly and left. So suddenly, he dropped his phone on the way out.
I might have picked it up.
I might have gone through all of his photos and called some of the numbers.
I might have held onto the mystery man’s phone for days―until I finally conjured up the courage to return it.
When I traipsed my ass across town to his fancy company, he refused to see me.
So, I left the phone on the empty desk outside the arrogant jerk’s office.
I might have also left behind a dirty picture on it first though.
I didn’t expect him to text back.
I didn’t expect our exchanges to be hot as hell.
I didn’t expect to fall for him―all before we even met.
The two of us couldn’t have been any more different.
Yet, you know what they say about opposites.
When we finally came face to face, we found out opposites sometimes do more than attract―we consumed each other.
Nothing could have prepared me for the ride he took me on. And I certainly wasn’t prepared for where I’d wind up when the ride was over.
All good things must come to an end, right?
Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming.

Read My Review

~Playboy Pilot~

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Money or love? Which would you choose?

You probably just answered the question in your head thinking it’s an easy decision.

For me, it’s not. Did I mention it’s a lot of money? A hell of a lot.

I needed to go far away to think it through.

As I embarked on an impulsive trip, I hit a detour when I met sexy Carter in the airport lounge. We struck up a heated conversation.

Then, he left.

I thought I’d never see him again.

But fate had other plans.

Surprise! He was the pilot of my flight.

The bigger surprise was the adventure that followed after the plane landed.

Carter was dangerous and always on the move.

Even though our connection was magnetic, I knew it was only temporary.

He would give me tickets, and I would follow him around the world to exotic places.

A bevy of flight attendant exes and rumors about Carter’s reputation were never far behind.

I didn’t know what to believe.

But I was addicted. Nothing else mattered anymore. And I was going to get hurt. Because a part of me wanted to be the one to finally ground the playboy pilot.

At the very least, he was taking me on a thrilling ride.

All good things must come to an end, right?

Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming.

Read My Review

~Mister Moneybags~

One Click

I met Bianca in an elevator.

She was on her way to interview me when we got stuck.
The beautiful raven-haired reporter assumed I was a delivery guy because of the way I was dressed.

She had no clue I was really Dex Truitt, the wealthy, successful businessman she’d dubbed “Mister Moneybags”―her afternoon appointment.

Bianca told me how much she hated Dex’s type―snobby, over educated, silver-spooned men who didn’t appreciate the simple things in life.

So, after the elevator finally started moving again, I cancelled the interview and let her believe I was someone I wasn’t―a bike messenger named Jay. I loved the way she looked at the fake me and didn’t want it to end.

I began dating her as “Jay”―all the while letting her interview the real me over email.

I didn’t expect that our chemistry online would be just as hot.
I didn’t expect the mess I’d gotten myself into.
I didn’t expect that Jay and Dex would fall in love with her.

And she was falling for two men.
Only, both men were me.
And when she found out, we were both going to lose her.

Nothing could have prepared me for that day. And I certainly wasn’t prepared for what came after.

All good things must come to an end, right?
Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming.

Read My Review

~British Bedmate~

One Click

Please note: This book was previously published as Dear Bridget I Want You. Only the title and cover have been changed. All other content remains the same.

Dear Bridget,
I’m writing this letter because it’s highly doubtful I’ll ever garner the courage to say this to your face.
So, here goes.
We’re totally wrong for each other. You’re the proper single mum with a good head on your shoulders. I’m just the carefree British doctor passing through town and temporarily living in your converted garage until I head back to England.
But here’s the thing… for some bloody reason, I can’t stop thinking about you in very inappropriate ways.
I want you.
The only reason I’m even admitting all of this to you right now is because I don’t believe it’s one-sided. I notice your eyes when you look at me, too. And as crass as I appear when we’re joking around about sex, my attraction to you is not a joke.
So, what’s the purpose of this note? I guess it’s a reminder that we’re adults, that sex is healthy and natural, and that you can find me just through the door past the kitchen. More specifically, it’s to let you know that I’m leaving said door cracked open from now on in case you’d like to visit me in the middle of the night sometime.
No questions asked.
Think about it.
Or don’t.
Whatever you choose.
It’s doubtful I’ll even end up sliding this letter under your door anyway.
–Simon

Read My Review

~Park Avenue Player~

One Click

It started out like any normal day.

Then the fender bender happened.

The guy I collided with drove an expensive car and was drop-dead gorgeous. Too bad he was also a total jerk. We argued over whose fault it was and any other thing that came out of his condescending mouth.

Eventually, the police came and we went our separate ways. The insurance companies would have to figure things out. I had a job interview to get to anyway—one I was excited about.

Though that excitement changed to disappointment the moment the person interviewing me walked in. The guy from the accident.

Whoops!

Yeah, so I didn’t get the position.

The problem was, I really wanted it. No, I needed it. Anything to get me out of my current career and back into working with kids.

So, even though Hollis LaCroix was as intimidating as he was devastatingly handsome, I went back to see him and begged for a chance.

To my surprise, he gave me a shot taking care of his troubled niece.

At least my attraction to him wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. I wasn’t about to jeopardize my job or the strong bond Hailey and I formed.

But resisting the magnetic pull between us wasn’t that simple. (Then there was our little underwear game—don’t ask.)

We continued to flirt without crossing the line—until it finally happened.

This is the part of the story where we fall in love and live happily ever after, right?

Well, life has a way of throwing some major curveballs.

Ours was one I didn’t see coming.

Read My Review

So there you have it y’all, series #3 of the summer has been read, and it was a damn good one! I am so happy I finally read these books! Now with just a few weeks left of summer, I’m pretty sure I only have time for one more series…and I think I already know what I’m going to read. It’s another cowritten series by a writing duo I have been DYING to read and it’s got some characters that I think I’m ready to start falling in love with…so stay tuned for my next series of Summer of Series coming very soon!

Summer of Series: A Pound of Flesh Series by Sophie Jackson

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love, Review Post by


Y’all I finally did it!

I read a series!

This summer has been utterly crazy so far. I started off the summer with grand plans of reading allllll the series, and here it is, the beginning of August and I’ve just finished my first one….but it was a damn good one! And it was so worth the wait!!! I may be a bit behind where I wanted to be, but I am so excited to share the first series I’ve read this summer:

The A Pound of Flesh Series by Sophie Jackson! 

I have had this series on my shelf for longer than I’d like to admit. The minute I read the blurb for the first book and found out it was a forbidden romance, I knew I needed it in my life. From the moment I started reading it a few weeks ago, I knew that I was a fool for having waited so long to finally read this series.

These books are everything.

They are gritty, raw, unforgettably emotional, and utterly consuming. They were truly unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and that is just part of what made me love them so much! From the first book through the very last, I was swept up into this world. And let me tell you, this world was everything I didn’t know I needed in my life. It was a world where there is way more to characters and people than meets the eye. It was a world brimming with second chances and so much fire and connection. It was a world that was so real, yet full of a magic that truly blew me away.

The world of these books was incredible to be in, and I truly never wanted to leave it.

The characters that make up this series seared themselves to me from the moment I met them, and getting their stories was nothing short of everything. Each of their stories was different and wholly theirs, yet there was this thread tying them all together in a way that pulled me in more to each of them. Every book in this series was a little forbidden, emotionally charged to the brim, and sure to push the boundaries in the best way. I loved getting each and every one of these characters’ stories.

This series follows a group of friends who have had their share of hard times, but yet show what a little hope and love with a wee bit of faith can do for a person. Carter, Max, and Riley have a friendship that will make you smile, while simultaneously pulling your heart to all three of them. Those 3 definitely don’t have the easiest of stories that’s for sure. They’re experienced trauma, pain, more anguish and heartbreak than you can shake a stick at, and yet they’re still fighting. They’re still breathing, and they’re still pushing through to see what could be.

Each of their stories is unique and completely theirs in many ways with their distinctive personalities shining through every bit, but a common thread of second chances, so much heart, and all of the feels and fire permeates their journeys in the best ways.

There’s forbidden romances, second chance romances, and romances that will make you feel it ALL…and that is just the tip of the iceberg with this series. I loved each and every one of these books. I loved what they made me feel, I loved what they allowed me to experience with these characters along the way, and I loved getting to be there with each and every one of them as they tried to see what could be and took that little (or sometime humongous) leap of faith.

I think one of my favorite parts of this series is that each of these books personifies the idea that there can be more. That there can second chances. That there is more life and love to have after unimaginable heartbreak and turmoil. That no one bad choice, or many bad choices for that matter, or no flurry of choices you regret with your whole heart, can define you.

This series and these books encapsulate you wholeheartedly within the idea that second chances do exist. That healing can happen after the unimaginable. That there is a hope for more, even when you never thought it was possible. That what does define you is what you do in the present, with the future, and with the new set of choices you have been given. 

These books were incredible, and I truly can’t recommend them enough. They were exceptionally written, bursting with emotions, feels, and some serious fire and connection, and they gave me world of characters and stories that I never wanted to have end.

This series made me laugh, and made me smile until my cheeks hurt at times. It made me melt and swoon at others. It pulled at every part of my heart in so many ways, and in the thick of some of the most glorious angst and push and pull I have ever experienced in a book. It perfectly blended every aspect together through every word to create three stories that truly had it all.

These books gave me 3 romances I will never forget reading, and let me tell you, as sad as I was to have them come to an end, when I read those last words and turned that last page, I did so with a heart that was bursting with so much love for these characters and what they gave me.

If you are looking for books that will wow you completely, run yourself to these books!

Do not wait like I did. It would be wrong to wait on these books and to miss out on their literal amazingness.

Find Out More About Each Book Below!

~A Pound of Flesh~

One Click

Orange Is the New Black meets Jennifer Probst’s New York Times bestselling Marriage to a Billionaire trilogy, featuring a strong-minded prison tutor who discovers that her sexy bad-boy student is far more than he appears to be.

Haunted by nightmares of her father’s street murder fifteen years ago, Kat Lane decides to face her fears and uphold his legacy of helping others by teaching inmates at a New York prison. There she meets arrogant Wesley Carter, who’s as handsome as he is dangerous, as mysterious as he is quick-witted, and with a reputation that ensures people will keep their distance.

As teacher and student, Kat and Carter are forced to leave their animosities at the door and learn that one should never judge a book by its cover. As Carter’s barriers begin to crumble, Kat realizes there’s much more to her angry student than she thought, leaving them to face a new, perilous obstacle: their undeniable attraction to one another.

Read My 5 Star Review

~Love and Always~

One Click

Orange Is the New Black meets Jennifer Probst’s New York Times bestselling Marriage to a Billionaire trilogy, in this e-novella of love and redemption in the sensational A Pound of Flesh series.

When prison tutor Kat Lane met arrogant inmate Wesley Carter in A Pound of Flesh, it was hate at first sight. Carter’s quick wit and reputation for being as dangerous as he was handsome kept her at a distance. But as they grew to know each other as teacher and student in the New York prison, Kat found there was much more to Carter than she thought.

In Love and Always, Kat and Carter’s story continues as they share the news of their engagement—which doesn’t go over well with Kat’s mother. On top of it all, Carter has a new role as CEO of WCS Communications, which adds more pressure to his new life outside prison. Trying to juggle family, a billion dollar business, and Carter’s best friend Max’s rehab stint doesn’t leave much time for the happy couple to enjoy each other. How will Kat and Carter handle the pressures of marriage, family, and work—and keep the passion alive through it all?

Read My 5 Star Review

~An Ounce of Hope~

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From the fanfic phenom whose debut A Pound of Flesh had over 4.5 million reads, this sequel, An Ounce of Hope, tells the passionate love story of Carter’s best friend, Max.

Max O’Hare can’t seem to let go of his past: his drug habit, the end of his relationship with Lizzie Jordan, the woman he knows he’ll never get over, and the loss of their unborn son.

After successfully completing rehab and learning to explore his deepest fears and dreams through painting, Max meets Grace Brooks. With her innate optimism, and her love of art and photography, Grace appears to be the perfect girl. Yet no one knows where she came from, or why she keeps her past so closely guarded. Over time, Max and Grace gradually allow each other in—but will he ever be able to fully let go of his past? Or will his heart remain closed forever?

Read My 5 Star Review

~Fate and Forever~

One Click

Sophie Jackson’s award-winning Pound of Flesh novels reignite “that feeling of sneaking risqué books under the bedcovers with a flashlight” (RT Book Reviews)! Join her millions of online fans with this irresistible enovella that takes the intimate relationship between a gutsy prison tutor and her sexy bad-boy student to the ultimate level.

When tutor Kat Lane met her brooding, dangerously tempting student Wesley Carter behind bars, she never dreamed of the day she would be excitedly planning for their wedding. It won’t be long before they’re man and wife, and neither Kat nor Carter can wait. But as they settle into the joyful haze of nearly-newlywed bliss, all their friends seem to be one step ahead. Everywhere they turn, couples are becoming parents, and the longing in Kat’s eyes worries Carter. What if she gets baby fever…and he’s not so sure? Carter’s childhood was rough, and his father was no example for how to be an upstanding man—or a good parent. Can Carter create a happy, safe, supportive home for his future children with Kat—the life he never had growing up? He had better figure it out soon…because Kat just told him she needs to take a pregnancy test.

Read My 5 Star Review

~A Measure of Love~

One Click

Life in New York for ex-con Riley Moore is pretty damn good, until a call from his mother shatters the calm: his father has suffered his second heart attack in two years and is in a critical condition. Leaving everything behind, Riley flies home to Michigan for the first time in five years to support his mother and do his best to make amends with his father. He also tries not to think about Lexie Pierce, the only girl he ever truly cared about, and who broke his heart.

When they inevitably meet, memories of their love make Riley yearn to reconnect, despite the pain they both suffered. Though she’s wary, and has a secret she’s hidden from him for five years, Lexie has little willpower when it comes to Riley and she agrees. Besides, after all that has gone before, she owes it to both of them to find out if they can love each other again.

Can they both overcome their sorrow and secrets and finally share their life together?

A powerful new voice in modern romance, Sophie Jackson has crafted a passionate love story with unforgettable characters that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Read My 5 Star Review

 

So there you have it y’all, my first series of summer is read and it was AHHMAZING!

I am so excited to jump into my next series…I”m feeling something a little more otherworldly, so stay tuned for what’s up next! And as always, thanks for following along! If you’d like to learn more about my Summer of Series  click the post link to see what I’m planning and what I might be reading next.

Summer of Series: You Still Haven’t Read That?!

Posted in All The Mumbo Jumbo, Books I love by

If you have been following this blog for a few years (and if you’re still with me allllll of these years later or just joining the fun now, THANK YOU! Your support means everything!), you might remember that a few years back I did a blog post series titled: Summer of Series.

Summer of Series was all about my love of a good series. It was all about me trying to read some of the MANY completed series I own, while also trying to read some new to me authors. I loved doing Summer of Series, not only because it allowed me to read more books, but it introduced me to some series and authors that I will never forget.

I did my original Summer of Series in 2015 and then I followed it up with my Summer of Series: You Haven’t Read That? in 2017. Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about how much fun it was to do Summer of Series, and how many books I read and loved during those summers, so you know what?! I decided to do it again!

I am titling this summer’s endeavor Summer of Series: You Still Haven’t Read That?!

I figured that title was quite appropriate since there are SO many series I own and have yet to read.

So I bet you’re wondering what Summer of Series entails? (You might not be wondering that, but I’m gonna tell you anyway.)

Summer of Series is all about the love a good series. It’s all about reading series and sticking with a group of characters for whatever length of time it takes to read all of their books. What it means is that starting this week I will only be reading series, and will be doing so all summer. And I can’t wait!!! Luckily I have a lot of different series to choose from. Each time I finish a new series I will write up a post and share all the series goodness with y’all! Each post will include my reviews, some favorite quotes from the books, as well as more about each series that I’m highlighting and reading. I might even throw in a little giveaway with each series post I do! 😉

Now to the good stuff…the books I chose for this summer!

I kind of want to duck my head in shame to admit that I have way more unread and completed series than are pictured here, but I figure it’s better to start somewhere! We will also just ignore the fact that there are some series in this picture that were a part of my original Summer of Series back in 2015…whoopsies!

Let’s just say I have a lot of reading to do and I am so excited to do it!

When picking series for this summer, I tried to pick a wide range of series that ranged in length, genre, and trope. I picked some YA, a lot of contemporary romance with various tropes and themes, as well as a paranormal romance series. Some of the series are interconnected standalones, while others follow the same couple/characters for multiple books. I also tried to pick a good number of series by authors who I haven’t read before. I even picked a couple of co-written series by new to me authors!! I’m really trying to read more new to me authors this year, so I definitely want to keep that going during Summer of Series!

So without further ado, here are the books I hope to read during my Summer of Series!

I already know I’m being ambitious with how many series I selected, and I know it’s more than likely I won’t get through even half of them, but I am eager to try! I can’t wait to dive into these series and to start sharing them with all of you. I think there is just something truly special about being with a group of characters over multiple books. The level of connection you get with those characters, the journeys you take with them, and just the feeling of it all is simple the best. I am and always have been a true lover of series, and I can’t wait to fall in love with the characters I am going to meet along the way during this Summer of Series!

Summer time is almost here y’all, and I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready for a little summer fun and reading. I have about 15 ish school days left with my tiny humans (virtually, of course!), and then summer officially starts. And while I am going to miss my tiny humans something fierce, summer is the break I look forward to every year, and I’m even more excited to read some great series this summer!

So are you ready for summer and Summer of Series?! I know I am!

I can’t wait to get started with Summer of Series and reading all the good books!

Let’s do this.

Let the Summer of Series begin!

p.s. If there is a series pictured you’ve read and loved, please let me know! I’d love to know what series you’ve read and loved! I’d also love to know which series you think I should start with! 

Find out more about the different series in Summer of Series below (the link for each series will take you to the Amazon page):