Live Me by Celeste Grande

Add to Goodreads

Broken…

Shattered…

How can you begin to live again when you’ve already been forced to… die?

Evangelina Ricci is trapped in a world that’s a never-ending nightmare, a constant ache in which consumes her every breath. Unable to bear the torture any longer, she does the one thing she can to take back control.

Run.

With her best friend Jace in tow, Evangelina attempts to escape her darkened past by leaving for college and diving head first into an aggressive schedule, determined with everything she is to make a name for herself. There’s only one problem—she can’t run away from the demons she struggles with. The demons that’ll forever be there, locked inside, battering her soul. Hiding behind a flawless façade, Evangelina faces her ghosts until her world is turned upside down, invaded by… him.

Blake Turner. Sweet, witty, flirtatious and drop-dead gorgeous, he finds Evangelina at every turn. Scared he’ll uncover the truth she keeps so well guarded, Evangelina tries her best to put on her act, deterring him like she has so many times before—only this guy’s different. He’s relentless. Utterly, absolutely and completely relentless. He sees her and he wants her and won’t stop until she’s his.

Will Evangelina succeed in pushing Blake away? Or will he break down her walls and be the person to make her realize life is worth living?

*****5 Utterly Breathtaking and Emotional Stars*****

Have you ever read a book, and felt beyond connected to what you’re reading heart, mind, and soul? Have you ever had a book take hold of you from the very first page, the very first word really and pull you in so fiercely that you’re not sure how you’re ever going to let the story or its characters go? Have you ever read a book so breathtakingly emotional with such intense, all-feeling, and consuming feeling and emotion that you literally feel through every breath of that book?

Have you ever read a book that you knew you’d never forget reading from the first moment you started that book because was so outstanding, so superb, and so everything?

Well if you’ve never experienced a book like that, then you need to read Live Me by Celeste Grande this very instant because it not only gives you all of that, it gives you more. It gives you everything. From the first page of this book I knew I would love this book, and that it would be a book that would stay with me. The level of varied and mesmerizing emotion and feeling that encapsulates you from the very first page will have you breathing, and living, and experiencing every single phenomenal ounce of what this book has to offer. It’ll also having you fighting and rooting for Blake and Eva in this story something fierce, and hoping with all you have that those two can find a way to make it all work.

I can’t say enough how much I felt this book, how much I lived through it with these characters as it progressed, how much I loved every heartbreaking, hopeful, pain and love laced word all the way through.

Celeste Grande and her utterly phenomenal writing made me so immensely invested in these characters, their emotions, their lives and their story, and every other distinctively wonderful thing about them from the first page. I’m still invested in them, still loving and caring and rooting for them so fiercely with all I have as I sit here writing this review. That is a true testament to the power of this book and the talent of Celeste Grande and the thoughtfully crafted and exceptionally written story she gave me in Live Me.

What I absolutely loved about Live Me by Celeste Grande:

• The many layers of Evangelina Ricci. Eva’s character was one of the most fantastic and well developed characters that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The many layers of her character that made her who she was allowed me to understand her character on the truest of levels. I got her in Live Me. I feel like she’s one of my best friends after reading this book, and I can’t tell you enough how much I love and feel and hope for her character. Eva has been through so much, so much more than any person has or deserves to go through, yet that girl is still fighting. She’s still trying and pushing through even though most would crumble, and even in those moments when the crumbling starts to happen, she’s there trying as much as she can. She is truly one of the strongest and most dynamic female characters I’ve ever read, and the emotional connection and love I felt for her character was out of this world.
• Blake’s heartfelt determination. Blake Turner just about melted my heart more times than I could count while reading this book, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the puddle of goo that he created in my heart. Not only was his heartfelt determination to win over Eva shining through every word of this book, throughout it all you knew that it was real, that he was being wholly honest and true, and that he wanted that girl with every ounce of what he had. Blake is one of the most endearing male characters that I have read, and what I loved so much about his character was that he was so determined through it all, and even when things were not looking good or when Eva wasn’t making it easy on him, he was there giving it his all and being a good guy through and through. I am telling you now that man will take your heart with everything he has and you’ll be willingly giving it to him because he is that good, that charming, and that wonderful.
• A heartbreaking story laced with so much. Live Me definitely tells a story that is heart squeezing to say the least. It covers a very hard and real topic, and it shows the ramifications emotionally, physically, and mentally of very real trauma. This story weaves together those ramifications with an out of this world love story, with a story of pain and feeling and so many moments that’ll have tears coming to your eyes, but also with a story of hope and healing that will show the true power of honest and vulnerable love and what it can do for you. That’s a huge part of what I loved about Live Me: it brought such a well-rounded story together. It definitely was heartbreaking and filled with pain and so many emotionally gut wrenching moments at times, but it also gave me hope and healing and love, and the amazing and life changing things that can happen when you have all three.
• The growing love story. While this book was emotional and heart squeezing, it also gave me one the best love stories I’ve read. It gave me two people, who had such a fiercely strong connection, and it showed me what happened as they fought, thought about, and began to see what could happen if they embraced the enormity of what they were feeling. Their love story has such a build to it, and it sure wasn’t easy at times, but through it all it was there, with their feelings, their care, and their pull to one another becoming deeper, stronger, and more irresistible. Blake and Eva share something so wonderful, and the power and meaning behind all of those feelings will have you rooting like crazy for them both and hoping that they’re able to figure out a way to explore the extraordinary thing that they are and could be together.
• Supporting characters that bring it all together. I am a huge fan of supporting characters, and the ones in Live Me were fabulous in every way. Wonderfully distinctive in every way, the supporting characters of this book bring it all together in a way that is so fulfilling, especially Jace’s character. (I heart that man something fierce.) They all bring humor and thought provoking moments, they make you smile and cry a bit, and through it all they have you loving every moment you’re getting with them. I have my fingers crossed that as this story continues that I get more of them because I truly want and need it.
• Celeste Grande’s breathtakingly beautiful writing. Even though I know that this is this author’s first book, I find that so hard to believe because her writing is so exceptional and so utterly breathtaking. Her poetic and fluid writing and thoughtful storytelling created such an extraordinary story that I truly and deeply felt every word of. She put me in this book, she allowed me to fall in love with its characters on the most authentic level, and she invested me heart, mind, and soul in it all through her beautiful and all-feeling writing. She did this story, its subject line, and these characters such an immense justice with what she gave them, and I truly can’t wait for more from her. She made this book and everything within it so very real in the most remarkable and phenomenal way, and I have no doubt that I will absolutely love anything to come from her in the future.

Live Me was one of the most all-feeling, emotionally breathtaking, and consuming books that I have read. It blew me away with everything that it had, and Celeste Grande’s phenomenal writing brought it all to life in the most extraordinary way. I am telling you now that you will love this story. You will feel and live it with every ounce of your being because it is impossible not to feel this story. It’s impossible to not be completely taken with Eva and Blake’s story, and it is so incredibly impossible to not love those two with everything you have. Trust. Me.

This story is one that I know I will never forget. Blake and Eva are two characters I know will stay with me, and I am so beyond ready to see how their story will continue in this series. What Celeste Grande created in this book with them was everything. She let me hurt with them, she let me try to heal with them, and she let me hope and fight all the way through with them. That level of connection to characters and a story does not happen every day and in every book, and that is just a fraction of what makes this book so spectacular.

This book is about a lot of things. It’s about trauma, and pain, and what happens after as you try to put yourself back together again. It’s about first love and true love, and the butterflies, feelings, and emotions that come with it, and how all of that can scare you silly, but how it’s all so worth it. It’s about feeling and living and experiencing even when it hurts, even when it’s scary, and even when all you want to do is turn it all off. This book is about a lot of things, but most of all it’s about hope. The hope for more, the hope for healing, and the hope that the pains and hurt of the past can be trumped and taken over by the hope and love and healing of the future if you only give it a chance to happen.

Please read this book. I beg of you. It was everything and I seriously can’t recommend it to you enough. Read it. Love it. Feel it. Live it.

You need to. Trust me.

Amazon     B&N    KOBO

Release Day: December 8, 2015

We are told that God will punish the wicked. That sinful men will reap what they sow. We are told to scourge our souls with prayer and pain to become clean once again.

Well, here I am. Wicked and sinful. Desperate to become clean…even though it feels so good to be dirty.

But even I never expected what came next.

Even I never expected my punishment to come so soon.

***Midnight Mass is a novella and a sequel to Priest. It’s intended for mature audiences only.***

Goodreads

Amazon ~ http://amzn.to/1MtZdgs

*****5 Utterly Breathtaking Stars*****

Having absolutely loved every thought provoking, sensual, and unforgettable word of Priest, I was more than excited to read Midnight Mass, the follow up novella to Tyler and Poppy’s story. Midnight Mass did not disappoint, and gave me another provocative, meaningful, and exceptionally written story that I was truly in awe of. What I got from both Poppy and Tyler’s characters while reading this story was intense, consuming, and all-feeling to say the least. This chapter of their story made me think and feel and hope and pray for those two with all I had, and that is all a testament to Sierra Simone’s outstanding writing.

To say that Sierra Simone is a talented writer is putting it too mildly. Her writing, her thoughtful prose, and the way she weaves together these characters dynamic selves with their layered stories highlights the true talent that she has as a writer. Her writing is so fluid, so evocative, and so beautifully laced together. The way she thoughtfully crafts her words together in this novella is nothing short of breathtaking. Her writing will consume you, it will take over your heart, mind, and soul as you read, and it will have you so beyond encapsulated in Poppy and Tyler’s story than you ever thought possible.

Midnight Mass picks up a few years after the events of Priest. Clearly this novella is intended to be read after that book, so if you’ve yet to read Priest you must do so immediately because that book was so so very good. The events of this book bring you back to Tyler and Poppy, and their current life as a couple. I won’t reveal too much of what happens in this story because I don’t want to spoil it one bit. The amazingness that was this novella needs to be experienced whole heartedly and without being spoiled. What I will tell you is that the story within the extraordinary pages of Midnight Mass is not the easiest, and it surely isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. It’s a bit dark, has a good bit of tension, and hurt, and pain to it, and it is also sure to squeeze and crack your heart a bit.

As you can probably tell from the synopsis of this novella, there is still much to work out for Tyler and for Poppy. Their story in Midnight Mass is a lot of things. It’s intense and captivating all throughout. It’s weaved together as both a love story and a thoughtful and poignant look at theological ideas. It mixes romance and religion in the most remarkable of ways, and it is sure to blow your mind once again. Now while they’re story isn’t the easiest, I will tell you that I was completely blown away by it. It left me in awe of what those two go through, and it had me more entranced and in love with these characters than I thought possible.

So while this story definitely pushes Tyler and Poppy and your mind and your thoughts and every feeling and emotion you have in more ways than one, it is also healing, and transformative, and so very powerful and meaningful to say the least.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was that it was almost solely told from Tyler’s point of view. Sierra Simone thrusts you back into that man’s thoughtful and extraordinary head in the most superb way. She allows you to understand him once again, to see why his thoughts go the way that they do, and how all of those thoughts lead and effect the events of the book. I loved being inside Tyler’s mind because it pushed my own mind as I read this book. His thoughts, his wonderings, his feeling and emotions in turn pushed me while reading, and that was nothing short of everything.

Sierra Simone’s superb writing allowed you to connect so truly and deeply to Tyler in this story. You thought like him, you felt and experienced every bit of this book with him, and you fought with all you had right along with him as the events of this book continued to be thrown Tyler and Poppy’s ways. To say I loved Tyler’s character is a complete understatement. He was raw and honest and so very real, and he was also hot as all get out which helped, but more than that he was good, and authentic, and true until the very end. Simply put, Tyler Bell was himself through every word of this book, through every heart squeezing moment, through every fall and triumph and push and moment of fight and self-thought, and he never disappointed. Not one little bit.

Like Priest, Midnight Mass was provocative and heated as all get out. When I tell you this book had heat, it had heat like crazy. Heat that you feel in your bones and in your heart and in lots of other places. The heat and depth of connection that you get from both Poppy and Tyler is everything. It’s laced with so much feeling and emotion and chemistry, and all throughout Midnight Mass you will be feeling and experiencing all of that with them. The depth of what Poppy and Tyler share is so breathtakingly brought to the page with the best amount of spark and fire through this author’s visceral writing that makes it all the more raw, and heated, and passionate. It makes what they share real and worth fighting for and it invests you even more in them both.

You will want them to figure it all out and be okay. You’ll need it to happen with every ounce of your being. You’ll crave it and you’ll fight for it right along with them throughout their breathtakingly emotional story.

I am telling you now, you will absolutely love what you get from Tyler and Poppy in this novella. It’s intense, electric, and all-feeling to say the least, and it’s so very them throughout. Midnight Mass shows you once again why what Tyler and Poppy share is so evocative, so thought provoking, so beyond worth it. All of that will take hold of your heart and mind and soul while reading, and will have you basking in every ounce of what you get from them in this unforgettable story.

Midnight Mass is surely has its moments that push your mind and your hearts as everything begins to unfold in this captivating story. It weaves together the continuation of a love story, with religion and morals, while also showing the raw authenticity of Poppy and Tyler’s relationship. The events of this novella push both of these characters to face some hard truths, to face the demons of their pasts and presents, and to make choices and think about things they didn’t think they’d have to face. Like I said, their story in Midnight Mass isn’t the easiest and it definitely puts these two through the ringer a bit, but what you get from them, what you feel and think and experience with them is nothing short of everything, and makes this chapter of their story highly enjoyable and so very worth it.

Sierra Simone allows you to experience every heart rate increasing, melt worthy, and all-feeling moment with them. She allows you to be there with them through her words and the feelings and experiences and emotions she so brilliantly creates, and through it all you get Poppy and Tyler and their unforgettable story. Through it all you get them, in their most honest, raw, and vulnerable states as they try to make it through everything that comes their way. What that gives you from them, the level of understanding it gives you of them both is truly everything, and it truly doesn’t get better than that. Trust me.

Midnight Mass was a lot of things. It was a novella that was so eloquently written, and gave me an unforgettable story with two dynamic characters. It was a story that weaved together so many thought provoking concepts and ideas, while also giving one helluva love story that I felt every ounce of. It was one of the best follow up stories that I’ve had the chance to read too.

Simply put, Midnight Mass was everything. It had everything that makes a story exceptional to read and experience. It gave me another opportunity to spend time with two of the most well written characters I’ve had the pleasure of reading, and all throughout I was reminded why I loved their story and everything it gave me so much.

Midnight Mass pushes Tyler and Poppy, and it’ll push you too. It’ll push your mind and your heart and your soul in ways you didn’t know were possible, and in the end you’ll be truly mesmerized by all that it gave you.

ONE WINNER – HUGE PAPERBACK GIVEAWAY!! Signed paperbacks of Priest, Midnight Mass, Markham Hall Series and The London Lovers Duet by Sierra Simone, Free Me by Laurelin Paige, Some Sort of Happy by Melanie Harlow and Miss Match by Kayti McGee

a Rafflecopter giveaway

//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Sierra Simone is a former librarian who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk. She lives with her husband and family in Kansas City.

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/blzNNn
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesierrasimone
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSierraSimone
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sierra-Simone/497450453680395?fref=ts
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/953848401332729/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7369992.Sierra_Simone?from_search=true&search_version=service
Goodreads Fan Group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/166241-sierra-simone-books
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Simone/e/B00HFK1EJO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1447527300&sr=8-1 //widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Meet Willow and Kane in the newest stand alone by Harper Sloan!

NOW AVAILABLE on the following retailers:

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1QqBIuM

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1HPNwUw

Nook: http://bit.ly/1kZQ87U

iBooks: http://apple.co/1WW6mAw

Mirror, mirror … who’s the fairest of them all?

I still cringe when I hear that line. A fairy tale that had girls pretending they were the fairest, the most beautiful, and the most entitled. A fairy tale most couldn’t grow out of turned my haunted childhood memories into a living nightmare. Girls who grew up believing that pile of garbage became the meanest of all ‘mean girls.’

And those mean girls were right – it was a line meant for all the beautiful people in the world – and I knew the answer would never be me.

The women with long legs, flat stomachs, and perfect chests.

The type of women Kane Masters gravitated toward.

Well, that’s definitely not Willow Tate.

No. That will never be me.

Because I’m completely imperfect.

And … I hate myself.

I have no idea what Kane could possibly see in someone like me when he could have them.

*****5 Perfectly Imperfect Stars*****

I want to start this review by saying that the message and meaning and power behind what Harper Sloan created in this book is beyond beautiful. It is such an extraordinarily captured message that every single human being on this planet can relate to, especially if you’re of the female persuasion, and the way she brought that message to life in this book is nothing short of everything. I felt every word behind that meaning, lived it and breathed it in, and in the end I realized that that beyond beautiful message is just part of what made this book an exceptional read.

Perfectly Imperfect was beautiful, meaningful, and consuming and all-feeling to say the least.

This book weaved together a story and a set of characters that were so easy to love, relate to, and feel for. What I felt for Willow and Kane was fantastic on every level, and had me so beyond connected into this entire story. Within its pages you not only get a story chalk full of meaning, you get one helluva love story bursting with more feeling than you can shake a stick at.

It’s safe to say Harper Sloan is one of my favorite authors, and her books are automatic one clicks for me. I have read each and every one of her books, and have loved them all, but this one was in a league of its own. It’s a bit different than the rest, but that’s what makes it what it is. I think it just might be my favorite of hers, and even though I love me some Corps Security something fierce, Willow and Kane’s story just took the cake and blew me away with everything it had.

Harper Sloan’s thoughtfully crafted writing was brimming with so much emotion and feeling, and that brought the world of this book, these dynamic and amazing characters, and their unforgettable story to life in the most tangible way. I felt every mesmerizing and all-feeling word of this book, and I loved every second I spent within Perfectly Imperfect’s wonderful pages.

It moved me, it touched me, it made me tear up, and smile, and laugh, and feel so much. These characters, especially Willow, consumed me mind, body, and soul, and I know that they will stay with me in some way forever. You can’t read a book as exceptional as this one and not have it move you or change you or fill you in some way. This book gives everything it has so authentically, and in a way that will truly have you knowing that Perfectly Imperfect is true literary amazingness.

Perfectly Imperfect tells the beautifully emotional story of Willow Tate and Kane Masters. Willow is a woman who has suffered a world of pain, hurt, and verbal abuse from her family. The moment you start this book you are thrown into that world with her, and that will have your heart with her instantly. (It’ll also have you wanting to do some serious harm to those that hurt Willow) The events of this book follow Willow as she starts to put herself back together both mentally and emotionally after all she’s experienced, as she starts to realize the true strength and beauty that lies within her, and how one Kane Masters enters the picture and sends her into a real tizzy that has he wondering which way is up because of all that she feels towards that man. Willow and Kane’s story is full of twists and turns and emotional ups and downs, and through it all you will be so invested in every bit of what those two give you.

Harper Sloan weaves together Kane and Willow’s emotionally breathtaking love story together with a beautiful message about accepting and loving yourself, and the true beauty that lies in the imperfections we all have.

Willow Tate is hands down one of my favorite female characters I have had the pleasure of reading. She was real and honest and beautiful and strong. She was also immensely easy to relate to and feel for, and what she goes through in this book will have you loving, rooting for, and connecting to that girl in the most immense way. Throughout Perfectly Imperfect she was fighting issues that I myself, along with so many women, battle on a daily basis. Body issues, not thinking you’re good enough, judging yourself every time you look in the mirror, picking out the flaws and thinking you only deserve so much because that’s what you’re worth. I’ve been there, and am still there more than I wish I was, and in this book Willow faces it all, and you’re there with her every breathtaking and intense step of the way.

What Willow goes through in this book is real and messy and so beyond easy to relate to because we’ve all been there. But through this book you start to see Willow come into her own, as she starts to explore what she and Kane are sharing. You see that fire and strength and spark rise up in her, and I felt all of that so deep in my heart while reading. This book is very much a journey for Willow as she learns to love herself, her body, and who she is. As she begins to heal you will too, and I can honestly say that this book moved me in more ways than one. What Willow’s character gave me as I went along with her on that journey in this book is one I know I will never forget.

She gave me hope in myself as she gained that hope too, and her character truly blew me away in every single way.

Kane Masters is one of the most heart melting male characters I have had the pleasure of reading. He is charming, protective, loyal, and fierce in every single way possible. He’s also just an honest to goodness guy who also happens to be an A-List movie star, but more importantly he’s a guy who feels a whole lot for Willow and is bound and determined to show that girl that he feels for her so fiercely. From the moment those two meet, he is enamored by her, needs and wants her, and is willing to do whatever it takes to protect her and show her all that she really is and has to offer. Kane’s character is one that will melt your heart more times than you can count, while also intriguing you on every level. The more you read this book, the more you start to realize there is more to his character than meets his eyes. There will be moments with him that have you wondering how it’ll all work out, but through it all you will believe in him because he is that good. Trust me.

The love story between Willow and Kane definitely has its fair share of ups and downs, but through it all you will be feeling and loving it all with those two. What they share is intense and consuming and mesmerizing to say the least. They have an immense chemistry and connection that continues to build and build throughout this story to an electric level, but what I really loved about what those two shared was how that heat and connection paired with the depth of everything they were sharing. What Kane and Willow share will have you feeling every ounce of what those two feel for one another, and will have you rooting with all you’ve got that they can figure out a way to make it all work.

Harper Sloan truly left me in awe with the meaning so thoughtfully weaving itself throughout every page of this book. Her writing not only brought these characters and their emotional story to life, it gave me a message and meaning filled journey that I will never forget. The balance of that meaning filled story and the love story between Willow and Kane is so well balanced, and will give you it all within the pages of this book. Harper Sloan creates a world of engaging characters that you will love to pieces in this book too, and even though this book is a standalone, I have got my fingers crossed that I can get more of them all because they were all amazing. The story Harper Sloan so beautifully crafts in Perfectly Imperfect will have you understanding, loving, and feeling every ounce of what this story and its characters have to offer. I truly think it’s impossible to not love this story.

Perfectly Imperfect is a story about a lot of things. It’s a story about realizing the beauty and strength that we all have within us. It’s about realizing that we are all imperfect, and that is what makes us all truly amazing and dynamic and wonderful people. It’s about knowing that you are enough and that what you have to offer to this world far outweighs any flaws you think you might have. It’s about accepting your imperfections and realizing that the right person will not only embrace those “imperfections”, but will show you that they don’t matter one little bit. Perfectly Imperfect is a story about loving yourself, believing in yourself, and realizing that imperfections truly define perfection.

This story truly blew me away with everything that it had. It was so well-balanced, had a story that kept me hooked from start to finish with the best amount of everything that makes a story unforgettable.

The meaning and love and feeling and emotion bursting from this book is everything. To say I felt every bit of this book is putting it too mildly. I lived this book. I breathed this book. I had my heart so beyond in this book, and I loved every extraordinary thing I got from this book and its wonderful characters.

I know I will never forget this book, the beautiful meaning that emanates from its pages, and the two characters it so authentically gave me. The story Perfectly Imperfect gives you will have you feeling and loving it all, and will melt and heal your heart more times than you can count. Trust me.

You need to read this book. You need to connect to Willow. You need to go along with her on her journey that is equal parts beautiful and meaningful and unforgettable. You need to. You will not be sorry you did. I promise you that.

“Are you nervous right now?”

I nod.

“Tell me why.” His demand, steady and calm, gives me the courage I need to tell him. To open a vein and bleed my insecurities.

“I’m not perfect,” I whisper.

“And neither am I, Willow. I don’t want perfect. What so many see as perfect, to me, is fake. Perfect isn’t achievable naturally. No one, and I mean no one, is perfect.”

I’m shaking my head before he’s even done speaking, but one long finger comes up and presses against my lips before I can speak.

“No, let me finish. There isn’t beauty in perfection. It’s as fake as the image the word projects. Beauty is found in imperfection, Willow, because to admit you’re not perfect means you’re admitting you’re not whole and absolute. When I think of myself, I see someone willing to admit he’s as far from complete as it gets because, in order to get to that perfection, I need to find the other part of me who will make my life better. To take all the faults I have and fill them, and only then will I be there. You see, the way I see it, the only way to become perfect is to find that perfectly imperfect person who brings it out of you.”

When he stops, I swear I might have stopped breathing. How am I supposed to respond to that?

“Do you trust me?” he asks, his voice strong and sure.

“Yes, Kane. Nerves or not, I do.”

“Then let me show you what I see when I look at you.”

He brings his hands up, framing my face once again in a way I’m quickly becoming addicted to the feeling of. His warm eyes implore, begging me without words to let him continue. I do not intend to stop him, regardless of the butterflies currently taking over my system. I’m all in.

Harper lives in small town Georgia just a short drive from her hometown of Peachtree City. She (and her 3 daughters) enjoy ruling the house they dubbed ‘Estrogen Ocean’, much to her husband’s chagrin. Harper has a borderline unhealthy obsession with books; you can almost ALWAYS find her with her eReader attached. She enjoys bad reality TV and cheesy romantic flicks. Her favorite kind of hero–the super alpha kind!

Harper started using writing as a way to unwind when the house went to sleep at night; and with a house full of crazy it was the perfect way to just relax. It didn’t take long before a head full of very demanding alphas would stop at nothing to have their story told.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Click below to enter the giveaway!

$50 Amazon Gift Card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDk5NjRmMDM5ZDM4YTBjYWM0YzAyYzM0NGI2ODRhOjc2Mw==/?

When a psychic tells Natalie Nixon her life is about to be upended by a mysterious stranger, she laughs it off. After all, she has everything she’s ever wanted—a successful bakery, the perfect boyfriend, and the keys to her dream house.

Who could possibly make her want to throw all that away?

Then Miles Haas comes back to town.

But he’s no stranger—they’ve known each other since high school. Plus, he’s only around for the summer, he’s still a shameless playboy, and he makes a living writing articles for a men’s magazine with titles like ‘Should You Bang the Boss’s Daughter? A Flowchart’ and ‘Butt Stuff for Beginners: A Field Guide.’

He’s not the man of her dreams, and she’s not about to abandon everything she’s worked so hard for just for a little fun. Except he makes her laugh like no one else, smells like heaven, and wears panty-melting glasses.

*****5 Crazy Feeling Stars*****

Some Sort of Crazy had the perfect blend of vibrancy, chemistry, and that effervescent spark that made this book and these characters come to life in the most extraordinary of ways. It also had a healthy dose of fun and crazy, which was the cherry on top to this outstanding book. Melanie Harlow’s phenomenal writing brought it all to life in a way that made these characters so beyond easy to love and fall for, and had me truly invested in their story together.

What can I say? I loved every lively, fun, and heat filled bit of this book. Melanie Harlow is assuredly one of my favorite authors, and this book and her magnificent and consuming writing just reiterated that fact to me over and over again. There is just something about the way she writes her books…the feelings she lets you experience so fully through her words, the passion that she so immensely creates that has you blushing in more ways than one, and the dynamic characters she so authentically creates and glues to your heart combines to make a story bursting with everything that makes a book truly exceptional and enjoyable to read.

I think it’s pretty safe to say I highly enjoyed this book, and I have to say that I am loving this new series by this author. Her Frenched Series is one of my all-time favorites, but the girls and guys of the Happy Crazy Love Series just might be giving that series a run for its money. I absolutely loved Some Sort of Happy, so it was no surprise to me to find myself loving Some Sort of Crazy just as much, if not more.

Miles and Natalie’s story was one that I could not put down from the moment I started it. I ate up every word of it. Every word that I breathed in, and lived, and felt, and basked in. Their story was just so good to read and experience. It was bursting with charm and liveliness. It had more passion and heat and chemistry than you can shake a stick at. It also had two characters I adored from the start, and not a page went by that I wasn’t melting or swooning or laughing or feeling for those two. Melanie Harlow made it so easy to love every word of this book with everything that she so thoughtfully created within its pages.

Some Sort of Crazy follows the spark filled journey of Natalie and Miles. The two of them have always just been friends, but now things are starting to change. You see Natalie had a psychic tell her something crazy was going to upend her life, and in comes Miles. Throw in the fact that her picture perfect life isn’t as perfect as it seems, and that’s when things really start to get interesting. She’s someone who knows exactly what she wants and she craves a plan. He’s a fly be the seat of your pants kind of guy who isn’t looking for anything serious. They think they know what they want, but boy were they not prepared for each other. Some Sort of Crazy follows the two of them as they see if that spark they share, that immense level of chemistry, and want they have for one another could lead to something more…or it it’s all just too crazy to work.

Natalie Nixon is a girl with a plan, and I immediately loved and related to that with her character. That girl knew what she wanted, and wasn’t afraid to go and get it. At the beginning of Some Sort of Crazy Natalie has the seemingly perfect life, only to have that life crumble just a bit. She was comfortable, maybe too comfortable with how things were, and now she must see where a little unpredictability can lead her. She always has a plan and is prepared for anything, but she was not prepared for Miles Haas and what he would bring to her life.

I absolutely loved Natalie’s character. I found her very real and easy to relate to on so many levels. She was honest and lovable and downright good. She also had a quite a determined streak that was the absolute best, and that fire and spunk that came out with that determination had me loving her even more. What I loved most though about Natalie’s character was that even though her world was thrown off kilter and sometimes she didn’t know which way was up with what she was feeling for Miles, she keep fighting and charging ahead because that girl wouldn’t sink. She was a vibrant and resilient little thing through and through, and I think it’s truly impossible not to love her.

Now Miles Haas was one of the most charming, lovable, and honest to goodness melt worthy male characters I have had the pleasure of reading. I loved being in that man’s head in this book, and it was such a treat to get into his mind and understand exactly what he was thinking and feeling. That not only allowed me to understand him more, it allowed me to fall for him more, right along with Natalie. Miles is definitely a character and has charm bursting from him that will win you over from the moment you meet him. He will make you smile and swoon and laugh your butt off on every page that he’s on. I guarantee it.

What I really loved about Miles was that I got to see so many sides to his character. I got to see the fun and flirty side to him that gave off a spell that is impossible to resist, but I also got to see a more vulnerable side to him. I got to see and experience what it was like for him to realize he might want more. To be there when Natalie throws him off kilter and gets him thinking that maybe what he thought he always wanted couldn’t be further from what he actually wants. Seeing that side to him, that honest and open and vulnerable side made me fall so hard for him. As I sit here writing this review, I don’t think I’ve yet to stop falling for him, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with that.

Like any couple in a Melanie Harlow book, the connection and chemistry between Natalie and Miles is off the charts. Those two have some serious heat that sparks off the page in the most alluring and all-feeling way. Melanie Harlow did an outstanding job in this book of blending that heat and passion and desire, with the true feelings and emotions of these characters. She gives you both of them so truly and authentically, and she lets you be there when the two of them start to realize the crazy things they’re feeling and sharing, and how it all might mean something more and reach deeper places than they ever expected. Going along with Natalie and Sam in this book as they explore all that their feeling made for one seriously enrapturing ride, full of all the feels, all the emotions, and all the unforgettable moments that made this book the spectacular thing that it is.

Melanie Harlow’s effervescent writing brought this book to life right in front of my eyes while I was reading. What she created between Natalie and Miles was so easy to love, believe in, and root for. The supporting characters in this book were amazing and highly enjoyable, making the world of this book an even better place to be. I cannot wait for more from each and every one of them. The feelings, the wants and desires, the hopes, and all the moments that melted and hurt my heart made this book so good. I felt it all, and loved living and experiencing every vibrant and consuming moment of it.

This book gives you every single bit of everything that makes a book memorable and enjoyable in every way. Some Sort of Happy is filled with light and spark and connection, but it’s also filled with meaning and so much feeling that you will feel so deep in your heart. The story within its pages, and Natalie and Miles gave me everything. They gave me themselves so honestly and fully through this author’s fabulous writing in a way that made the impossible not to love and root for through every page.

Some Sort of Crazy is a book about a lot of things. It’s about what can happen when you meet the right person, who throws you off kilter and into a bit of tailspin. It’s about what happens when you think you know what you want, only to have that vision completely obliterated piece by piece, making you rethink everything you thought you knew. It’s about what can happen when you throw that caution to the wind, give into the pull of what you’re feeling, and see where all of that intensity and vibrancy can take you.

It’s about taking that risk, that leap of faith, and seeing where it leads. And sure it’s probably kind of crazy, but only the best things are.

This book gives you every happy, crazy, and love filled moment it has to offer with Natalie and Miles, and you won’t want to miss a single second of it. Trust me. Some Sort of Happy gives you it all, and you will relish in that because when you read a book as good as this one, a book that lights your heart up like a firecracker in every way and has you feeling it all…well that is everything and not to be missed.

The light was off in my room when I returned, and I could barely make out her shape under the blanket. Leaving my glasses on the bedside table, I slid between the sheets, careful to stay on my side. When was the last time a woman slept in my bed without orgasms being involved? I couldn’t think of one time, actually. I didn’t even know what to do with myself.

I lay there for a while on my back, hands beneath my head, breathing slowly and deeply, trying to stay calm. But I could smell her perfume, and it was making me hard again. Fuck! Was she asleep already? Could I rub one out without her knowing? I braved a look at her, and my eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to see that she was facing away from me, curled up on her side. Long, agonizing, minutes ticked by, during which I imagined rubbing my cock along the crack of her ass, which was sticking out in my direction. Taunting me.

“I lied to you last night.” Her voice was so soft, I thought I might have imagined it. Or dreamed it.

“Huh?” Stop thinking about her ass.

She rolled to her other side and faced me, tucking her hands beneath her cheek. “I lied last night. I told you I didn’t remember what you said to me the night we said goodbye. The night before you left for school.”

I blinked in surprise. “Oh.”

“Did you really mean the things you said?”

“Of course I meant them. I stand by every word I’ve ever said to you.” And my cock is standing straight up right now. So if you could please stop being beautiful and sexy and vulnerable, I’d appreciate it. Thanks.

She took a shuddery breath. “And yet…tonight, you wouldn’t—”

“Tonight was not about us, Natalie.”

“But…what if it was?” She paused. “What if it could be?”

Fuck, was she serious? Because I wanted that. I wanted a night that was just about us, wanted to show her what it was like to be with someone who appreciated her. Just one night, even if it was all we ever had. But I couldn’t be the one to initiate it, not without knowing it was really OK.

“Natalie,” I started, but she interrupted me.

“I’m lying here thinking, a week ago my life seemed so complete, everything in order. My relationship. My business. My house. I had everything I wanted.”

“And now?”

“Now I feel like I’ve been missing something. Like maybe I was wrong about what I wanted. I feel…lost.” She looked at me with her huge, round blue eyes, making my whole body heat up.

“You’re not lost.” Rolling onto my side, I met her forehead with mine. “You’re right here with me.”

And I kissed her. Just like that, I kissed her.

.99 Cents for a Limited Time

Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her lipstick red, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not reading good books, she gets her kicks from TV series like Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Masters of Sex, Deadwood, Mad Men, and Downtown Abbey (although she wishes it were more HBO and less PBS). Melanie is the author of the FRENCHED contemporary romance series (FRENCHED, YANKED, FORKED) and the sexy historical series SPEAK EASY (SPEAK EASY, SPEAK LOW), set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.

Connect With Melanie

Fusion (Explosive #5) by Tessa Teevan

Release Day: October 30, 2015

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Models: Don Allen and Faith Danielle

Photographer: Kelsey Keeton at K. Keeton Designs

Cover Designer: Robin Harper at Wicked By Design

Add to Goodreads

 

Click the link below to enter the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway