Review Post: Freeing Destiny by Faith Andrews

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Cover Design: Najla Qamber/Najla Qamber Designs

 

Synopsis2

Words to live by:

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Don’t break the rules.

I’d managed to fail at both by fraternizing with the enemy’s brother. Guess I’d followed in my mother’s footsteps by ignoring all the rules when it came to love.

Mom was marrying a man only six years older than me. A man who was also her student. But the biggest surprise that came out of their wedding wasn’t my new stepdad’s academic status or his age.

It was Jack Davis—my stepfather’s best friend.

Jack was the guy who could change the whole game. He was quite possibly my soul mate. But time and circumstance were against us—there was no easy way around it. I was moving back to New York in two weeks and his sister, Aubrey, was the one person my family hated most in this world. How would his sister—the enemy—deal with another Edwards girl claiming what she believed was hers? The idea of letting Jack go crippled me.

Would I have to cut ties with the only man I’d ever let into my heart?

 

Goodreads

 

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My Review

*****5 Amazing & All-Feeling Stars*****

From just the prologue of this book, I knew without a doubt that Freeing Destiny by Faith Andrews would be a book I wouldn’t soon forget. That very first page, and that very first chapter really, had me so beyond ready for what this book would give me, and I knew I would love it. I just knew. Sometimes you just know when you start a book that you’re going to love it, that it’s going to give you everything you want and need, and that it’s going to blow you away with everything it has…and Freeing Destiny by Faith Andrews did that. It did all of that and so much more.

By the end of this book I was so enraptured with this soul touching story, so in love with these amazing well rounded characters, and so emotionally touched by this story, that I truly didn’t want it to end.

When I tell you I loved this book, I mean that I LOVED this book. It was beautiful, full of heart touching meaning, and bursting with more thoughtfully crafted feeling and emotion than you can shake a stick at. I felt every word with these characters, I lived and breathed it right along with them, and I fell harder than I thought I possibly could for Jack and Stella. From beginning to end I was in full on, swept off my feet, let me feel it all, love with these characters and their breathtakingly emotional story.

Now I have to say I wasn’t surprised one little bit that I loved this book so much, or that I felt so deeply connected to it, as this is a book by Faith Andrews. I have read every single one of this talented author’s books, and she never fails to deliver a story that will make me feel everything, will pull at my heart more times than I can count, and will literally give me it all in one meaningful, fulfilling, and mesmerizing package. Freeing Destiny was no different, and I think it just might be my favorite of Faith’s books to date. There was just something so real, so magical, and so destined about what Jack and Stella were sharing, and they both touched every part of my heart through Faith Andrews’ stellar writing.

Freeing Destiny was one of the most emotionally touching stories I’ve read. It was full of beautiful meaning, had a powerful love story of two authentic and amazing characters, and had the perfect balance of fate, destiny, and romance that you will not forget anytime soon.

The events of Freeing Destiny follow Jack and Stella, two people who share an instantaneous connection that literally sparks off the page, as they try to see what could happen if they give into the fate and destiny and take that proverbial leap of faith. From the moment these two’s eyes meet, they can’t look away, and more than that, they don’t want to. They can’t stop looking and thinking and wanting to know more about one another… There’s just a slight problem: she’s moving away to New York in just two weeks, and his sister is the one who tried to destroy her mother’s life and happiness. The odds seem to be stacked against these two, yet they can’t seem to stop wanting to discover the possibilities of what they could share together.

She’s cautious and guarded with her heart, and he’s bound and determined to find his way into it. He’s a man who’s never believed in settling down, yet one look at her changes everything he’s ever thought before. She’s never been one to take a chance on love or deviate from her plan, yet one look at him changes it all. He soon needs her like his next breath, and he doesn’t want to let her go. Just as quickly, she’s questioning everything she thought she knew about what she wanted and what comes next, and she can’t stop falling hard and fast for him.

Even though circumstances are against them, and there are quite a few things threatening to tear them apart, Jack and Stella decide to take that leap of faith and embark on a journey together that will change their lives in ways they never expected.

Freeing Destiny is their unforgettable story about the amazing, beautiful, and breathtaking things that can happen when you take a chance, risk it all, and see what destiny and fate and love can give you, if you only open yourself and your heart up to it.

I am telling you now that their story will touch you on every emotional level, and you will feel and experience every ounce of this book with them because of Faith Andrew’s vivid writing. She puts you in this book, heart first with them, through every moment of romance, every touch of heat, and through every instance that will break your heart just a bit. She lets you be there with them through it all, through every twist and jaw dropping turn, as Jack and Stella see if they can make it all work through everything that comes their way. The level of emotional connection you feel towards their characters will make this book mean everything to you when you read it, and it’ll allow you to fall so hopelessly for the two of them, as they do the same with one another.

You will be hoping with all you have through every page that these two can find a way to make it all work because you will know with every beat of your heart and every breath on your lips that these two are destined to be together.

It’s pretty suffice to say that I loved Jack and Stella’s characters with everything that I had. I loved that Jack was just a good guy, and that you knew that through every page. His tenacity, his charm, and his true feelings for Stella had me loving that man in a heartbeat. The more I got of him, the more I knew that he was man doing all that he could to be with the woman he needed. Stella’s character was so easy to relate to on every level, and I found her to be very real, so so sweet and good natured, and a genuine person with a heart of gold. I loved that she took everything that came her way in this book in stride. She never wavered and she fought with all she had, and I have a serious love and mad respect for her after reading this book.

Like I said, the connection those two share is out of this world, and it will soon find itself into your heart. The sparks literally fly between Jack and Stella, and those sparks continue to fire and dazzle and mesmerize you with all that they have. Their relationship might go from 0 to 60 in no time (much to Jack and Stella’s surprise, I might add), it might break few rules, and it might have these two questioning everything they thought they wanted and knew, but their connection and their need for one another can’t be denied one little bit.

Every moment of questioning and wonder they have, every fear and doubt that enters their mind, every leap of faith they take with their heart, every single bit of feeling they share with everything that comes their way, and every moment you get with them that makes you blush or melt or break or fall is worth it because what Jack and Stella share is everything. It’s fated, it’s destiny, and it’s full of effervescent spark and magic that can’t be denied no matter what way you look at it.

Faith Andrews not only wrote a love story that I felt and embraced every word of, she gave me such a fulfilling reading experience that wove together superb supporting characters, a fantastically crafted and paced story, and the best twists and turns you don’t see coming.

It’s no secret that this series is one of my favorites, so it felt a bit like coming home to be with all these wonderful and distinctive characters again. The connections that all of these characters share is real, deeply felt, and weaves its way through this story in such meaningful ways. I really can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed feeling that connection along with everything that Jack and Stella were sharing because it made me feel like I was a part of this story and this family.

Freeing Destiny is about love, life, and taking chances. It’s about what can happen when you give yourself over to fate and destiny, and the beautiful, emotional, and life changing things that can come your way when you take that leap of faith and give that love and feeling a chance to grow. It’s about believing in what you feel, and having the fight and tenacity and determination to see it all the way through even when it’s tough or scary or even when it means going into the unknown.

It’s about finding that one person who changes you, who changes what you think and feel and want. It’s about finding that person who changes everything, and how that everything sets you on the path you were always meant to be on, and even though that path might be bumpy and different and you might not know what’s around every corner, it is oh so beyond worth it.

And really, in the end, this book is about love. True, soul touching, deeply felt, can’t get out of bed because it means leaving my love, love.

Getting to experience that level of love and adoration, along with everything else Faith Andrews so phenomenally creates and crafts makes Freeing Destiny a book you need in your life and your heart this instant. This book will move you, touch every part of your heart and soul, and in the end you’ll just be grateful you had the chance to experience everything that it so breathtakingly and beautifully gave you with Jack and Stella.

Giveaway

Signed paperbacks of First Came You, Feel Again & Freeing Destiny

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author
Faith Andrews is living out her dream right outside the greatest city in the world, New York City. Happily married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two beautiful and wild daughters, and a furry Yorkie son named Rocco Giovanni. When she’s not tapping her toes to a Mumford & Sons tune or busy being a dance mom, her nose is stuck in a book or she’s sitting behind the laptop, creating her next swoon worthy book boyfriend. Coffee addict, lover of wine and cheese, and sucker for concerts and Netflix, Faith believes in love at first sight and happily ever after.

 

Connect with Faith

Newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/EK9_v

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Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7133062.Faith_Andrews?from_search=true&search_version=service

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessicafaith919

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Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Andrews/e/B00FER153A/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1457669040&sr=1-1

 

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Review Post: One to Take by Tia Louise

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one to take. it's live

Meet Stuart Knight in One to Take!

#Sexycowboy

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one to take

Synopsis2

A STAND-ALONE NOVEL in the “One to Hold” universe. Prepare for strong language, panty-melting sexy times, and heart-squeezing angst. Readers 18 and older only, please.

Life is never simple.

Even perfect couples face storms.

The question is whether our love is strong enough to survive.

I believe it is.

She told me to leave.

If I leave, I take her with me.

~Stuart Knight

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one to take teaser 1

My Review

*****5 All Feeling Stars*****

It’s no secret that Tia Louise’s One to Hold Series is one of my favorite ongoing series. I really can’t get enough of these dynamic characters, their heart tugging stories, and every memorable moment I get with them all. Each new book gives me a new story with them all, and the more I read this book, the more I fell once again for everything that Tia Louise so thoughtfully crafted in this book. Her writing just brings the world of this book to life in such an authentic way that invests you whole heartedly in what you’re reading.

Tia Louise never fails to give me a story that just doesn’t quit, and that pulls at all my emotions in the most all-feeling way, and One to Take was no different. This book allowed me to feel it all with Stuart and Mariska, and it was emotionally intense in the most fitting way for those two. This book hurt my heart for those two, but it also tried to heal it at the same time, and in between it gave me so many moments to blush and melt and swoon over. All of that wove together to make a story that was equal parts beautiful, meaningful, heartbreaking, and healing, and I loved every word of it.

One to Take was the perfect addition to this series, and it had me loving Stuart and Mariska even more than I already did. I have to say I think these two are my favorite couple of this series. Not that I don’t love all the other couples, but there is just something about the seemingly opposite Mariska and Stuart and the love that they share. There’s just something so distinctive and wonderful about those two, their story and journey together, and the depth of their feelings. Their story in One to Take completely solidified my immense love for those two.

Everything Stuart and Mariska go through in this book will have you feeling so much for the two of them, and in the end I promise you that you will love every emotionally gripping second you get with them in One to Take.

What I absolutely loved about One to Take:

  • Mariska’s vibrancy. Mariska is one of the most vibrant characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and being inside her head once again in One to Take was simply wonderful. She has such a wonderful and vivid spirit that just emanates from her. There’s this effervescent spark that lights off of every page she is on, and I loved getting to experience that spark in this book. I especially loved that the events of this book tested that vibrancy and Mariska, yet that girl kept fighting all the way through in her own ways. She faced a darkness that threatened to consume her, yet she still kept pushing and fighting in only a way that she could, and her vibrancy continued to shine through that darkness in the most mesmerizing way. In One to Take Mariska goes on a journey of self-discovery and healing, and through every page of this book I just loved her and her sparkling vibrancy even more because of the tenacity and strength it showed in her.
  • Stuart’s stubbornness. Stuart Knight is one stubborn man, but that is one of the many things I absolutely love about him. There is just something about his strong and stubborn self that never fails to squeeze and melt my heart simultaneously. What I loved about Stuart’s character in this book is that he was once again put to the test, emotionally and mentally. He along with Mariska faced a tragedy that broke their hearts, and that forces Stuart to really dive down deep into himself and see who he really wanted to be. And sure there were moments when I wanted to shake this man silly because of what he was or wasn’t doing, but through it all my heart just went to him because I completely understood everything he was thinking and feeling. I understood his motives, and I knew that that stubborn tenacity would shine through in the best way, and I was right. This book solidified my love for that man, and through it all I never once doubted what I knew he was capable of.
  • What happens after the happily ever after. The events of One to Take follow Stuart and Mariska after the happily ever after the two of them shared in One to Leave, and shows what happens when the two of them face the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. The events that come their way in this book will push them a bit, break them a lot, and will send them reeling in ways they never thought possible. This book was not easy for the two of them, yet at the same time it forced them to realize so many things about themselves and their relationship. Throughout every emotional up and down that came their way in this book, they faced it head on and heart first. Even though it wasn’t always easy for those two, you will not doubt that Stuart and Mariska will do just about anything to find their way back to one another in hopes of once again finding that illustrious and well deserved happily ever after.
  • A love story I felt every word of. Tia Louise’s outstanding writing crafted a story in One to Love that I felt and experienced every word of. I loved every moment of it. Every moment of romance and heat that brought a certain kind of blush to my cheek, or made me swoon like nobody’s business. Every moment of heartbreak that took a crack at my heart and had tears coming to my eyes. Every moment that attempted to put Stuart and Mariska’s hearts (and mine!) back together again. Every incredible, emotionally gripping, and consuming moment of this book was one that I felt every word of because of Tia Louise’s thoughtfully crafted writing. She let me experience every single moment of this book like I was in it with them, and that invested me in every way in what I was reading.
  • Connection, connection, connection. Stuart and Mariska share one helluva fierce connection, and there is no ifs, ands, or buts about that. You feel that connection through every page of One to Take, and that connection takes the two of them to placed they’d never thought they’d be. That connection that initially brought them together in One to Leave is strengthened, cracked at, and explored in this book in the most memorable of ways. Their connection has such fire to it, such spark, and such feeling and emotion and love. Through every turn of the page in One to Take you will be hoping with all you have that the incredible connection Stuart and Mariska share will be enough to see them through even the darkest of days.
  • The best supporting characters around. The One to Hold series has some of the best characters around, and One to Take gives you the amazing opportunity to spend time with all of them. I love how Tia Louise weaves together all of these characters because it really makes this book and this series feel like coming home in a way. She makes all these wonderfully distinctive characters feel like family, and she invests you in them all so fully, so every moment you get with them just makes everything you’re reading and experiencing that much more. I loved every moment I got with all those supporting characters in this book, and it honestly just made me so beyond excited for what’s to come from them all because that’s how much I love them all.

One to Take explores what happens after the happily ever after. It explores what happens when you meet someone who is seemingly your opposite, yet is the one person you know you’re meant to be with. It looks at what happens when life throws things your way that will break your heart and test every part of you, and what you must do next in order to pick yourself up again in order to live the life you want, the life you crave with every ounce of your being. It looks at what happens when you must realize things about yourself and your love, and how the fight and tenacity and sparkling will you have can see you through if you just keep going and trying and fighting.

This is a book of love, loss, heartbreak, and healing, and the way your life can change in ways you never thought possible when you have all of those things. And sure it might be the scariest and riskiest thing you ever experience, but it might also be the exact thing you need in your life to complete you in ways you never thought possible.

Stuart and Mariska share something so beautiful, so meaningful, so heart squeezing, and so completely consuming in their story in One to Take. It is emotionally meaningful and gripping to say the least, and I am telling you that the more you read their story, the more you will feel, care for, and love those two with all that you’ve got. Their story in One to Take is one that I was so ready for, and I couldn’t have asked for more from those two and what they go through. It was real, mesmerizing, emotional, and intense, and at the end of the day it was them all the way through.

Simply put, I loved this book something fierce. I loved Stuart and Mariska and what I got to so enthrallingly experience with them. I loved Tia Louise’s phenomenal writing and what she so fantastically gave me in this book with them, and in the end I couldn’t have asked for a better or more all-feeling book for one of my favorite book couples.

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Excerpt

ONE TO TAKE

By Tia Louise

© TLM Productions LLC, 2016

~ Mariska~

When I open my eyes again the next morning, and I’m alone in bed, I’m pissed. Sitting up, I know what I have to do. I pull my hair around, over my shoulder and weave it into a thick braid then I throw back the covers and stomp over to the window. Still raining.

Going to the closet, I jerk it open, pulling out a bright red floral dress and pulling it over my head not bothering with a bra. It buttons up the front, but I only fasten the middle ones. I’ve had enough of this behavior.

Amy is sitting at the kitchen table when I emerge from the hall. “Hey, Mare! I want you to read my coffee grounds!”

“In a minute,” I grumble, going straight to the door and outside. Light rain gathers in little beads on my hair, making it look like I’m wearing a veil.

Into the barn, I scan the open space looking for Bill. As far as I can tell, the only person in the area with the horses is Stuart, just the man I’m looking for.

He’s in Ranger’s stall, and I go straight to the door, pull the latch, and go inside. He stands up slowly, a confused smile on his face, and it hits me so hard. He’s gorgeous in those loose jeans and that damn grey Henley I stole last year.

“Hey, babe—” but I don’t let him finish. I go straight to him and grab the front of my favorite shirt.

“I’m sick of it!” From the corner of my eye, I see Ranger’s ears lay back, but I don’t care.

Stuart’s brow lowers. “Sick of what?”

“Stop treating me like a fucking China doll!”

“Mariska—”

“No!” I push him, but he doesn’t move. The man is a wall of granite. “Before you knew, before I told you, when I was already twelve weeks pregnant, if I left you in the bed alone one morning… One! You were pissed!”

He’s fighting the urge to grin, but I won’t have it. I push against his arms and grab the front of his shirt, shoving it up his lined torso.

“What are you doing?” He tries to catch my hands, but I push his away.

“You’re going to fuck me right here and now in this stall.”

“What the…” He steps forward, past me to the door of the stall and looks out into the barn. “Where’s Amy?”

“She’s in the house having breakfast with your mom. I don’t know where Bill is.”

“He went into town,” Stuart says quietly before turning to face me.

“Then we’re alone.” My hands are on his waist, but I only get the top button of his jeans open before he catches them.

“Take it easy. We’re not doing this here.”

The tightness in my chest almost makes me scream. I’m breathing fast, and my whole body is on fire with fury and hormones and lust. “Stuart William! You’re the only man I’ve ever slept with!”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he says, that sexy smile returning.

“You taught me how to make love—fierce and rough and demanding. I want you to love me like that now.”

I unfasten the buttons on my dress, allowing the front to fall apart, revealing my bare breasts heaving beneath. His expression darkens, and I see a glimmer of the old Stuart in his eyes.

He reaches out and catches my waist, pulling me hard against his chest. A flash of need spikes in my veins. “Yes,” I whisper. “Like that.”

The muscle in his jaw moves, and he looks away. “I can’t get off thinking I might hurt you.”

“You’ve never hurt me before.” Sliding my hands up his arms, I grip his biceps. “You’re hurting me by holding back.”

Reaching for his hand, I guide it down, pulling my skirt up so he can feel I’m not wearing panties, so he can feel how wet I am. “I want you. The real you.”

“Mariska,” he growls as his fingers curl against my sex.

Putting both hands on his face, I pull him to me and kiss him hard, parting his lips and pushing my tongue inside. At the same time, his fingers plunge into me, and a low moan scrapes from my throat.

I rise on my toes, chasing his lips, and he’s kissing me back with just as much passion, plundering my mouth. When I pull back, I nip his bottom lip with my teeth, and our eyes meet, burning with the fire I’ve been missing so long.

He takes my arm and turns me around, pushing me against the wooden side of the corral.

“Yes,” I gasp, clutching the wooden slats, arching my back as I brace against the wall. Cool air sweeps along my thighs and ass as he sweeps the flowing skirt away.

He studies my body as I hear his zipper lower. One large hand grips my hip, kneading my skin. “So beautiful.” His voice is rough and hungry.

“Please,” I whisper. I’m on fire, and I ache deeply for his rough touch.

At once I feel a stinging SLAP! against the soft skin of my behind followed by another kneading grip. The biting pain only spikes my desire.

“Oh god, yes,” I sigh. My legs tremble. Sparks of pleasure fizz in my veins, and waiting for him is almost painful. I moan as he slides his erection up and down my slick folds until finally, in one hard thrust, we both groan as he plunges inside.

View the One to Take Trailer Here: https://youtu.be/dLUomBKAMck

ONE TO TAKE TEASER RD

Buy The Book

one to leave

ONE TO LEAVE is the first Stuart & Mariska love story. Get it on SALE for just 99 Cents this week only! #DirtyCowboy

 

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author

tia louise

Tia Louise is the Award-Winning, International Bestselling author of the ONE TO HOLD series.

From “Readers’ Choice” nominations, to USA Today “Happily Ever After” nods, to winning the 2015 “Favorite Erotica Author” and the 2014 “Lady Boner Award” (LOL!), nothing makes her happier than communicating with fans and weaving new tales into the Alexander-Knight world of stories.

A former journalist, Louise lives in the center of the USA with her lovely family and one grumpy cat. There, she dreams up stories she hopes are engaging, hot, and sexy, and that cause readers rethink common public locations…

Books by Tia Louise: One to Hold (Derek & Melissa), 2013 One to Keep (Patrick & Elaine), 2014 One to Protect (Derek & Melissa), 2014 One to Love (Kenny & Slayde), 2014 One to Leave (Stuart & Mariska), 2014 One to Save (Derek & Melissa), 2015 One to Chase (Amy & Marcus), 2015 One to Take (Stuart & Mariska), coming Feb. 22, 2016!

Paranormal Romances (all stand-alones): One Immortal (Derek & Melissa, #SexyVampires), 2015 One Insatiable (Koa & Mercy, #SexyShifters), 2015

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Connect with Tia: Amazon Author Page: http://smarturl.it/TLMAA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTiaLouise Website: Http://www.AuthorTiaLouise.com Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/AuthorTiaLouise Instagram & Twitter: @AuthorTLouise Tsu.com: https://www.tsu.co/TiaLouise

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Review Post: Distraction by Aurora Rose Reynolds

distraction book tour

distraction it's l ive

Fall in love with Maggie & Sven in Distraction by

Aurora Rose Reynolds

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distraction cover

Synopsis2

Distraction: The great intensity, novelty, or attractiveness of something other than the object of attention.

Sven is a man who takes pride in his ability to separate himself from his emotions. He’s a man who knows who he is and where he’s going in life, a man who needs no one, because needing someone, anyone, is a weakness.

His past taught him love isn’t enough.

Maggie wants the happily ever after, but has never picked the right men, or stuck around long enough, to build a forever. It’s always been easier to get out early, before emotions make things messy.

When Maggie wakes up naked in Sven’s bed, with no memory of the night before, these two must be honest about their feelings and face their fears, so they can build a future together.

Will love be enough for them to get their happy ending together, or will a threat from outside strike them down before they ever have a chance?

distraction teaser 2

My Review

****4 Sven & Maggie Stars****

The Underground Kings Series by Aurora Rose Reynolds is one that I have seriously enjoyed reading. These books are action packed, full of heat and heart felt feelings that run core deep, and they’ve got a raw edge to them that makes me love everything that I’m reading. Each new book has brought me a different couple to fall in love with, and after reading the first two books in this series, I was more than ready to read the final book, Distraction.

Sven and Maggie’s story is one I have been waiting for, especially after all the little teases that Aurora Rose Reynolds has given about their story, so when this book hit my kindle, I was ready for it. I read Distraction in one sitting, and could not put it down. That wasn’t surprising to me at all because Aurora Rose Reynolds never fails to write a story that I can get completely lost in from start to finish.

Distraction was an all-around great book that was equal parts intense, alluring, and filled with so much that I’ve come to love and look forward to with this series. It was written with the raw, visceral, and almost gritty quality to it that had each new page bringing me a jaw dropping, action packed moment that never failed to speed my heart up a beat or two. It was full of a crazy hot and all-feeling connection between Maggie and Sven that I was completely drawn into, and it had a good balance of romance, feels, and emotions that had me feeling it all with Maggie and Sven.

This book gave me a chance to jump right into the thick of it with Maggie and Sven, going through everything the events of this book threw their way, and their story in Distraction was one that I couldn’t get enough of.

What I loved about Distraction:

  • Maggie’s one helluva sassy fighter. It’s no secret that I love me a strong female character, and Maggie was that and more. She was strong and determined and she never failed to be sassy and fierce all the way through Distraction. I loved that Maggie held onto that fight and that strength, even when the events of this book challenged her. Even in those moments when most people would break or back down, Maggie didn’t. She always gave it her all and she never stopped fighting for what she wanted and what she needed, and that was just one of the many things that made her such a fantastic character. Maggie’s fight, combined with her kind heart, and sassy antics had me loving her to pieces through every page of Distraction.
  • Sven knows how to steal your heart a bit. Sven’s character is one that I’ve been waiting to get more of since I first met him earlier in this series. That man has always been charming and alluring to say the least, and I was eager to see what it would be like for this man who was once all about his next hookup and about keeping an emotional distance, to find the one woman who would make him think different. And boy does Maggie make Sven think differently. Sven has a world of pain in his past that illuminates so much about why he thinks and feels the way he does, and I completely understood how that past led him to the present of this book. Over the course of Distraction you get to see this man fall, and fall he does, and that fall is consuming and intense, a bit bumpy from time to time, but is filled with so many moments with him that will make you melt a bit. Sven will definitely steal your heart a bit in this book with everything you get from him, and in the end you will just be melting with what that man gives you.
  • An attraction that builds and explodes. Sven and Maggie definitely share a connection that pulls you into everything that you’re reading. That chemistry and connection they share has a steady build to it, leading to that inevitable explosion that is sure to squeeze your heart and make your cheeks heat up a bit. What I loved about what Sven and Maggie shared in Distraction was that it was equal parts build and explosion, which worked well for their story. That aspect also had me right in the thick of everything they were feeling and sharing with one another, and that had me so invested in what I was reading. What Sven and Maggie share is heated and full of feelings neither of them have experienced before, and watching those two fight to make it all work had me completely loving those two to pieces.
  • Distractions, distractions, distractions. There are many distractions in this book that are bound and determined to keep Sven and Maggie on their toes through every page. Sven’s got the action and drama surrounding keeping himself, Maggie, and those they care about safe, while righting the wrongs he sees. Maggie is working her butt off to help her sister get clean and to be the support she needs, while somehow managing to do the things her parents should of done. Like I said, lots of distractions that fight to distract Sven and Maggie from what they’re sharing with one another. Let me tell you, I loved those distractions. Not that I wanted those distractions to keep Sven and Maggie apart, but I loved how Aurora Rose Reynolds seamlessly brought those distractions into the book. That made this book all the more exciting, raw, eventful, and intense, and it added to every single thing I was reading.
  • The balance of it all. Aurora Rose Reynolds never fails to deliver a book that gives you everything you want and need in a good book. She gives you the romance and the heat that allows you to fall hard and fast for and with these characters. She gives you the action and shocking moments that send your heart racing as you figure it all out and experience everything the story has to offer. She also gives you the best amount of feels and emotion that will have you rooting with all you have for the couple of the hour. It all blends fantastically to make a story that is so beyond easy to love.
  • The Underground Kings are kind of the best. This series have been one of my favorites by Aurora Rose Reynolds, and I love how it connects a group of characters that are distinctive and the best kind of intense. Now while each of these books are standalones, they do connect, and you really feel that connection in this final book. Aurora Rose Reynolds brings all of these fantastic characters together in this book, and brings this series to a close in a very fitting way that will have you loving them all even more than you already did. Kenton and Autumn, Kai and Myla, Sven and Maggie, and of course that wonderful Justin, all come together in Distraction to give you a story that gives you one last little bit of them all to hold onto and love.

Distraction was an all-around great book that I really enjoyed reading. Aurora Rose Reynolds gave me more of what made me fall in love with this series in the first place, while giving Sven and Maggie a fantastic story that I couldn’t get enough of. This was a book I had been waiting to read for so long, and I was so pleased with every bit I got of Sven and Maggie. Their story captured me in, squeezed my heart more times than I could count, and in the end I loved those two with everything I had.

Aurora Rose Reynolds is one of my go to favorite authors, and this book just reminded me of that again and again while I was reading. Her writing just hooks me in something fierce, and she always gives me interesting and engaging characters that are sure to win me over. Distraction was no different. Sven and Maggie’s story had it all, and in the end I was so happy with what they gave me in this book.

This series is a must read, and Distraction brings it all to a close in a way that does these characters and their respective stories the justice they deserve. This book had such a great amount of everything that makes a book enjoyable to read, and Aurora Rose Reynolds’s writing brought it all to the page in such a fantastic way. If you’re looking for a book you won’t want to put down, a book that’ll make your heart race and melt a lot, and characters you’ll love completely, then Distraction is just what you need!

distraction teaser 1

 

Excerpt

“Fuck no,” I snap, loosening my tie. The last assistant I had ended up being a clusterfuck. The woman was pissed that I wouldn’t fuck her. I finally had to fire her ass when she brought another woman up to my office and proceeded to try and get me to join them on my couch when I walked in on them half naked. Work is work. Yes, I might invite women up to fuck, but never anyone I work with.

“It’s not like she’s your type,” he says, and I feel my jaw tick. “Besides, if she’s up here with you, she’ll stop harassing the women down there.” He nods toward where she’s sitting and my eyes follow the movement, seeing her talking to a girl who looks a little startled by whatever it is Maggie is telling her.

“It’s not happening. You guys need to keep her out of the club,” I tell him, turning away from the window.

“Just saying it would be a good way to keep an eye on her,” he gripes, patting my shoulder before leaving my office and closing the door behind him.

Letting out a frustrated breath, I turn away from the window and try to focus on all the shit I need to get done.

“Yeah,” I pick up my desk phone when it beeps and looking at the clock, seeing that an hour has passed since Teo left.

“Look out your window,” Zack says, and I spin my chair around and scan the floor, wondering what he wants me to see. Then I spot Maggie with a man’s head tucked under her arm as she leads him toward the front of the club, with Lane and Zack following closely behind them.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“That guy tried to put something in some chick’s drink, and Maggie saw him and went postal on his ass,” he explains almost proudly.

“Jesus Christ, what the fuck do I pay you for?” I gripe.

“I saw the whole thing. I was getting ready to step in when she stood up on her barstool, jumped on the guy’s back, and then did some fucking ninja shit, wrapping her arm around the guy’s head and forcing him to his knees. She won’t let him go. She said she wants to ask him some questions.”

“I’m on my way down,” I say, slamming down the phone and jerking open the door to my office, taking the stairs two at a time. Reaching the front of the club, I see Zack holding the guy and Lane’s arms wrapped around Maggie’s waist, trying to drag her away. What the fuck is going on?” I roar, and all eyes come to me except Maggie’s, who takes the opportunity to grab the man’s ear and twist, making him drop hard to the ground on his knees.

“You think it’s funny to drug innocent women, you flaming turd bucket?” she yells, hitting the top of the guy’s bald head, and Zack chuckles along with Lane, but I don’t see one damn thing that’s funny about this shit.

“Maggie, let him go and come here,” I growl, and she raises her eyes to meet mine, looking startled.

“He—”

“I said get your ass over here now!” I yell, cutting her off and feeling the vein in my neck bulge as I point to the ground at my feet.

“Fine.” She pouts, letting the guy go, walking sullenly toward me as Zack pulls the man to his feet, taking him with him around the corner, with Lane following behind them with his phone to his ear. I’m sure they are going to have a talk and wait for the cops.

“Let’s go,” I say, wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, leading her through the club and up the stairs to my office. Sitting her in the chair in front of my desk, I walk over to the cabinets where I keep my personal bottle of scotch and pull out the cap. I then lift the bottle to my lips, taking a swig while trying to calm down.

“Alcohol isn’t good for you,” she informs me as I take a seat behind my desk.

“Do I look like I give a fuck about that?” I ask her, taking another swig.

“You might not care about what it can do to your body right now, but you may want to know that it lowers sperm count and stamina in the long run.”

“Jesus.” I shake my head and rub my eyes in aggravation.

“Just saying it’s not good for you,” she mutters, dropping her eyes to her lap.

“What happened downstairs isn’t okay, Mags.”

“Maggie,” she corrects, still not looking at me.

“Whatever,” I drone, taking another swig. “You could have gotten hurt.”

“I have a black belt—”

“Look at me,” I demand, cutting her off and slamming the bottle down on the top of the desk, waiting for her eyes to meet mine. “You could have gotten hurt or worse. Do you understand that? He could have had a weapon on him.”

“You don’t understand,” she whispers as tears fill her eyes, but I harden myself against them, needing her to understand this isn’t a fucking movie. This is real life, and there are bad—really fucking bad—people in this world.

“You’re not allowed on the club floor anymore,” I state firmly.

“I’m going to find the guys who hurt my sister,” she states, and I see the determination in her eyes that make me proud and pissed at the same time.

“If you come, you come to my office, and if something happens down there”—I point to the club floor over my shoulder—“you’ll be the first to know.”

“Why would I come to your office? I need to be at the bar where I can see what’s going on.”

“You just got the job as my new assistant,” I tell her, watching her frown while wondering what the fuck I’m doing. This chick is a distraction I do not need right now, or ever for that matter.

“I already have a job,” she says as her frown grows deeper.

“Well, quit. You’re here every night, Mags, and you don’t leave ‘til the club closes at one. I can tell by the bags under your eyes that you’re exhausted.”

“Why would you want me to work here?” Now, isn’t that the million dollar question?

“Either take me up on my offer, or I’m going to have a restraining order placed against you and you won’t be allowed within a few hundred feet of the club.” I shrug like it’s all the same to me.

“You know this is malarkey, right?” she stands and I take her in fully for the first time tonight. Her loose, sheer, black dress is cinched with a thin belt emphasizing the dip in her waist between her full hips and breasts. Her hair is down in a mass of messy waves, and her makeup is subtle but still draws attention to her eyes, which look even more golden now that she’s standing in front of me looking pissed off.

“I’m not messing around with you anymore either. You take me up on my deal, or I’ll call the police and have them escort you off the premises,” I tell her, ignoring the fact I’m getting hard just looking at her.

“This is total crap,” she mumbles, looking around before meeting my eyes again.

“Take it or leave it.”

“Jeez, can I have a second to think?” she cries, and I feel my lips twitch, so I rub my hand down over my mouth to hide it.

“Ten,” I state, watching her eyes narrow. “Nine…eight…seven…” I continue counting, watching as she looks at me like she’s ready to kill me. “Six,” I raise a brow. “Five…”

“Fine!” she yells when I open my mouth to finish my countdown.

“Thought soDISTRACTION TEASER BOOK TOUR

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Additional Books in the Underground Kings Series

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Obligation (Book 2)

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author

aurora rose reynolds

Aurora Rose Reynolds is a navy brat who’s husband served in the United States Navy. She has lived all over the country but now resides in New York City with her Husband and pet fish. She’s married to an alpha male that loves her as much as the men in her books love their women. He gives her over the top inspiration everyday. In her free time she reads, writes and enjoys going to the movies with her husband and cookie. She also enjoys taking mini weekend vacations to nowhere, or spends time at home with friends and family. Last but not least she appreciates everyday and admires it’s beauty.

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Review Post: Fighting Solitude by Aly Martinez

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fighting solitude it's live

Fighting Solitude is Book Three in the On The Ropes Series by Aly Martinez and is Quarry’s highly anticipated story.

Now Available!

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**Each book in the series can be read as a standalone**

Synopsis2I was born a fighter. Abandoned by my parents, I spent my life forging my own path—one guided by my fists and paved with pain.

Untouchable in the ring, I destroyed everyone who faced me, but that’s where my victories ended. Outside the ropes, I repeatedly failed the few people who loved me. Including my best friend, Liv James—the one person I’d die to protect.

Even though I didn’t deserve her, Liv never stopped believing in me. Never gave up. Never let go. After all, she understood what I’d lost, because she’d lost it too.

Liv was everything to me, but she was never truly mine.

That was going to change.

I lost my first love, but I refused to lose my soulmate.

Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.

Fighting to be the man she deserves.

Fighting the solitude of our pasts.

Fighting for her.

FIGHTING SOLITUDE TEASER 2

My Review

*****5 Q & Rocky All-Feeling Stars*****

You know, just when I think Aly Martinez can’t make me fall more in love with her seamless writing, her wonderfully distinctive characters, and her unforgettable and all-feeling stories, she gives me Fighting Solitude. She gives me Q and Rocky and their literal amazingness. She takes me on one of the most emotionally intense journeys I’ve gone on with characters. She gives me one last opportunity to be with The Page Brothers, to live with them, to fight with them, to experience it all with them.

And you know what I did? I fell harder and deeper and whole heartedly more in love with everything Fighting Solitude gave me.

This series has done nothing but amaze me. It’s made me feel, and experience, and break a bit (or a lot), and heal at the same time through every magnificent page. Every word, every interaction with these characters, every moment has allowed me to fall in completely love with what I have experienced with Till, Flint, and Quarry. To say I have loved reading these books, to say that I have loved The Page Brothers, their consuming stories, and their journeys on the road to healing and love, is a complete understatement.

Love is not a strong enough feeling for what I feel for those three and their special lady friends. It’s not a strong enough feeling to accurately capture what it’s like to experience these books, what it’s like to live and breathe and feel through every moment, or what it’s like to have Aly Martinez’s outstanding writing bring it all to life in the most authentic and enrapturing way. It’s not a strong enough feeling to show you how out of this world phenomenal these books, these characters, and everything they give you are. Even though I feel the word love doesn’t completely capture how much I feel for what these books have given me, I can’t help but say it and shout it from the proverbial rooftops. I loved them. I. Loved. Them.

Fighting Solitude is a book I have been waiting for. It was a book I knew would break my heart a time or two (or like 15 times if we’re really being accurate here). I knew it would be intense, I knew it would hurt like a mother, but I also knew that every experience I got from it would be beyond worth it. I would feel it, live it, and practically bleed it as I read, and it would all be worth it because it would give me Quarry and Liv and their story.

What Fighting Solitude gave me was a story full of fight and tenacity, sheer determination and will power, heartbreak and anguish that I felt every ounce of, and an attempt at healing that literally took my breath away.

Liv and Quarry’s story in Fighting Solitude is so very them, and I can’t say that enough. It gave me so much of their distinctive personalities that made me fall harder for them both. Whether it was Liv’s fiery fight and sass, or Quarry’s wonderful brand of trouble, they both burst from this book in a way that had me smitten with them both. Those two never failed to have an interaction full of their specific and highly wonderful charm. They shared a banter that was all them, and they never failed to make me smile or smirk or laugh in the most genuine way.

Those two made me happy. So freaking happy because I felt and I saw and I completely got what they were to one another, what they could be for each other, and the depths of what they shared. Liv and Quarry connect on so many levels, and even when that connection hurt my heart for them, I embraced what I was feeling because it gave me them, so viscerally and so authentically in such a raw way. Fighting Solitude gave me all of them. The good, the bad, the flaws, the mistakes and missteps, the triumphs and wins, and through it all I was in awe of what I got from those two because it was real.

The two of them have such dark pasts, full of hurt and anguish and solitude. She’s got major trust issues, and understandably so, and he’s afraid he’s going to fail everyone because he thinks that’s all he does. They’ve been hurt, lived through things no one should, and they still feel the ramifications of those events, but they’re still there fighting and pushing and giving it their all in hopes of healing and finding exactly what will make it better for them. That level of fight and tenacity that emanated from them both in such specific ways to their personalities and pasts was exceptional to experience.

One of my favorite aspects of Fighting Solitude was that it showed Quarry and Liv’s relationship at many different parts of their lives. It showed them as children when their friendship began, and it showed how that friendship deepened and grew. It showed the moments when it all fell apart, when the heartbreak, fears, and the darkness of the past would rear its ugly head into both of their lives. It gave me them when it all starts to click, when they realize they want more, that they need more and feel more. It allowed me to be there when they finally started fighting for each other, when they realize what they could share if they fought hard enough for it, if they gave into what they were feeling, and if they allowed themselves to have what they both so desperately wanted.

Their relationship had such a build to it. Each new page, each new moment they shared, each new feeling they felt or revelation they had added to that build and sparked that flame even more. That build continued to intensify and grow. That flame got hotter and more dazzling and more enrapturing, and it kept sparking and sparking until the inevitable explosion that was so Quarry and Liv, so completely mesmerizing, and so blush worthy and emotional all at once.

Fighting Solitude gave me it all with Quarry and Liv. It gave me everything.

Now let me tell you, you will not just read this book, you will feel it in your bones, in your heart, and in your soul because that is what Aly Martinez allows you to experience with her exquisite writing. There were so many moments that would shatter me, where each new page would break off a little piece of my heart because of the level of emotion and anguish and turmoil that both Liv and Quarry were going through. But then as those pieces broke, other pieces were coming together because of what Quarry and Liv were doing to make it all better, and because of how they were fighting for themselves and each other. Experiencing all sides of that breathtaking emotion when it was heartbreaking and healing from one moment to the next, simultaneously broke me and put me back together again in the most superb, emotionally intense, and all-feeling ways.

That feeling, that level of emotion, and what I got from Quarry and Liv took my breath away more times than I could count. It made me hurt and cry and feel all that the past and present was throwing their way, but it also made me happy and whole and full of light as it tried to heal me like it did Quarry and Liv. There were often times when reading where I would just need to stop and take a breather because that’s how much I was feeling and experiencing with them, but feeling that gamut of emotions with them was everything. And that everything is something that I will never forget.

As much as this book is a love story, it’s also just as much about The Page Brothers. It’s about how they’re there for one another, how their lives change drastically from where they were when we first met them, and how their personalities and the wonderful things that make them them stay exactly the same. Till, Flint, and Quarry are a brotherhood, and the love they share for one another just gets stronger and deeper. Aly Martinez did them all justice in this final book. She showed that through their tenacity, their fight, and through their sheer dedication and determination to make their lives more, to be there for one another, and to go after who and what they wanted, they ended up in places they never thought they’d be, but so completely deserved to be.

Fighting Solitude was an amazing wrap up to the entire series that fulfilled me on every level possible.

This book and this series showed me what it means to fight, to live, and to love with all you’ve got. What it means to fight through the silence, and embrace the beautiful reality that surrounds you. What it means to come out of the shadows and embrace the good that life has to offer. What it means to break out of that solitude and realize you’re not alone, and that the people who surround you make your world amazing. And in the end, it showed me what it truly means to come out on top, to succeed, and to win, not only in the ring, but in life and in love and ways you never thought possible.

If I could, I would wrap my arms around this book and hold it tight, every single day and never let go. Quarry and Liv awed me with everything that they had, and I can’t say enough how much I loved and adored every unforgettable moment with them. It wasn’t always easy with those two, but boy was it memorable, and emotional, and so highly worth it.

So please trust me when I say that you need this all-consuming book, Rocky & Q’s literal amazingness, and this enrapturing series in your life. Stat.

fighting solitude

ExcerptFighting Solitude

Prologue

“Mia!” I shouted.

It was worthless. She’d been deaf since the day I met her.

She’d never once heard my voice.

She’d never heard the deep rumble of my laugh when she was excited, signing so fast I could barely keep up.

She’d never heard my content sigh when she barged into the locker room after a fight—just her presence soothed the lingering madness brewing within me.

She’d never heard me whispering my deepest fears into her ear as she fell asleep on top of me.

She’d never heard the reverence in which I cried her name each and every time I took her body.

And she’d never once heard the ease in which the words I love you tumbled from my lips as I stared into her deep, jade green eyes.

But as I screamed her name while watching her petite body seizing in the passenger seat beside me, I’d never needed her to hear me more.

“Mia. Oh God. I’ve got you, baby.”

She was still thrashing violently as I made my way around to her door, yanking it open while pleading with whatever god was willing to help.

When she stilled, a whole new level of silence filled the air around us. It wasn’t the absence of sound.

It was the absence of life.

“Mia, breathe!” I roared as her chest remained agonizingly still. “Help me!” I screamed at the closed emergency room doors, but no medical savior rushed out with the miracle I so desperately needed.

My hands shook wildly as I released her lifeless body from the seatbelt.

“I’ve got you, just hang on. Please just hang on, Mia,” I whispered lifting her into my arms and sprinting through the sliding doors. “I need a doctor! She’s not breathing!”

Nurses rushed towards me in slow motion as the seconds without air in her lungs passed at a terrifying speed.

Breathe.

A doctor appeared with a gurney and quickly took her from my arms.

The immediate loss was staggering.

Hope became my only solace.

She needed help that I wasn’t capable of giving her, but that didn’t stop me from following close behind as they rolled her away. I was on the verge of self-destructing; letting her out of my sight wasn’t an option.

I stood motionless in the doorway while doctors and nurses swarmed around her. Their mouths moved frantically, but without my hearing aids I was worthless to make out the words their faint voices carried.

I never wore my hearing aids when I was with Mia. There was no point. She rarely spoke with her voice.

We’d spent four years building a relationship with our hands.

Those hands had told me animated stories that made me laugh until my face hurt from smiling.

They’d fought with me relentlessly, but always ended the night raking down my back in silent ecstasy.

Her fingers had fluidly signed I love you more times than I could ever count—or forget.

But as I felt the nurse attempting to physically remove me from the room, my eyes became fixated on her limp hand dangling off the side of the bed. It was the only sight more frightening than watching her flail mid-seizure.

It ripped the heart straight from my chest.

That hand was supposed to be full of life.

It was the very essence of Mia.

Pale.

White.

Still.

Oh God.

Sucking in a deep breath, I held it until the room began to spin.

It provided me no relief even as it forced me to my knees.

There would be no distraction from this.

I was going to lose her.

Yet another woman I couldn’t save.

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Fighting Shadows (Book Two) On The Ropes

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author

aly martineez

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

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Releasing Now: Some Sort of Love by Melanie Harlow

 

 

Title: Some Sort of Love
Series: Happy Crazy Love #3 
Author: Melanie Harlow
Genre: Contemporary Romance
  Release Date: February 9, 2016
 Synopsis2
On the surface, I have it all—a career I adore, a loving family, the Nixon metabolism but not the Nixon ears, and a salary that supports my lavish taste in designer shoes, fine wine, and lacy lingerie…but I have no one to share it with.

Until the day I run into him—my one night stand from college with the cocky smile, let’s-get-out-of-here eyes, and dirty, dirty mouth.

Levi Brooks is six feet four inches of hot bearded fantasy. A sexy single dad with broad shoulders, strong hands, and a fantastically big…heart. (I mean, it’s massive. And generous. And it pumps so hard… um. Sorry. Lost my place.)

But he lives for his son, and he’s keeping me at a distance because he thinks I deserve someone better—a man who can give me more time, more attention, more of himself. He doesn’t believe he could ever be enough.

But he’s wrong.

He’s everything.

 

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 My Review

*****5 You Are Enough Stars*****

Melanie Harlow’s Happy Crazy Love Series has been one of my absolute favorites to read and fall into over the last few months. These books are just so good, and they remind me again and again why Melanie Harlow continues to be a favorite author of mine. I have completely loved each and every story in this series to pieces, and I have loved falling under the charismatic, charming, and completely enchanting spell that the Nixon Sisters and their swoonworthy leading men have cast.

Suffice to say, I was so beyond ready for this last book in this series. Not because I wanted it to end, because I really don’t want these books and these character’s stories to end, but because I was practically salivating for more of Melanie Harlow’s vibrant and sparkling writing. This book gave me that once again in spades, and it also gave me so much more.

It gave me a new couple to fall head over heels for. It gave me the perfect balance of fun and heat, with meaning and feels that had my heart squeezing and melting more times than I could count. It gave me Jillian and Levi, their amazingness, their vulnerability, their honesty, and the enormity and all-feeling pull of what those two shared together. This book gave me their enrapturing story, and it let me fall in love with them in the most authentic and mesmerizing way.

I loved this book. So hard. I could not get enough of Levi, Jillian, and the intense connection those two shared. Some Sort of Love allows you to go along with the two of them as they reconnect, as their feelings grow and intensify exponentially, and as they try to figure out what they can really offer to one another if they actually allow themselves to have and feel it all.

Some Sort of Love has the perfect blend of sexy, sweet, and fun, and it balances the feels, the meaning, and the moments that make your heart race and melt and squeeze in the most fulfilling way.

What I absolutely loved about Some Sort of Love:

  • Who can resist a meltworthy man and his kid? (The answer to that question is no one.) So there really is no resisting a single dad and his kid. Throw in a beard and a man who is guaranteed to melt your heart and among other things I might add, and then you get one Levi Brooks. That man is completely irresistible, and on top of that he is an honest to goodness good guy who is giving it his all in order to be a great dad to his son Scotty, even if that means he puts his wants and desires last. (*major sigh there*) He is one of the most selfless characters I have ever read, and the events of this book definitely put him to the test a bit because he has to try to find a way to balance being the dad he wants and needs to be, with also exploring his relationship with Jillian. Add to that years of guilt from things outside of his control, and you will be feeling and loving and caring for Levi with all you have in a nanosecond. Trust me. You can’t resist that man, or his sweet child, or what he does for Jillian, or all that he does in this book to give everyone, including himself, the all that they so truly want and deserve. Need I say much more? Levi is everything.
  • Jillian’s search for more. Jillian was a character that was so beyond easy to connect to. She was real, and funny, and I myself could relate to so much of what she was feeling in this story. Jillian seemingly has it all. The job, the house, the family that brings her joy, but she’s still looking for that more. She’s looking for that great and all-consuming love to take hold of her heart and never let go. She’s also ready for people to stop asking her when she’s getting married, since she’s the oldest of the Nixon sisters. She’s ready for that more, and she literally smacks into when she runs into Levi at her sister’s wedding. The two of them had a wild fling years ago, and their connection sparks right back up in this book. Soon Jillian starts to see the edges of that more she’s craved and longed for, and it looks a lot like one Levi Brooks. Jillian’s search for that more in Some Sort of Love is real and messy and raw, but it is oh so worth it all the way through.
  • A romance that builds and explodes perfectly. The connection between Levi and Jillian is instantaneous, and it just continues to build and build throughout this book. Their chemistry and the depth of what those two feel for one another came to the page in the most mesmerizing and all feeling way with the best level of heat, passion, and meaning. I felt like I was feeling and experiencing every bit of what Levi and Jillian shared. I fell with them, I connected with them, and I got every romantic, heated, and heart tugging moment with them in Some Sort of Love because Melanie Harlow gave me that with her writing. She built their relationship so vibrantly and in a way that just made sense for them and their story, and when all that build and all that feeling exploded, it was one of the most enrapturing and intense things I’ve experienced. Levi and Jillian’s relationship and its evolution made me melt and swoon and think and hope with all I had, and I couldn’t have asked for more from the two of them.
  • All the honesty and vulnerability. The events of this book push Levi and Jillian to fight for what they want, and to realize how far they’re willing to go for that more they both so desperately crave with one another. Their story forces them both to face some hard truths, to be honest with themselves and each other, and to make themselves vulnerable and open to what they could share. It wasn’t always easy for these two, in fact it was downright hard at times because of the reluctance and fears that threatened their relationship, but through it all Jillian and Levi kept being open and honest and pushing for that more they both wanted. He’s riddled by the demons of his past, and she wants his future and the love it could bring with all she has, and experiencing those two give it their all to make it all work had me loving them even more.
  • The three best sisters around. Like I said, I love this series to pieces, and one of the main reasons I love these books is because of the Jillian, Skylar, and Natalie’s characters. The relationship they all share with one another is amazing. They’re there for one another. They get each other. They love each other with all that they have, and you feel that through every page. Their bond as sisters completely warmed my heart while reading, and it had me loving every single moment I got to experience with them all. Those three never failed to make me smile or laugh or love them even more. Jillian, Natalie, and Skylar are kind of the best, and Some Sort of Love just highlighted that again and again. It also had me very envious of the heartfelt relationships those three had because they truly were everything, and they made this book even more wonderful to experience.

Some Sort of Love was the perfect, and I mean perfect, conclusion to this series. It captured the literal magic that this series, these characters, and Melanie Harlow’s writing so brilliantly created. I think I read most of this book with a huge smile on my face because I was so in love with everything that I was reading. I was so encapsulated in the world of this book, with Levi and Jillian as they tried to figure it all out and make a future together that they both wanted and craved so badly. Even in the moments when what those two were going through hurt my heart, I loved what I was getting from them because it was real, honest, full of vulnerability and meaning, and it revealed so much about them both.

Melanie Harlow’s effervescent writing brought every word of this book to life in the most vivid and vibrant way. She allowed me to fall heart first into everything that Jillian and Levi were sharing, and she let me experience every moment of this book that they did. I laughed with them, I connected with them, I melted and swooned like crazy with them, and I even hurt a bit with them, and in the end I loved every bit of what she so phenomenally gave me with them. She continues to be one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to read whatever else she writes.

Some Sort of Love was so fulfilling, so enjoyable to read, and it gave me such an all-around outstanding reading experience. Levi and Jillian’s story was real, consuming, all-feeling to say the least, and it had me believing so much in their characters and what they shared together. I loved those two with all I had, and their story in this book gave me it all. It truly was everything, and that everything was the best.

So please, read these books, fall in love with these mesmerizing characters, and let them win you over with all that they have. You’ll love them and every minute you get with them. Trust me!

SSOL Teaser 2

Excerpt

“So.” I glanced out the windows to the patio. “You want to go back out there?”“Not really,” she said.

“You want to get out of here?”

She grinned. “Yeah. I do.”

I watched her rush up the stairs to get her things, and as soon as she was out of sight, I adjusted myself in my pants. My dick had jumped to life the second she said yeah, I do, as if the question had been you want to get naked and fuck? rather than something much less suggestive. Not that I didn’t want to get naked and fuck—hopefully I’d last a little longer than I had in the broom closet eleven years ago—but I didn’t want to make her feel like that’s what I expected. She wasn’t a horny nineteen-year-old college student anymore; she was a doctor, for fuck’s sake. She was beautiful and smart and mature and sophisticated, and a woman like her did not want some Neanderthal who probably needed a haircut and a new pair of shoes to throw her up against a wall for a five-minute fuck.

A woman like that deserved attention all night long. She deserved someone who would undress her slowly and delight in each new inch of her skin as it was revealed. Someone who would run his hands all over her body and find out where she liked to be touched, how she liked to be touched, what she wanted to hear whispered to her in the dark. Someone who would wrap those gloriously long legs around his neck and use his tongue until she begged for his cock, then use his cock until she begged for mercy.

Fuck. I could be that guy.

Except I couldn’t be. Not tonight. Because I wasn’t a horny college student anymore either—I was just a horny single dad who didn’t have the luxury of taking a woman home and lavishing all my time and attention on her the way I wanted to.

As soon as I had the thought, I felt guilty. Scotty was the love of my life and always would be, and whenever I felt the slightest bit resentful about something I couldn’t do because of him, that resentment was immediately crushed by shame. He didn’t ask to be born wired differently, into a terrible relationship, to a mother who would decide she couldn’t handle being a parent, to a father who wasn’t prepared for any of it. He was completely innocent, and he needed me to be a better man.

Running a hand through my hair, I exhaled and wondered if I should ask Jillian for a raincheck on a night when Scotty’s usual sitter could be there. If he woke up again and I wasn’t home yet, he might never get back to sleep. We’d be up all night, tomorrow would be miserable, and the whole start to the week would be off.

But she was so beautiful. And I hadn’t been this attracted to someone in so long.

“Fuck,” I muttered, checking my watch. What was the right thing to do? If she were a different sort of woman, if her brother-in-law weren’t my friend and client, if we lived three states apart…if any number of circumstances were changed, I’d grab her hand, drag her out to my car, and spend the next thirty minutes fucking her brains out in the back seat. It would feel so good to take control that way, to lose control that way, to release some of this fucking tension. But was that fair to her?

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

“Hello?”

“He’s up again.” Monica’s voice was strained, and in the background I heard the familiar keening of a nighttime meltdown. My chest hurt, the way it always did when Scotty was upset.

“Shit. OK, I’m on my way. Twenty minutes, OK? Thirty at the most.”

“OK.”

“Tell him he can play on his iPad.”

“That’ll just rile him up more. He’s tired. He needs to go to sleep.”

I clenched my fist. “Just do it, OK? It will help calm him until I get there.”

As I ended the call, I heard footsteps above, and then Jillian appeared at the top of the stairs carrying a small suitcase. I watched her descend, the tightness in my chest growing. Also the tightness in my pants. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she said, her face concerned as she reached the ground and saw my expression. She set down the suitcase. “What’s up?”

Sighing, I put my phone back in my pocket. “I have to get home. Scotty woke up and he’s upset.”

“Oh.” She tried to hide it, but I saw the disappointment in her eyes.

“I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“That’s OK. I understand.”

“Can I call you?”

“Of course.” She smiled, and her lips looked so soft and inviting, I took a step closer.

If you kiss her, it will be that much harder to leave.

I knew it was the truth, but I couldn’t help myself. One kiss. Just one. And then I’ll go. I moved even closer and took her head in my hands.

The curve of her smile deepened. “What are you doing?”

“I’m thinking about kissing you.”

“Stop thinking.”

I lowered my lips to hers and let them rest there, fully intending the kiss to be short and sweet, just a goodnight.

But I couldn’t break it off. I wanted more—I wanted to taste her. Slanting my head, I changed the angle of the kiss, teasing her mouth open with mine, slipping my tongue between her lips. A little sigh escaped her, and my dick jumped to life again.

You have to go, you have to go, you have to go.

But her hands were moving up my chest and my fingers were sliding into her soft brown hair and I could smell something sweet and citrusy on her skin and it mingled with the taste of whiskey on my tongue and oh God, I wanted my tongue everywhere on her body. I wanted make her come with it just so I could hear that little sigh again and again and again. And I wanted to feel my hands in her hair just like this while she got on her knees and took my cock between her lips, looking up at me with those big blue eyes…

Groaning, I forced myself to take my lips off her before I completely lost my senses. “God, I wish I could stay,” I said, resting my forehead against hers. “I wish a lot of things.”

“I know.” She played with my tie again. “I wish I was taking this tie off you, not straightening it.”

“What a coincidence, that’s one of my wishes too.”

She laughed and kissed me quickly. “Another time, maybe. You better go.”
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 authorMelanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, 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, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

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Review Post: Enshrine by Chelle Bliss

NEW STAND-ALONE NOVEL
by USA Today Bestselling Author, Chelle Bliss
Released on January 26th – LIVE

EVERYTHING CHANGED IN AN INSTANT.
I thought I knew what was important, but one phone call sent my life into a tailspin.
Alone and afraid, I cling to the one man I shouldn’t.
I was warned about him and told to stay away. “He’s dangerous,” they said.
But the man who could hurt me the most, gave me the greatest comfort.
“He’s not who they think,” I told myself.
But just like an illusion, things are never what they seem.

My Review

****4.5 Beautifully Emotional Stars****

From the moment I saw the cover for Enshrine, I wanted to read this book. (I mean hello, have you seen that cover?!) The second I finished reading the blurb for Enshrine, I knew I needed to read this book because you don’t read a blurb like this book has without needing to read the book its talking about. The more and more I saw Chelle Bliss post about Enshrine, the more ready I was to read Enshrine.

When I finally got into the pages of this book, I fell heart first in love with all that I was reading. Enshrine was full of meaning, emotion and feeling, and a fierce connection of two people that had me reading this book like my life depended on it. This book held a story and a set of characters that had my heart feeling it all, and what I got from them within the pages of this book was fantastic.

I have read many books by Chelle Bliss, and loved them all, and while Enshrine is definitely different than her other books, rest assured that it is an all-around outstanding read that you will love just as much as her other books, if not more. She creates two characters who you immediately feel for and love, she gives you a story you don’t stop feeling and experiencing, and she wraps you up in all that Enshrine has to offer from beginning to end.

What I absolutely loved about Enshrine:

  • Callie’s fight. Callie is a fighter and she has one helluva journey and fight ahead of her in Enshrine. Now while I won’t tell you what that is and what she’s facing, what I will say is that you will be in awe of the fight that she has. Sure she has her moments, and understandably so, and there are many times along the way that Callie wants to crumble and give in and quit, but she pushes through, she fights, and she seeks that spark to keep going. She’s facing something no one should, and she does that with an authenticity that had me loving her to pieces, and had me wanting to fight right along with her. Chelle Bliss created her character in such a way that made her so real, so easy to love and care for, and an all-around outstanding female character that will touch your heart again and again.
  • Bruno sheer determination. Bruno just about melted my heart throughout every page of this book. That man is dreamy to say the least, and he never failed to say or do something that was guaranteed to make my heart squeeze in the best possible way. I loved that no matter what, Bruno was there for Callie. He never stopped fighting for her, he never stopped being there, and even in those moments when she pushed him away with all her might, he was still there, being his determined and caring self. Suffice to say, I loved me some Bruno, and the lengths his character is willing to go to for Callie had me knowing again and again that he was there for Callie. Even though you might know very little about him through this book because of the mysteries that surround him, I knew that man had a heart of gold, and that just made me love him more.
  • A fierce connection. Let me tell you that Bruno and Callie share one out of this world connection that you feel so truly and deeply. You feel it in every interaction they share with one another, and their chemistry and pull towards one another will pull you in all the more when you are reading Enshrine. I loved how their relationship had such a build to it too. Chelle Bliss really allowed their connection and feelings to build and grow into something beautiful in this book, and you really feel in it all as you read. You were right there with them through every high and low, every misstep and triumph, and through everything they were sharing with one another. I felt so invested in Callie and Bruno’s relationship throughout this entire book, and that just made what they were sharing and what I was reading that more enjoyable.
  • Just a bit of mystery. Throughout Enshrine there is a bit of mystery surrounding Bruno’s character. That mystery and intrigue and those questions surrounding his character pull you in even more to what you’re reading. It also connects you more to Callie because she has the same exact questions you do. Chelle Bliss weaved in that mystery surrounding his character into the story so seamlessly, and it added an aspect to the book and the events of the story that made the book even more captivating. It made me want to figure it all out even more because I had to know more about Bruno and what he was really about, and I loved getting to feel and experience that all throughout this book.
  • Oh the meaning and feels. Chelle Bliss really created a story you could feel in Enshrine. This book will have you feeling so much with Bruno and Callie. You’ll hurt with them, you’ll fight with them, and you’ll feel it all with them. Really experiencing the feels and emotions that Callie and Bruno were feeling, as well as with what they were sharing really allowed me to understand and love their story more. This story is very emotional and you get every bit of that emotion through every page of this book. There were many parts of this book where my heart hurt like crazy for those two, especially Callie and what she was going through, but that just showed me how in this story I truly was. Going along with Callie and Bruno through their emotional journey and fight was intense at times and it wasn’t always easy, but it was so beyond worth it to felt what I did with their characters. I felt it all, and that really made me love it all even more.
  • Supporting characters are the best! Another aspect that made Enshrine such a fantastic book to read were the supporting characters. Becca and Lee especially made this book all the more enjoyable. Their interactions with the characters reveal a lot about themselves and about Callie and Bruno, and I loved what that added to the story as a whole. All the supporting characters of this book were distinctive and had personalities that never failed to make me smile, and I’ve totally got my fingers crossed we get more of them soon!

Enshrine was a book that truly gave me so much. It gave me a story of what happens when a battle comes your way that you were never prepared for, and the fight you must physically and emotionally go on to make it through. It gave me a story of meaning and feeling, and the journey you go on when your entire life is turned upside down and must realize what you truly want and what you’re willing to fight for. Enshrine also gave me a love story that was full of connection and deeply felt feeling that I never stopped experiencing all the way through.

This book gives you a meaningful and consuming story that weaves together the best level of mystery, intense feeling and connection, and two characters that your heart will be invested in right from the start.

Chelle Bliss’s writing brought the world of Enshrine to life, and she allowed me to go on a serious emotional journey with these characters. She let me get them, fall in love with them, and in the end she gave me their authentic and all-feeling story that had me loving what I was reading. She let me be there in the tough moments, in the highs and lows, and in the moments that showed who these characters really were and what they truly needed and wanted. She truly gives you the best amount of everything in this book, and in the end that will leave you beyond satisfied with what you’re reading.

Enshrine is an enthralling read full of everything that makes a book fantastic to read. Callie and Bruno’s story will take your heart and squeeze it again and again in Enshrine, so do yourself a favor and get to reading it because it is so very good! It’s a beautifully emotional story of love and the power and healing it can have that will completely steal your heart. Trust me. You want and need to read this book and experience everything it has to offer!

 

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ENSHRINE GIVEAWAY – OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BlissUSA Today Bestselling author, Chelle Bliss, currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. She’s written over ten books and has two series available. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and her hamster.

Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in history. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.

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The Beautiful Series by Christina Lauren (And how Winter Storm Jonas turned out to be so completely worth it!)

There are very few good things that can come from a massive winter storm that dumps over 2 feet of snow. Very few things indeed. I’ve spent the last 8 days in my house, without getting my daily fill of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee (tragic, I know!), and I haven’t gone to work in all of that time. (<—-That was actually a positive because let’s be honest, as a molder of young tiny humans’ minds, I will take any snow days I can get! Even if it means I’m teaching until July.)Winter Storm

Basically, I’ve spent the last week within the confines of my house because of a lovely little monster named Winter Storm Jonas that brought snow to a place where people freak out at just the thought of snow. (Seriously, who named this storm?! I can’t help but laugh every time I write that.)

But alas I can always find a silver lining in anything, because while this winter storm decided it was time for us to have the season of winter ALL AT ONCE, it gave me something else….

It gave me Bennett and Chloe and their banter filled selves. Heart those two something fierce. It also gave me Max *major sigh* and Sara, who melted me and then melted me again. And again. Then it gave me Will and Hanna, and their wonderful selves that had my heart fluttering and practically palpitating. Then it rounded it all out with Niall and Ruby…who will forever own a little piece of my heart, that is conveniently placed next to the pieces all these characters now own. And then there was George who just brought it all home in only a way that he could.

So what did Winter Storm Jonas so thoughtfully give me you ask? Well it gave me The Beautiful Series by Christina Lauren.

Beautiful Series

And no it didn’t actually shoot these books out of the sky onto my doorstep right next to that mountain of snow it left in its wake, but what it did do was give me the chance to FINALLY read this series that I have been meaning to read for forever. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me I NEEDED to read these books. (They were so fucking right, in case you were wondering.) I also can’t tell you how long I’ve owned all of the books in this series. (I’m kind of ashamed to admit that I’m pretty sure I’ve owned all of these books for quite some time.) And before you say what you’re thinking, yes I am a complete idiot for waiting to read these books. I was wrong to not read them the instant I bought them all. I. WAS. SO. WRONG.

This series, these books, and these characters and their vibrant stories are ones that I will never forget reading. The enrapturing, intense, and all-consuming stories these books gave me with these characters were extremely well written, thoughtfully crafted, with the perfect blend of romance, feels, and so many moments that will have you swooning and melting into a puddle of girl mush. Christina Lauren’s lively, effervescent, and seamless writing brought the world of these books to life in the most all-feeling and captivating way.

They gave me their characters. Boy did they give me those characters in the most authentic and amazing way. They allowed me to fall so damn hard for them, and along the way they gave me out of this world stories that were filled with the best antics, banter filled moments, heart melting feels, and more heat and connection and fiery tension filled build than you can shake a stick at. They let me understand their characters and their motives. They let me see and feel and experience the sparkling and distinctive personalities they all had. They gave me them at their best, and sometimes they gave me them at their very worst. They let me get the full scope of them. Their highs and lows, their hopes and wants, their fears and everything in between. I saw these characters be open and honest and I saw their walls crumble. I also saw them act like complete butts from time to time, but that just made me love them more, because I got them 100%. I understood them, I got where they were coming from, and through it all I fell harder and harder for their dynamic selves and the effervescent and seriously charming spells they all cast.

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I took this picture to celebrate the fact that I was finally starting this series. I think Gretchen Wieners would approve.

Basically these books gave me it all. And when I say that, I hope you know I mean that literally. These books give you it all. They’re fun, engaging, and so many moments in this series will have you smiling and laughing at the antics these characters get into and the crazy wonderful moments they share. They also have the best level of passion, unadulterated heat and connection, and romance and feels that will have you hoping with all you’ve got that these characters can really find a way to make it all work because they’re that right for one another.

Each book in this series gives you a new couple to fall in love with. A new book to fall head over heels for, and a new story that is unique, phenomenally written, and full of life and love and more feeling than you can believe. Each novella fills the gaps in between, and will have you relishing in what these characters get into together, and the relationships they all share. (Those novellas are not to be missed!!) The Beautiful Series lets you fall heart first into it all with these characters, and Christina Lauren’s writing talent lets you experience it all. These books outstandingly explore family relationships, friendships, hopes and wants and fears, and the wonderful and amazing thing that is all-consuming, heart stopping love and connection, and the amazing things that can bring you, if you only give it a chance.

Whether it was with Bennett and Chloe and their heated, banter filled, and seriously hot love-hate relationship that pushed the boundaries they’d so carefully crafted…Or with Max and Sara and their swoony and all-feeling exhibitionist ways as they explored what more could mean for them if they broke down those walls…Whether it was with Will and Hanna as a friendship and favor to an old friend soon turns into an exploration of feelings and an infatuation that will change everything…Or with Niall and Ruby who find that when opposites attract and come together everything they think they know will change in ways they never thought possible.

Whether it was New York, or London, or San Diego, Chicago or anywhere in between, each book in this series takes you on a distinctive journey with each of these unforgettable couples as they explore the intense feelings and connections they share, and how what they’re feeling and experiencing could really be the real thing if they only allow themselves to have it.

Simply put, The Beautiful Series by Christina Lauren is one of the best series I have EVER read. I loved each and every story they gave me, every character they let me fall hopelessly in love with, and in the end I felt completely fulfilled and satisfied with what I got from these books. This is writing and storytelling and romance at its best, and I loved and adored every vibrant, lively, and mesmerizing word of it.

So yes, Winter Storm Jonas sucked. Like a lot. But a part of me will always be grateful for that hysterically named winter storm, because it finally gave me the time to read an AMAZING and unforgettable series that I loved with everything I had. (And yes, I could still kick myself for waiting so long to read them. Even now.)

So while you might not have a winter storm on the horizon, I beg to you, I plead to you, read these books. Let them capture you with all that they’ve got, let them make you swoon and melt (and blush!) through every page, let them wow you and make you crazy in love with these characters, and let them give you one of the best and most fulfilling reading experiences you’ll ever had. Trust me. They’re worth it in every way possible way, and in the end you’ll love every second you got to spend with these characters, their stories, and the literal amazingness that is Christina Lauren’s writing and storytelling.

Beautiful Series 2

For more on this seriously wonderful series, check out all the books below. This is a series of interconnected standalones, but I HIGHLY recommend reading all the books and novellas in order to get the full scope of amazingness that is The Beautiful Series by Christina Lauren!

***Please note that the synopsis’ for some of the novellas will have spoilers in them, so please proceed with caution. If you are new to this series like I was, just start with Beautiful Bastard, and go no further on this post so nothing is ruined for you. Oh, and say hi to Chloe and Bennett for me because I miss those two something fierce! (You know, along with all the other amazing characters of this series!)

~Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful Series #1)~

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16102004“Wait, you remember that?”
“Of course I remember that. You sounded like a frat boy and looked like a fucking model. What man could ever forget that?”
“I would have given anything to know what you were thinking right then.”
“I was thinking, ‘Highly fuckable intern, twelve o’clock. Disengage, soldier. I repeat, disengage.”  

Synopsis:

An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other.

Read My 5 Star Review of Beautiful Bastard

Beautiful Bastard

~Beautiful Bitch (Beautiful Series #1.5)~

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17831616“Find a woman who will be your equal in every way. Don’t let yourself fall for someone who’ll put your world before theirs. Fall for the powerhouse who lives as fearlessly as you do. Find the woman who makes you want to be a better man.”       

Synopsis:

Picking up where Beautiful Bastard left off, Chloe Mills and Bennett Ryan continue their steamy, combative relationship.

Just when Chloe’s career starts to take off, Bennett wishes it would all slow down long enough to spend a wild night alone with his girlfriend. But after he refuses to take no for an answer, Chloe and Bennett find themselves with two plane tickets, one French Villa, and a surprising conversation that, predictably, leaves them wrestling under the covers.

Read My 5 Star Review of Beautiful Bitch

~Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Series #2)~

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16117506“So?” she said, giving me a slow, wicked smile when we accelerated forward. ” You told Will you found a woman who likes to have sex in public?”
“Not in my cab!” the cabbie yelled so loud we both jumped and then broke into laughter. He pumped the brakes, jolting us. “Not in my cab!”
“Don’t worry, mate,” I told him. I turned to her and murmured, “She doesn’t let me fuck her in cars. Or on Tuesdays.”
“She doesn’t,” she whispered, though she did let me kiss her again.
“Shame,” I said into her mouth. “I’m good in cars. And especially good on Tuesdays.”  

Synopsis:

A charming British Playboy. A girl determined to finally live. And a secret liaison revealed in all too vivid color. Book two in the NYT Bestselling series. 

Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon’s moved to New York City and is looking for excitement and passion without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night’s fun. But the manner—and speed—with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.

The whole city knows that Max Stella loves women, not that he’s ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it’s not until Sara—and the wild photos she lets him take of her—that he starts wondering if there’s someone for him outside of the bedroom.

Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.

Read My 5 Star Review of Beautiful Stranger

Beautiful Stranger

~Beautiful Bombshell (Beautiful Series #2.5)~

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17831617“It’s your fucking stag weekend. Act like the man you used to be… It’s a lap dance, Ben, not a fucking trip to the dentist.” 

Synopsis:

The gentlemen from Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, and Beautiful Player are out for a wild night on The Strip.

When Max, Henry, and Will steal Bennett away for a weekend of shenanigans and strippers in Vegas, the first stop of the night doesn’t go at all as planned. With their scheme for a Guys Weekend completely derailed anyway, Max and Bennett begin to play a wild game of stealth and secrecy in order to have their bombshells all over Sin City.

Read My 5 Star Review of Beautiful Bombshell

~Beautiful Player (Beautiful Series #3)~

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17831614“Ben,” Max said, leaning back in his chair with a giant grin. “It’s finally happened.”
I groaned, resting my head on my hand.
“You got your period?” Bennett asked. “Congratulations.”
“No, you twat,” Max said, laughing. “I’m talking about Will. He’s gone arse over tits for a girl.”  

Synopsis:

A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.

Read My 5 Star Review of Beautiful Player

Beautiful Player

~Beautiful Beginning (Beautiful Series #3.5)~

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17831619“Laughing, I said, “We’re married. That’s insane. Who let this happen?” He didn’t even break a smile. Instead, his eyes grew heavy, his voice even lower. “I’m going to disrespect the fuck out of you later.”  

Synopsis:

One beautiful bastard of a groom. The most beautiful bitch of a bride. A panty-ripping office hook-up turned true love everlasting.

Wedding bells can’t chime soon enough for Chloe Mills and Bennett Ryan. Chloe, exasperated and stressed by all the last-minute to-dos, is on the verge of saying “I do” to eloping. For his part, Bennett’s so worried about being distracted by Chloe’s body that he makes a no-sex-until-the-wedding-night rule that only seems to be making things worse by continually backfiring on him. As their crazy families descend for the big day- only a few of them actually trying to be helpful- the fiery lovers are about to test whether the couple that argues together can keep it together long enough to exchange rings, and not just heated words.

Read My 5 Star Review of Beautiful Beginning

~Beautiful Beloved(Beautiful Series #3.6)~

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22431058“You’re pretty sexy when you’re domestic.” I told him, running a hand up the back of his thigh.
“If you think this is hot, you should see me change a diaper.”
“I have, actually: why do you think I married you? That and your accent. Oh and your giant penis.”
            

Synopsis:

The seventh work in the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling series that started with the Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, and Beautiful Player novels. Featuring all the Beautiful characters…plus one tiny new addition to the group.

In Beautiful Stranger, finance whiz Sara Dillon met the irresistibly sexy Brit, Max Stella, at a New York City club. Through the series we’ve watched them learn to balance commitment with their less than private brand of playfulness. In Beautiful Beloved, Max and Sara take it to the next step. But the question is: Will they be able to find a balance between the wild sexcapades they aren’t ready to retire, and the demands of parenthood that come along with their new Beautiful bundle of joy? Parenthood: it’s not for the weak of heart.

Read My 5 Star Review of Beautiful Beloved

~Beautiful Secret (Beautiful Series #4)~

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22609595“But if you did, how would you touch me?” she asked, folding the garment neatly before placing it in an open drawer in front of her. I barely had to consider the question before my answer burst forward: “Desperately.”  

Synopsis:

AN UPTIGHT BRITISH EXECUTIVE. AN ADVENTUROUS AMERICAN NEWBIE. A SEXY INTERNATIONAL SCANDAL IN THE MAKING.

New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Christina Lauren’s Beautiful and Wild Seasons series hook up in Beautiful Secret for an erotic intercontinental romp that celebrates the best of both worlds!

When Ruby Miller’s boss announces he’s sending her on an extended business trip to New York City, she’s shocked. As one of the best and brightest young engineers in London, she knows she’s professionally up to the task. The part that’s throwing her is where she’ll be spending a month up close and personal working alongside and staying in a hotel with Niall Stella, her firm’s top urban planning executive and The Hottest Man Alive. Despite her ongoing crush, Ruby is certain Niall barely knows she’s alive until their flirty overnight flight makes him sit up and take notice.

Not one for letting loose and breaking rules, recently divorced Niall would describe himself as hopeless when it comes to women. But even he knows outgoing California-girl Ruby is a breath of fresh air. Once she makes it her mission to help the sexy Brit loosen his tie, there’s no turning back. Thousands of miles from London, it’s easy for the lovers to play pretend. But when the trip is over, will the relationship they’ve built up fall down?

Read My 5 Star Review of Beautiful Secret

Beautiful Secret

~Beautiful Boss (Beautiful Series #4.5)~

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25541351“She was going to be my wife. I would get to introduce her that way.
This is my wife.
I couldn’t stop rolling the word around in my head. Wife. It felt good. It felt substantial. It made me want to climb over her, say it over and over again into her ear, tattooing it in her thoughts.
You’re my wife, Plum.”

Synopsis:

The ninth work in the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling series that started with Beautiful Bastard. In this e-novella, Will Sumner and Hanna Bergstrom (from Beautiful Player) find that a wedding and everlasting love were just the beginning.

One Player tamed. One nerd girl satisfied. And one more major life decision to make. When Will fell for Hanna, her quirky sense of humor and fierce dedication to her career were part of the attraction. (Not to mention her coy newbie attitude toward sex and her willingness to let him teach her everything.) But when the job offers start rolling in for her—and oh, they do—Hanna has trouble deciding what she wants, where they should live, and how much she should burden Will with the decision. Magic between the sheets is only one part of a relationship…getting on the same page is quite another altogether.

Read My Review of Beautiful Boss

Be sure to check out more about these fantastic books and the fabulous Christina Lauren at the following links!!

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website

Review Post: Hallowed Ground by Rebecca Yarros

HALLOWED GROUND BOOK TOUR

HALLOWED GROUND IT'S LIVE

New Military Romance!

Hallowed Ground by Rebecca Yarros is

Now Available!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1OVPJ0w

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Y05StF

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hallowed ground cover

Synopsis2

There are some debts you can’t repay.

Josh Walker is loyal, reckless, and every girl’s dream. But he only has eyes for December Howard, the girl he’s craved since his high school hockey days. Together they have survived grief, the military, distance, and time as they’ve fought for stolen weekends between his post at Ft. Rucker and her college at Vanderbilt. Now that Josh is a medevac pilot and Ember is headed toward graduation, they’re moving on—and in—together.

Ember never wanted the Army life, but loving Josh means accepting whatever the army dictates—even when that means saying goodbye as Josh heads to Afghanistan, a country that nearly killed him once before and that took her father. But filling their last days together with love, passion, and plans for their future doesn’t temper Ember’s fear, and if there’s one thing she’s learned from her father’s death, it’s that there are some obstacles even love can’t conquer.

Flight school is over.

This is war.

hallowed ground teaser

My Review

*****5 Unforgettable & All-Feeling Stars*****

Hallowed Ground by Rebecca Yarros is one of the most deeply emotional, phenomenally written, and utterly enrapturing books that I have ever read. As I sit here writing this review, I’m not sure if I’ll even come close to capturing what it was like to read this incredibly written book, what it was like to experience it’s varied and superbly captured emotion and feeling, or what it was like to read Josh and Ember’s unforgettable, all-feeling, and breathtakingly beautiful love story. I probably won’t even come close to capturing an ounce of the amazingness that is this book, but I am sure going to give it my all to tell you about why you need to read Hallowed Ground this very instant because this book, this story, and this author’s serious talent deserves that.

Seriously. You need Hallowed Ground in your life. You need Josh and Ember, and you surely need their heartfelt and consuming love story to wrap you up in its welcoming arms. You need this story in your heart, and in your mind, and in your very soul, because trust me when I say this book and everything within its wondrous pages will take root in all three of those places.

You need them, and you need it. What you get in this book, what it allows you to experience through every breath and feeling and thought of these characters, and what it so authentically and viscerally gives you is not to be missed. The journey it takes you on with Josh and Ember is extraordinary in every way, and you will feel it, and live it, and experience every ounce of it with everything you have because Rebecca Yarros’s exceptional writing gives you that.

Hallowed Ground is the continuation of Josh and Ember’s enrapturing love story that began in Full Measures. (*major sigh* because I loved that book something fierce…) They have been through quite a bit those two. From flight school and college, to loss and healing, to a long distance relationship they are more than ready to see come to an end, as they finally move in together and start their lives together as one solid unit. They’re ready and excited and hopeful, and then life throws something their way…a deployment.

Hallowed Ground follows Josh and Ember as they face that deployment, its ramifications, and the life altering things it throws their way. Now while I won’t reveal what happens in this book, because spoilers ain’t cool, what I will say is that the events of Hallowed Ground test Josh and Ember in ways they never even imagined. It pushes them both to their limits. Past their limits even. It makes them question their choices, it makes them fight with all that they have because of what comes their way, and it forces them to face many hard truths about themselves, their relationship, and what’s to come.

The events of this book are not easy. They will pull at every single emotion, feeling, reaction, thought, choice, connection, and breath that both Josh and Ember have. And in turn it’ll pull at all of that for you too because when I say you are in this story, you are in this story. Living it. Word for word with these characters. You’re in it all, and that will connect you to everything that’s happening in the most authentic, all-feeling, and intense way.

The events of Hallowed Ground will awe you, and they might even break you a bit (or a lot) too, but all I can say is keep reading. Keep experiencing its literal amazingness. Keep going through it all with Josh and Ember because it is a story, an experience, and a heartfelt emotional journey you will absolutely never forget.

I don’t know if I have ever felt a book as much as this one. When I tell you I felt this book with everything that I had, I am not exaggerating one bit. This book made me laugh, and smile, and feel happiness like it ain’t even funny. It filled me with so much good, so much love and hope, and there were so many moments that had my cheeks hurting because I was smiling and feeling so much.

Then there were moments that completely broke me, hurt me, and had me trying to pick up the pieces that were left of my emotions and heart. Moments that made me cry and cry and cry some more because of what these characters go through. Moments that had me practically sobbing because of what I was reading and whole heartedly experiencing. There were so many moments that had me wondering how in the world everything would work out for Josh and Ember, moments that brought every lick of emotion to my throat, and literally had my breath catching and my heart throbbing because of what I was reading.

And that was all just in the first 35% percent of this book…don’t even get me started on the other 75% and what that continued to make me feel.

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that Rebecca Yarros was bound and determined to give me all the feels and emotions, and she succeeded in that respect immensely. Probably more than any other book or author has in a long time. Her and her bucket of all-feeling feels had me in this book as much as I possibly could be, investing me emotionally, physically, and mentally in it all. And I loved that. Boy did I love that, and I relished in every second of it.

Now please don’t let me saying all that scare you, because at the end of the day this is a love story, and let me tell you, Rebecca Yarros gives you one helluva romantic love story. Hallowed Ground is full of romance and heat and more connection than you can shake a stick at. Many moments will have you feeling and basking in all of that love. Others will have your cheeks turning a wonderful shade of pink too. This book will melt you, it will fill you with love in ways you never knew possible, and in the end you’ll be a swooning emotional mess wishing that you had your very own Joshua Walker to come home to.

One of my very favorite aspects of Hallowed Ground was the evolution I got to see and experience in Josh and Ember’s characters, as well as in their relationship. Like I said, the events of this book push them both in ways neither of them were prepared for. It forces them to make some very hard choices, to really examine their lives, and to dig down deep, underneath all the bs and nonsense, and see what they wanted, what they needed, and what they couldn’t live without.

There were so many moments while reading when I saw and felt how far they’d come. I felt that change, and I saw the amazing things it could bring them. There were also many times when I wanted to shake them silly because of what they were doing or saying or thinking, but even in those moments I completely understood where it all was coming from. I got it and I got them, and that is all a testament to the exceptionally crafted story and characters Rebecca Yarros created.

Experiencing Josh and Ember’s evolution as characters, how their relationship grows and evolves into something that was even more real, more mesmerizing, and more all-feeling, and being with them through every emotional up and down they go through was everything. It truly was everything.

Hallowed Ground gives you a world of experiences to live and feel and love through from beginning to end. It allows you to experience first love, and the tenacity it has when two people truly find their match and their reason for being. It lets you experience what it means to truly have a family, friends, and people who support and love you with everything they have.

It also allows you to experience a glimpse of what it’s like to be in the military and to be a military spouse. This is something I myself have never personally experienced, yet through what Rebecca Yarros gave me in this book, in this entire series really, I feel like I have such a better understanding and appreciation of what it means to be in the military or with someone who is. She allowed me to see what it means to make those kind of sacrifices and difficult choices, what it’s like to feel that hope and that fear in your very core, what it’s like to worry and to pray with all you have, and the unimaginable and life changing things that can come your way.

She also showed me the power, the meaning, and the devastating beauty of all-consuming, enamoring love. And for that, all I can say is thank you because it gave me a story I will absolutely never forget.

Hallowed Ground is a book about a lot of things. It’s about war and sacrifice and life changing choices. It’s about growing up, evolving, and seeing where life can take you. It’s about friendship and family and the amazing experiences both of those things bring to your life. It’s about risks and rewards and everything life has to offer in between.

It’s also about love. What it can bring you, how it can upend your life something fierce, how it can leave you breathless a time or two, and in the end, how it can fulfill you on every single level possible, if you only allow yourself to have it.

So please, I am literally begging you as I write this…read this book, this entire series, and you’ll get all of that and more. When you reach the end I am promising that you’ll have had one of the most fulfilling reading experiences of your life. Trust me because I’m there right now, and it’s everything.

hallowed ground teaser 2

 

ExcerptI pushed my chair out and reached for her, lifting her tiny, curved frame into my lap. Her head tucked beneath my chin, and she curled into me, fitting right where she was always meant to be. My arms closed around her. “We have a month.”

“It’s not long enough.” Her fingers gripped my shirt like she could keep me here if she just held on tight enough. God, what I wouldn’t have given to stay with her.

“Forever isn’t long enough for us, December, but that’s what we’re going to have. You and I have never chosen the easy path. This is just another hurdle.” I rubbed my chin over her soft hair and tried to soak in every detail of holding her—the sweet way she smelled, the smooth texture of her skin beneath my hands.

She leaned back in my arms and cupped my face. “I can’t lose you.” Her voice broke, and tears pooled in her eyes.

I’d never hated myself more than I did in that moment. She’d made it through a nightmare no one should have to face, and I was about to ask her to chance that fire again. My breath hitched, barely passing the lump in my throat. “You won’t. It would take something a hell of a lot stronger than a war to keep me from you.”

I sealed that promise with a kiss, tasting her fear and desperation as she responded. She opened underneath me, and I fused my mouth to hers, surrendering to the heat between us to pull us through this moment. There was nothing hotter or sweeter in this world than kissing December, feeling her go soft and pliant.

We’d fought so fucking hard to get here, to be together. This wasn’t fair, and we both knew it. But we also both knew it didn’t matter. Fair wasn’t exactly in the U.S. Army vocabulary.

I retreated just enough to whisper against her lips, “I’ll come home. I swear it.”

hallowed ground teaser 3

**VIEW THE Hallowed Ground TRAILER HERE: https://vimeo.com/148520997 **

 author

rebecca yarros

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She’s a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her blog, The Only Girl Among Boys, has been voted the Top Military Mom Blog the last two years, and celebrates the complex issues surrounding the military life she adores.

When she’s not writing, she’s tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of eleven years. They finally can call Colorado home along with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog. 

Stalk Rebecca here:

Website: http://www.rebeccaelizabethyarros.com/

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Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Yarros/e/B00HYKBU1W/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1449029619&sr=8-2-ent

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Review Post: Defenseless by Corinne Michaels

defenseless book tour

defenseless it's live

Meet Mark Dixon in Defenseless, the newest contemporary romance from Corinne Michaels!

Now Available!

Amazon➜ http://amzn.to/1MAVwsX

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View Defenseless Trailer HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxTYjKDKndQ

defenseless cover

 

Synopsis2

My life is a secret.

His life is dangerous.

We’re both stubborn, calculating, and controlling.

Mark Dixon doesn’t know what he’s getting into. He doesn’t know his games could cost us our lives. I have to do what is necessary to keep us alive, and that means guarding my heart.

But I know I’m defenseless against him, and in the end, he’ll force me to surrender.

defenseless teaser 4

My Review

*****5 Twilight & Charlie Stars*****

So let’s talk about how defenseless I was against falling in full on, all consuming love with Defenseless by Corinne Michaels. This book had me in full on love with its captivating story, its dynamic and distinctive characters (hello, it’s Mark and there’s absolutely no resisting him), and the level of feeling, and heat, and suspense I got from its pages had me loving everything I was reading.

If I’m being honest though, I didn’t put up a single bit of fight with falling in love with Defenseless, or with Mark, or with Charlie. I think I practically gave myself over to the two of them and their story from the moment I started it, and by the end I was completely sunk, in full on heartfelt adoration with the two of them. They charmed me, they wowed me, and they pulled at all of my feelings and emotions and every bit of my heart all the way through.

Defenseless gave me a story I had been not so patiently waiting for ever since I met Mark’s character in Beloved. That man took my heart in that book, and I knew his book was one that I needed in my life. Defenseless not only gave me him, it gave me a leading lady that was the perfect, and I mean perfect, match for one Mark Dixon. Charlie Erickson is a gem of a female character and she takes it from no one. Seeing her and Mark, falling hard under the spell of the both of them just like they were falling hard for each other, and experiencing what they did for one another was extraordinary and it had me loving them both all the more.

Suffice to say, Charlie and Mark completely won me over. From their banter that had me smiling and laughing from page to page, to the intense and fiery connection and chemistry they shared that had me blushing and melting again and again, to the level of feeling they poured into everything…Mark and Charlie did it for me. They gave me it all, they gave me themselves in the most honest, open, and raw ways, and in the end I loved them with all that I had.

Mark’s character was one that I was beyond ready to get my hands on, ever since I met him and fell under his charismatic spell, and his story in Defenseless didn’t disappoint. Not one little bit. I loved getting to be in his head, getting to be there as he met his match, and met that one person who changed it all for him. It was also quite wonderful to listen to the wonderful craziness that came out of that man’s mouth. He never failed to bring a smile to my face, a blush to my cheeks, and when he wasn’t doing that, he was completely melting my heart with what he said and felt for Charlie. That’s not to say that Mark doesn’t have his moments in this book, and there were certainly times I wanted to shake him silly because of what he was doing or saying, but through it all I loved him fiercely.

I loved how Mark wasn’t one to back down, how he kept fighting through it all no matter what was thrown his way, and in the end that had me loving him all the more because it showed the tenacity and fierceness of that man. In Defenseless I felt like I really got to know and understand the man underneath the charm, and that man was authentic and real and had me practically eating out of the palm of his hand. The man that melted my heart and filled it with who he was. Simply put, Mark Dixon is what book boyfriends are made of. He’s sweet and charming and he sends my heart a flutter, and I loved that.

Now Charlie Erickson was a force to be reckoned with in every single way. She is a no holds barred kind of girl, and I have to say I was kind of in awe of her character and the presence that she had. She was fierce and strong and a fighter to the T. She never stopped giving it her all, all the way through, and the more I read her character, the more I realized how phenomenal she was, how much she was fighting and how vital that fight was to her core, and how she was the perfect person for Mark. Corinne Michaels does an exceptional job of creating Charlie’s character. She lets you get to know her, just like Mark does, and the more you know her, the more you fall for her, the more your love her, and the more you want her to get to the exact place she needs to be.

Charlie is a bit mysterious, in the most alluring of ways, and the more you get of her, the more you will be unable to resist your love of her character. Charlie is strong and fierce, yet vulnerable and unsure at the same time. Seeing the many sides to her come to the page will have you loving her character even more. Being with her as she meets Mark and is thrown off kilter by him and the intense feelings she has for him, will show you so much about her, her wants and desires, and how far she is willing to go for the one thing she never knew she wanted or could have.

Mark and Charlie definitely have a chemistry that is off the charts. Their banter and smirk inducing conversations only add to the pull and connection they share, which creates such a consuming build in this book. That build continues to grow and ebb, until its inevitable explosion…and that explosion is nothing short of fireworks. It’s heated, and full of color and passion, and it will mesmerize you with everything it has. The push and pull between these two will pull at all of your emotions and feelings too, and through it all you will be rooting with all that you have that Mark and Charlie can figure out a way to make it all work.

One of my favorite aspects of Defenseless, besides Charlies and Mark’s literal amazingness, was how suspenseful, captivating, and enrapturing it was. This book is romantic suspense at its finest, and each chapter, each new page gave me a piece to the puzzle that I, Mark and Charlie were desperately trying to figure out. The level of suspense and intrigue had my heart racing, my mind going crazy trying to piece it all together, and in the end I was in awe of what I got from this story and what was revealed. That suspense is just one of the many aspects that pulled me in whole heartedly to what I was reading, and I loved every unforgettable word and feeling and experience that that gave me with Mark and Charlie.

Corinne Michaels is one of my favorite authors for a reason. Her fantastic writing not only allows me to fall in love with her characters right from the start, she lets me be there with them through it all. I hope with them, I fall with them, I hurt with them, and my heart squeezes and feels and goes through it all right along with them because of her writing, and that made this book and these characters even more real and amazing to experience. Corinne Michaels not only gave me Mark and Charlie, she gave me the supporting characters of this series that never fail to make me smile and realize again and again how much I love them all. Being back with them felt simply wonderful, and it had me loving them even more than I already did.

In Defenseless Corinne Michaels truly gave me it all with her outstanding writing and storytelling. She allowed me to fall under the exceptional and distinctive spell of Charlie and Mark that had me loving them both to pieces with each new word I read. She allowed me to fight with them, feel with them, and feel the immense and deeply felt feelings they shared as they went through everything the events of Defenseless threw their way. I couldn’t have asked for more from this book or these characters. They pushed themselves straight into my heart, took root, and I know they’re going to be there for a while because they’re that good, that unforgettable, and that everything.

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Excerpt

Defenseless

Copyright © 2016 Corinne Michaels

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written consent of the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

“I made you a promise, Charlie.” Mark’s already deep voice is layered with desire.

Once again, my control begins to slip. “What’s that?”

His hands drop a little lower beside my head. His lower body shifts so his knee is between my legs. I feel his arousal against my thigh.

My traitorous body shows its own awakening. My nipples hardening through the silk material don’t go unnoticed. Heat pools in my core and my breath hitches. I want him. There’s no use denying it.

“I told you I’d kiss you again. If you don’t stop me now, there’s no getting away.”

I should stop him. I need to stop him. There’s no way in hell it’s going to happen, though. I’m craving his lips again.

He gives me one second before he crushes his mouth against mine. His entire body shifts forward, and now I’m trapped. There’s nowhere to go. Nowhere to move that’s not Mark. He takes every part of my mind and body. Our hands roam each other as his tongue slides against mine. Passion ignites between us; it sets the room on fire. His fingers cup my neck and then glide down the front of my dress. His hand brands my skin as he takes his time exploring the open skin between us.

My fingers grip the lapels of his tux, holding him, molding him to me. I can’t get close enough. Our mouths stay fused as we both lose control.

Then my mind snaps.

I push back and my hands fly to my lips. They’re swollen, bruised from the force of the kiss. His hands brace against the wall. I keep my eyes downcast. I can’t believe I just did that, against the damn wall, at a ball commemorating my father.

I shift my dress, rake my fingers through my hair, and pull myself together.

“Charlie . . .” Mark finally speaks. It sounds like shouting even though it’s only loud enough for us to hear.

“That was the last time that will ever happen,” I say with no tremor to my voice. “Tonight we become partners. It’s not about whatever this is.” I shift my hands between us. “It’s about finding the information we’re both searching for.”

“And what if we find something else?”

“We shut it down. There’s no room for feelings in this world.”

Mark pushes back, giving me space. I instantly feel cold. “Okay, then. Have it your way.”

This is what I wanted, what we both need, but suddenly I wish it wasn’t. I wish I could pull him close, kiss him, fuck him, and just feel.

But wishes are for little girls.

defenseless teaser 3

 

author

corrinne bioCorinne Michaels is an emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun loving mom of two beautiful children. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and is a former Navy wife. After spending months away from her husband while he was deployed, reading and writing was her escape from the loneliness.

Both her maternal and paternal grandmothers were librarians, which only intensified her love of reading. After years of writing short stories, she couldn’t ignore the call to finish her debut novel, Beloved. Her alpha Navy SEALs are broken, beautiful, and will steal your heart.

Contact Corinne

Website: http://www.corinnemichaels.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorinneMichaels

Instagram: http://instagram.com/authorcorinnemichaels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCMichaels

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7753662

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/corinnemichaels/

Review Post: Aced by K. Bromberg

 

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Colton is back and better than ever. Be ready for another lap around the track that youll never want to get off.

Corinne Michaels, USA Today Bestselling Author

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ACED synopsis

Rylee and Colton’s ride continues…

One moment. Six years ago.

The night she made the world around me so much more than just a blur. Now it’s the catalyst that threatens to tear us apart.

Our happily was supposed to be ever after. So why do I feel like it’s slipping through my fingers?

How can one moment, when our world seemed so right, resurface and cause our perfect life to spiral out of control?

I can’t lose her.

She’s my checkered flag.

Goodreads

Aced - AN - Corrine Michaels

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ACED review

*****5 AMAZING COLTON & RYLEE STARS*****

It doesn’t really get much better than Colton and Rylee. Seriously. Those two are one of my all-time favorite book couples, and when I learned that K. Bromberg was going to be giving us one last full on glimpse into their story, I was thrilled. More than that, I was ready to see what she would have in store for those two. I was beyond curious to see what the events of this book would bring to Colton and Rylee, and though I did have some idea since the events of Aced take place between the two epilogues of Crashed, I was surprised and awed and just in love with everything I got from them in this book.

This book follows the after and the amazing, shocking, intense, and life altering things that can happen after that after. It shows how things can grow, how they can evolve and change, yet at the same time how they can be blissfully the same. It shows how the foundation of who you are as an individual and as a couple can see you through the highest and lowest of times, and how that foundation can become even stronger, even if it takes a few hard hits along the way. Aced is about marriage and healing and things coming your way that you never saw coming. It’s about speed bumps and what you do when you’re thrown off a course you never even thought you’d be on in the first place.

It’s about what happens after, the good and the bad, and how you handle it all. It’s about how the fight and fire that makes you who you are can see you through even the darkest of moments. Aced is about the utterly breathtaking moments life and love can bring you if you allow yourself to have it and if you’re willing to give yourself over to it.

Aced is about Colton and Rylee and the unforgettable love they share. It’s about the boys, it’s about healing, it’s about fight and overcoming the darkness that threatens to consume you. It’s about marriage and life and so much in between. Aced gives you everything that defines and makes The Driven Series so enrapturing and amazing to read, and it builds upon all of that in the best possible way. It gives you more from all of these characters in a way that makes sense and just fits.

I absolutely loved every word of this book and what it gave me of Colton and Rylee. It reaffirmed over and over again why this is one of my favorite series, and why they are such a dynamic and distinctive couple. It showed the most authentic, vulnerable, and real sides to their characters. It gave me them at some of their happiest moments, and some of their lowest, and in between I got every single well crafted bit of them. I was literally in awe of what I got from Colton and Rylee in Aced. I couldn’t get enough, and in the end I just wanted more because I loved every single thing I was getting from them.

There were so many moments in this book that melted me, that shocked me, that had my heart reeling and hurting and practically bursting because of what came Colton and Rylee’s way. There were moments that brought tears to my eyes from both blissful happiness and utter pain. So many moments in this book had me swooning and blushing and smiling like crazy because of what comes Colton and Rylee’s way. So many moments in this book exemplified who their characters really were, and had me mesmerized not only by what they go through, but how they handle it all.

Now you’ve probably caught on by this point that I am not going to tell you what happens in this outstanding book, at least not specifically. I’m not going to do that because you just need to go into this book and experience it for yourself. You need to jump back in heart first, into the thick of it all, and let the events and feelings and utterly breathtaking and intense and all-feeling moments of this book consume you. And I am telling you now…this book will consume you. It will take your heart and your minds and your feelings as you go along with Rylee and Colton as they face the events of this book.

I will say that things are not the easiest for Rylee and Colton in Aced. They face some tough challenges that neither of them saw coming. They both go on another evolution, not only as a couple, but as individuals as well. They have a bit of a fight in front of them in Aced, but what really makes this book so outstanding is seeing all that those two do to make it right, to fight through the pain and jump over the hurdles, and how through it all they are there for one another 100%. Seeing the lengths to which those two would go for one another, for others, and even for themselves in order to heal and get past it all to a good and happy place was everything.

Seeing that fight, that vulnerability, that openness and honesty at times in them exemplified so much about them and showed that they were in it to win it, and by winning it, I mean holding onto each other and their love with everything that they have.

K. Bromberg’s writing is one of my favorite author’s for a reason. She never fails to deliver a thoughtfully crafted story with so much varied and perfectly captured emotion. She creates such distinctive worlds and characters that win you over completely. Her writing put me in this story. I lived its events with Colton and Rylee, and felt every ounce of what it would be like to go through it all with them. She allowed me to be there, to live it, to breathe it, and to get it. She tackled some very real issues that happen in marriage and happen in that after we all so crave, and she did it in a way that did those issues and topics justice. She showed the power of love and conviction and healing, and the beautiful things that can happen when you have all three.

Her writing brought this series to life once again, and she let me jump into both Colton and Rylee’s wonderful and distinctive heads again in the most fantastic way. She let me fall in love with them both all over again, and I loved being with them and feeling so connected to them as they reached some major milestones in their lives. Aced brought them both to places they never thought they’d be, and I can’t say enough how much I loved being there with them through every single second of it.

Like any book by K. Bromberg, Aced gives you the perfect level of romance, passion, emotions and feels, with the best level of pull and suspense that has you epically captivated into what you’re reading. She gives you it all in Aced, and with her writing you get to experience it firsthand. Your heart will be so invested in everything that you’re reading with Colton and Rylee and the amazing supporting characters in their world. Reading this book felt like coming home in a way. Its pages welcomed me with open arms, and I loved every single moment I got between its pages. It was wonderful and intense and consuming to say the least, and in the end I knew I had just read one of my top reads for this year. You will read this book, it will give you so much and make you feel so much, and in the end you will be thrilled you got to experience it all.

Aced was a perfect addition to this series, bringing out the nuances and the many aspects that make Colton, Rylee, their story, and their world so unforgettable. This book pushes both of these characters, and it puts them through the wringer a bit, but it is all beyond worth it because of what it shows them, how it pushes them to fight and change and give it their all, and what it gives you as you experience it all first hand.

Colton and Rylee Donovan have one of the most all-feeling, mesmerizing, and intense love stories I have ever read. Their love is heated and passionate and real and immense, and it will fill your heart completely in this book. The events they face together as a couple in Aced will have you loving and rooting for them even more, and in the end you’ll be in love with everything you got from them in the phenomenal pages of this book. It truly doesn’t get better than this book.

Like I said, Aced follows what happens after. It’s real and it’s messy and it’s not always easy, but it is so very worth it and so very full of love and feeling and everything that makes love worth fighting for with everything you’ve got. The after you get in Aced is best after out there, and it will amaze you to say the least.

So get to reading and loving that after. Let the after in Aced give you everything it has. It would be wrong not to, because afters like the one you get in Aced are not to be missed. Ever.

Aced - Sexy.Fiesty

Also Available By K. Bromberg

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Driven

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Fueled Cover

Fueled

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CRASHED cover

Crashed

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ACED K. Bromberg

KBromberg

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love.

Shes a mixture of most of her female characters: sassy, intelligent, stubborn, reserved, outgoing, driven, emotional, strong, and wears her heart on her sleeve. All of which she displays daily with her husband and three children where they live in Southern California.

On a whim, K. Bromberg decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Since then she has written The Driven Series (Driven, Fueled, Crashed, Raced), the standalone Driven Novels (Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, Hard Beat, Aced, and a short story titled UnRaveled. She is currently working on new projects and a few surprises for her readers.

She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media.

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