Review Post: So Much More by Kim Holden

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

So Much More by Kim Holden

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Love is strange. It comes out of nowhere. There’s no logic to it. It’s not methodical. It’s not scientific. It’s pure emotion and passion. And emotion and passion can be dangerous because they fuel love…and hate.

I’m now a reluctant connoisseur of both—an expert through immersion. I know them intimately.

When I fell in love with Miranda, it was swift and blind. She was the person I’d elevated to mythical status in my head, in my dreams.

Here’s the thing about dreams, they’re smoke.

They’re spun as thoughts until they become something we think we want. Something we think we need.

That was Miranda. She was smoke.

I thought I wanted her. I thought I needed her.

Over time reality crept in and slowly dissected and disemboweled my dreams like a predator, leaving behind a rotting carcass.

Reality can be a fierce bitch.

So can Miranda.

And I can be a fool…

who believes in dreams.

And people.

And love.

5 Exceptional Stars

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Sometimes you read books. Sometimes you experience them, and every unforgettable moment they give you. Sometimes you feel them with every ounce of feeling and emotion you have. Sometimes you even read a book so extraordinary that it swallows up your body, and your mind, and your very soul for every single word within its pages. And sometimes, if you’re lucky enough, you find a book that gives you all of that and more.

Books like that is why I am a reader. I live for books like that. I love books like that and what they make me think and feel and experience and wonder. When I come across them, it makes me want to shout that books praises from the proverbial rooftop…

So get ready for some shouting, because So Much More by Kim Holden was that kind of book.

So Much More was that kind of book because honestly it was so much more than a book. It was an experience, it was a journey, and it was a breathtakingly emotional story unlike any other I’ve read. It was so many unforgettable and raw and heart squeezing moment woven together perfectly through the eyes of 3 very distinctive characters.

It was real. It was life. It was love. It was also utter heartbreak and pain. Yet at the same time, it was also healing in so many ways.

It was everything.

I feel like this story is so hard to accurately describe because it was so many things, and it encompassed so many different stories with Miranda, Seamus, and Faith. Kim Holden seamlessly weaves together their stories in So Much More, and she connects them all in ways that you will be blown away by. Ways that will make you feel every ounce of what these characters do. Ways that will hurt your heart and shatter it into a million pieces, yet at the same time, ways that will bring you back together again and make it right. Experiencing these characters’ interwoven stories in So Much More is something I know I will never forget experiencing.

Even though I find it so hard to tell you what this book is about (since it’s about so much), and why you should read it (which you obviously should), I’m going to try to find a way to tell you what this book will give you…but really you should just read it, because my words do not do this book the immense amount of justice it deserves.

So Much More is a story of love. A father’s undying love for his children. One girl’s journey to seek the love she’s always been missing. One woman’s bumpy as hell path to love that is certainly unorthodox, yet oddly fitting for her. It’s a story of the love and compassion you can share for others, the love you can feel for yourself, and the extraordinary kind of love you can feel for the right person if you actually let yourself feel it.

So Much More is a story of hate. Unbridled, feel it in your bones, hate that consumes you with everything it has. It’s about how that hate changes you, how it alters your mind and how it puts you on paths you never wanted to be on. It’s about how that hate can devour you if you let it, and how that hate can bring you to be a person you never wanted to be.

So Much More is also a story of resiliency. Of the heart, of the mind, and of the soul. It’s about what happens when you break, when things come your way that you don’t deserve and you experience the worst of the worst, yet you push through and fight with everything you have. That tenacious resiliency is everything, and reveals a vulnerability, honesty, and level of realness in these characters in the most extraordinary of ways. This book gives you that resiliency, and makes it tangible, it makes it real. Experiencing that resiliency from these characters will give you hope, it will give you love, and most of all, it will give you life.

So Much More is a story of Faith and Hope, and the life changing things that can happen when you have both of those things. It’s about what can happen when you open yourself up to the joy and light and happiness they can both bring you, and how that will change everything. (And yes those words are capitalized for a reason. Read this book and you’ll get that.)

This book is extraordinary. It’s unique and real. It’s wholly enrapturing and it’s raw and messy and it ain’t easy. It’s also one of the most honest portrayals of family and life and love that I have ever read, and it is a book I know I will never forget reading. This book consumed me. It took over my heart and my mind as I read it, and I couldn’t get enough. I needed more. Even when it hurt. Even when it made me shake my head. Even when it made me cry…I needed this book. I needed Seamus, I needed Faith, and as much as it kind of kills me to say this, I needed Miranda.

These characters in So Much More are unlike any other, and their wonderful distinctiveness sets them in a league of their own, yet at the same time they’re so beyond easy to relate to. Even Miranda. Kim Holden allows you to understand them all so fully, so authentically, and in such a way that you get them. I’ll repeat that. You get them in this book on every level possible. Even Miranda. You get them, you understand them, and you feel for them. Even Miranda. Even when you want to strangle them, or shake them, or even knock some sense or fire or something into them, you get them and you love them, you know them, and you understand them, and you sympathize and feel for them. Even Miranda.

So Much More gives you the unforgettable and so thoughtfully intertwined stories of Miranda, Seamus, and Faith, along with a slew of utterly fantastic supporting characters that I can’t get enough of.

Seamus is the epitome of a good father. He’s a man who would do anything for his kids. He’s also a man that is struggling something fierce, and So Much More presents him with even more struggles. And boy does he struggle, and boy does that break your heart, like a lot, but at the same time those struggles reveal all of Seamus. They reveal the good, what makes him so amazing and such a good father and person, and what makes him a person you want to root for. His resiliency and fight in this book, and really the amount of love he has, will have you in awe of him, and really you’ll just love him. All of him.

Faith is the dreamer. She’s an optimist, and she is the definition of what it means to be a good person, a caring person, both inside and out. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t struggled, because she has and in this book she faces so many of those struggles head on, yet she still does it with her good heart and her caring self. Faith is the kind of person I aspire to be. She feels with all she has, she fights just as hard, and in the end she tries, and she does it all with a genuine smile on her face. Reading and experiencing Faith’s character is like a warm hug that just never ends, one that gets better and better, and just feels right all the way through. I love her so damn much. So damn much.

Miranda is…complicated. To say the least. I’ll be honest with you and let you know that I spent much of this book hating her. I hated her thoughts, I hated her choices, and I hated and despised the things she was doing to those around her, along with herself. The more I read this book though, and the more I got in her character’s head, the more I found myself understanding her, and the more I felt bad for her. Yes, she mad horrible choices, did unforgiveable things, and she is definitely no ray of sunshine, yet I still understood where that came from, and why she did the things she did, and more than that, so did she. And she hated it just as much as I did. Her character is one of the most complex and emotion inducing ones I have ever read, and though she sure as hell wasn’t easy to love, like, or even tolerate, I got her. I understood her, and many times, I even felt for her. I got her on the realest and rawest of levels, and that is a true testament to how exceptionally Kim Holden crafted her character because she gave me all of that.

Kim Holden gives you each of these characters in ways you will never forget. She makes these characters real, and messy, and flawed, and that just makes them even more dynamic, even more distinctive, and even more unforgettable. She lets you see them at their highest, their lowest, and at every single point in between as they all journey together in this book, and that is just part of what makes this story the exceptional thing that it is.

I am completely in awe of how she wove together this story, these characters, their flaws, their realities, and everything they shared in So Much More. I honestly don’t have the right amount of words to tell you what it was like to truly experience this book and their story.

This book was so much more than a story. It’s so much more than a book. It’s so much more than just words on a paper.

It’s an experience, it’s a journey, it’s something I’ll never forget reading… and really, it’s everything rolled into one exceptional package.

So Much More is so much more, and Kim Holden’s exquisitely emotional writing made it all possible within the pages of this breathtaking book. What she gives you within the pages of this phenomenal book is a story of love, a story of hate, hurt, and pain, and a story of the tenacity and resiliency that can see you through even the darkest of days, and even the worst moments, if you only you let yourself feel it and embrace what it could give you.

I loved this book. I loved every moment, and feeling, and hurt, and hope, and experience it gave me with these characters. I could probably go on for thousands of more words, and I still wouldn’t even come close to telling you how much I loved this book, and how much you need to read it.

You need this book. You need its powerful emotions. You need its unforgettable moments. You need its incredible characters and everything they so honestly give you. You need its words, its feelings, and its messages. You need its love and its hurt and its life.

You need it all.

Even Miranda.

So please, I beg of you, read this book. Let it consume you, let it move you, and in the end, let it fulfill you in ways you never knew possible. Trust me. You need this book in your life. You need Seamus, you need Faith, and you even need Miranda.

I am telling you that this book will blow you away with everything it has, and honestly, it doesn’t get better than that.

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30Mar2016

Releasing Now: Edge of Chaos by Molly E. Lee

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

Release Date: March 30, 2016

Photo & Cover Design: Regina Wamba / MaeIDesign and Photography

Models: Ripp B. (Dash) & Mackenzy T. (Blake)

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1RF4yq9

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1VRF4ZD

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1TgAcfQ

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1UzLJZl

Blake Caster has been in an emotionally abusive relationship with Justin for so long, she can’t tell what is normal anymore, and so she clings to the one thing that is solidly hers—her passion for extreme weather.

Three years into her Meteorology degree, Blake meets professional storm chaser, Dash Lexington, who is as gorgeous as he is daring. Instantly recognizing her passion and skills in analyzing weather data, he makes a spot for her on his tight-knit storm chasing team. Dash and Blake form a fast friendship and it forces her to realize just how toxic her relationship with Justin is. She can’t deny the lightning-worthy chemistry she has with Dash or how her heart stalls every time he gets too close to a tornado.

With each chase and the cherished moments with Dash, Blake discovers her own self-worth and gains the strength to end things with Justin for good. But he won’t go easily. As Blake tries to sever ties with one man, she fears she’ll lose the other to his dangerous obsession—and she doesn’t know if she’ll be enough to save him from the impending storm that could end them all.

Goodreads

4.5 Must Read Stars

From the moment I read the blurb for Edge of Chaos by Molly E. Lee, I knew I had to read this book. You see, I have a thing for extreme weather. Like a big thing. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book, let alone a romance novel, that explored extreme weather and meteorology, so with that fact along I was hooked into this book. I also have a thing for emotions that are sure to pull at all of mine, and I could tell just from the blurb that Edge of Chaos would do just that…and boy was I right. To say that I felt the emotions of this book is putting it mildly. I felt it all in Edge of Chaos.

This book had the best blend of adrenaline pumping moments, heart squeezing emotion, and more thoughtfully crafted and varied moments than you can shake a stick at.

Edge of Chaos was exciting, it was enthralling and wholly mesmerizing to experience, and from the second I started it I could not put it down to save my life. Along with that captivating experience it gave me, this book also gave me so many emotional moments that I felt every bit of. Every moment of pain and hurt, every moment of strength and fight, every moment of longing and hope, and every moment in between of these characters journeys was one that I lived, breathed, and felt every ounce of. I felt this book, I felt its characters, and I lived through every page of this engaging story with them.

Molly E. Lee completely blew me away with this story of love, self-discovery, excitement, and of course storm chasing that is sure to set your heart racing just a bit.

What I absolutely loved about Edge of Chaos:

Blake’s journey and fight. Blake definitely has a bit of an emotional journey in Edge of Chaos. She’s got to discover who she is, what she really wants, and what she is and isn’t okay with. She needs to face some hard truths, and make some even harder choices, and getting to experience that journey with her through every page of this book connected me to her character in so many ways. That journey made this book for me, and it illuminated so much about Blake’s character. It showed the fire that that girl truly had, it exemplified the strength and tenacity that she had within her all along, and it showed that Blake was bound and determined to figure out exactly what she wanted, and exactly what she needed and was missing all along. Getting all of that with Blake had me loving her to pieces, and I truly could not get enough of her character. She was real, easy to understand and root for, and I found her to be such an authentic female character.
Overcoming the toxicity of the past. Now a huge part of Blake’s story centers on the emotionally abusive relationship she has with her boyfriend Justin. As much as I hated that Blake had to go through what she did with Justin, I understood everything she thought and felt with him because of how fantastically Molly E. Lee connected me to her character. This author let me understand Blake, her shared past with Justin, and with the glimpses of both past and present I understood how things got to be in the present of this book. Much of Edge of Chaos shows the emotional journey and fight Blake goes on in order to end the toxicity that she has with Justin. Reading and experiencing her overcoming that painful past pulled at every single one of my emotions, and connected me even more to Blake because I saw how hard it all was for her, how much she fought, and how she gave it her all to try to be in the exact place she needed to be.
I need a little Dash of that. Dash Lexington is what storm chasers are made of. He’s charming, smart, and a tad on the reckless side. That man stole my attention from the moment he entered the story, and I could not get enough of his goodness, his allure, and just everything that he was. What I loved about Dash is that he really felt like this force to be reckoned with, and he was definitely someone you noticed and felt through every moment, yet he was still genuine and good. I never doubted his intentions or his growing feelings for Blake, and the more I read Edge of Chaos, the more I fell under the storm and power that Dash was. I was smitten to say the least, and really I was completely in love with who he was, what he was all about, and all that he did for Blake in this book.
Build, build, and more build. Now Dash and Blake definitely don’t have it easy in this book. They both have current relationships that aren’t going so hot, and they both have this undeniable connection for one another that they can’t deny. Their shared passion of storms and weather, along with that electric chemistry and heart melting ease they share when they’re together had me loving every interaction they shared. Each and every moment with them was different, was heated and enrapturing in its own way, and added to the immense build between those characters. Their relationship grows, evolves, and builds like crazy through every page of Edge of Chaos, and I was consumed by every bit of that. Blake and Dash’s connection, their feelings for one another, and how it all builds had me loving those two with all that I had.
Twisters and Storm Chasers, Oh My, Oh My! I said it before and I’ll say it again, I love me some extreme weather and storm chasing, and that aspect was weaved so perfectly into this book. It made the book so exciting, so vivid and vibrant, and so easy to hook into. Like I said, I could not put Edge of Chaos down once I started it, and a huge part of that was because I was so enraptured by the science and the storms and the adrenaline pumping moments that Molly E. Lee so thoughtfully crafted in this book. I loved that the extreme weather aspect complimented these characters so well, and that aspect of the book showed so much about Dash, Blake, and all of the rest of the crew while simultaneously pulling me in even more to what I was reading. It felt so real to experience too, and that had me loving every single bit of weather and storm chasing I got in Edge of Chaos.
Writing that had me loving it all! Molly E. Lee’s writing brought Blake’s character and this entire book to life, and I loved everything that that writing gave me. Her writing was so fluid, so easy to sink right into, and it created a world that was so believable, so authentic, and almost tangible at times. Her writing also crafted and created some serious emotion that had me feeling it all, and I for one could not get enough of what that let me experience while I was reading Edge of Chaos. I can’t wait to get my hands on more of this talented author’s writing, and I definitely have my fingers crossed for more of these fantastic characters soon.

Edge of Chaos is a book that seamlessly blends a story of love and a bit of heartbreak, hard choices and truths, and what can happen when you really discover what you want for yourself and what you truly deserve. It’s a story of extreme weather and how far your passions can take you, if you only allow yourself the chance to embrace them. It’s also about what can happen when you meet that one person who can change everything in more ways than one, and how that person just might be the exact thing you need.

This book was mesmerizing to say the least, and the story within its pages was one that I thoroughly enjoyed getting to experience. Experiencing that story and falling in love with the characters I got to meet along the way made this book an all-around outstanding read that gave me everything I was looking for. It had the romance and heat, the connection and feels, and it had the varied and phenomenal level of emotion I crave and need when I read. It also had the wonderfully distinctive moments and experiences that came with storm chasing and extreme weather, and that along with everything else in this book made is so fantastic to read.

I am telling you that you need to read this book and give it a chance to win you over with everything it has. Edge of Chaos has outstanding writing, a story that you won’t soon forget, and characters that will glue themselves to your heart in no time flat. You will love and feel and experience every word of this book, and that will have you loving every bit of what you get with Blake, Dash, and the rest of the gang in this fantastic book.

Kindle Fire (7″ Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB w/ Special Offers, Blk) & Signed paperback of Edge of Chaos

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Book Trailer

https://www.dropbox.com/s/txz261b9q6y2c31/Edge%20of%20ChaosTrailer.mp4?dl=0

Edge of Chaos_FINAL

Molly Lee is an author, editor, and mentor best known from Pitch Wars, a program that connects promising writers to established authors in the community. She writes NA contemporary and YA urban fantasy with strong heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. Throw in high-octane action or any kind of supernatural element and she’ll be hooked. A military spouse with two children and one stubborn english bulldog, Molly enjoys watching storms from the back porch of her Midwest home and digging for treasures at local antique shops.

Connect with Molly

Newsletter Signup Link: http://eepurl.com/8uco5

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MollyElizabethLeeAuthor/?fref=ts

Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/434107490133398/

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14975678.Molly_E_Lee

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MollyELee

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollyelizabethlee/

15Mar2016

Review Post: Foolish Expectations by Alison Bliss (The Sutherlands Anthology)

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

Title: The Sutherands – One Family Saga: 10 Sexy Stories

Authors: USA Today Bestsellers Robin Covington and Kelly Jamieson, Wall Street Journal Bestseller Terri Osburn, and critically-acclaimed and Amazon best-selling authors Alison Bliss, Shyla Colt, Avery Flynn, Abby Niles, Julie Particka, Joya Ryand and Naima Simone

Release Date: March 15

Of Note: 20% of all royalties earned from the sale of the box set will go to the Reach Out and Read Charity. Also, the box set will only be available until April 15, 2016. After that, the stories will be split up and sold individually for $2.99 and up.

Meet the Sutherlands, a Texas oil family that doesn’t break the rules…they make their own. This box set of sizzling hot, never before published full-length novels and novellas about the Sutherland family alpha heroes and kickass heroines just might melt your e-reader and will definitely help you find your next book boyfriend. Featuring:

Shadow Ranch by USA Today Bestseller Robin Covington

Screwed by USA Today Bestseller Kelly Jamieson

Wrecked by WSJ Bestseller Terri Osburn

Foolish Expectations by Alison Bliss

Under the Evening Star by Shyla Colt

Brazen by Avery Flynn

Stripped by Abby Niles

Not the Marrying Kind by Julie Particka

One Forbidden Virgin by Joya Ryan

Sweet Surrender by Naima Simone

5 Charming and Wonderful Stars

This is a review of Foolish Expectations by Alison Bliss.

Foolish Expectations was another charming, perfectly heated, and completely enjoyable read by Alison Bliss. From the very first word until the very last, I was wowed once again by this author’s undeniable talent for creating such a distinct level of humor and charm, for crafting dynamic characters that jumped rooted themselves right into my heart, and her ability to create an authentic connection that just doesn’t quit. Her writing wholly submerged me into this book, heart first, and I could not stop reading it to save my life, and better yet, I didn’t want to stop because it was just that good.

This book was lively, had the best kind of vibrancy and charm with two unforgettable characters, and it gave me a story with the best level of feels, emotion, and fierce chemistry laced all the way through. Foolish Expectations had it all, and I loved every bit of everything that it was giving me because when you read a book as good as this one, there isn’t anything not to love.

Now it’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Alison Bliss. I have read each and every one of this author’s books, and they just keep getting better and better. Her writing is so fluid and easy to sink right into, and the stories she creates are so thoughtfully crafted that they completely take you over when you’re reading them. She always gives me a story that fantastically blends the right amount of everything into a book that is sure to give you one fulfilling reading experience.

Looking for a book with fierce characters that have a dynamic that will have you equally laughing and smirking and blushing through every page? Then this is the book and author for you. Looking for a story that will completely melt your heart from start to finish, and pull at your emotions in the best and most all-feeling way? Then run yourself, don’t walk yourself, to Foolish Expectations. (Or any of Alison’s other phenomenal books.) Looking for an enrapturing book that packs the most superb level of heat and story and fun and meaning into one fantastic package? Well then you guessed it, Foolish Expectations is for you, and I truly can’t say that enough.

I loved this book, and everything within it. Bailey and Nash’s story was full of their sparkling personalities, their unadulterated chemistry, and more humor, heat, and heart than you can shake a stick at. It had it all, and as I sit here writing this review, I just can’t help wanting and feeling like I need to read their story all over again to experience the literal amazingness that is them.

What I absolutely loved about Foolish Expectations:

Bailey’s got some fire. Bailey was a character that I completely loved from the start. The fire shot out of that girl like fireworks on the Fourth of July, and I loved that she wasn’t afraid to tell it like it is no matter what. She was spunky and real and that fire that emanated from her made her so easy to love because it showed the fighting spirit she had. What I also loved about that fire was that with it, I also got to see a more vulnerable side to her too. I got to see what happened when that fire went away, and when those doubts and fears came in and how that affected her. Alison Bliss created her character in such a way that she let me understand and get every part of Bailey. She let me understand her fears and trust issues and where they came from, she let me get why she was scared and why she shielded her heart, and she let me get where that fire came from and why Bailey needed it, and that just had me loving her character to pieces. Bailey was strong yet soft, sassy yet guarded in ways too, and a firecracker to say the least, and that is just part of why I loved her so much.
Nash is a man with a heart of gold. Now Nash Sutherland just about had me from the moment he locked eyes with Bailey in Foolish Expectations, even if she was bound and determined to give that man a run for his money. That man is a charmer, and I truly mean that, as he will have you eating out of the palm of his hand in no time flat because that’s the presence he has. He is charming and sweet and will just about melt your heart every chance he gets, but more than that, he is just an honest to goodness good guy. That’s what shined through the most about him, and that was probably my favorite thing about him. (You know besides the fact that he could melt me with just one look and smile!) He was real and honest and true with his feelings for Bailey, and he was determined to show her that what they were sharing was real and meant something. I loved that that goodness shined through every page of this book, and even when he had those moments of doubts or questions, he was still that good guy I knew him to be, and that just made him golden in my eyes.
One undeniable connection. Bailey and Nash’s connection hits the ground running from the moment they lock eyes in Foolish Expectations, and it doesn’t stop for a second. Not for one single second. Their connection is full of heat and passion and need, and it’s something that neither of them can deny. As much as they might fight it from time to time, and as much as it might make them a bit unsure of what’s happening between them, it’s there, it’s real, and it’s practically palpable. Alison Bliss creates and evolves that connection in a way that is perfect for what Bailey and Nash are sharing. Though their connection never wavers, she couples that fierce connection with the ups and downs they face in a way that works so well and makes sense for them. It also makes the love story they share that more real, undeniable, and full of heartfelt feeling that you won’t soon forget because of the tangible connection Bailey and Nash share.
The pains of the past. Both Nash and Bailey have things from their past that come into this story and threaten the connection that they can’t escape. She’s guarded and has trust issues from the last time she opened her heart, and he’s got some family drama that tends to cloud his thinking and reasoning from time to time. They both have pasts and they both have ramifications from those pasts that work their way into this story, and Alison Bliss weaves it all together in a way that fits their characters and everything that they’re sharing in Foolish Expectations. As much as I hated that they had to experience the pain and doubts that their pasts brought them both, I got it, and I completely understood why they felt the things they did because of their pasts. Understanding their pasts made me love them all the more, and it allowed me to understand them both on such a deeper and meaningful level.
Some good ol’ southern charm. Now like any of Alison’s books, these characters and the world they’re in have the best, and I mean best, southern charm that is sure to have you feeling the southern love in no time. That charm is so distinctive, so vibrant, and so fun, and Alison Bliss weaved it all into Foolish Expectations in the best and most memorable ways. She makes the world of this book come to life with all of that charm and sass, and it makes everything you read in this book that more meaningful, that more fun, and that more undeniably southern in the most fantastic way. I loved that charm and everything it allowed me to feel with Bailey and Nash something fierce, and I truly couldn’t get enough of the vibrancy and effervescent spark that charm gave off through every page.

Foolish Expectations is a story about what happens when life throws you a couple of curve balls you never quite expected. It’s about what happens when you end up down a road you never thought you’d be on, a road full of twists and turns, and a bump or two. It’s about taking risks with your heart, letting go of the past even though it’s hard, and seeing where that new road, that new journey, and all that it has to offer can take you, as long as you give it all a chance and get in the damn car. Let me tell you, you need to get in the damn car and take that chance with Nash and Bailey.

This book was fantastic in every single way. It had dynamic characters that were vibrant, real, and so easy to love and root for. It had a sparkling story that was completely captivating from start to finish, and burst with the best level of connection, charm, and feeling that is sure to melt your heart in more ways than one. It also had Alison Bliss’s phenomenal writing that brought it all to life in the most all-feeling and memorable way that will seriously have you loving this book, these characters, and everything they have to offer in no time flat.

Simply put, Foolish Expectations is a must read book that gives you everything that makes a book exceptional. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would, because it was that undeniably good, that undeniably fun and heated and wonderful, and that undeniably memorable all the way through. Alison Bliss rocked every single aspect of this book and its characters. She let me be there with them through it all. She let me feel everything they were, she let me understand them in the most authentic of ways, and she invested me whole heartedly in everything that Bailey and Nash were sharing, and it truly doesn’t get better than that.

This is the perfect addition to The Sutherlands Anthology, and I for one can’t wait to experience and get more of this author’s utterly fantastic books, stories, and characters real soon!

Get the book for just .99 cents today before the price goes up!

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14Mar2016

Review Post: Freeing Destiny by Faith Andrews

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

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Cover Design: Najla Qamber/Najla Qamber Designs

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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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.

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

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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.

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25Feb2016

Review Post: One to Take by Tia Louise

Posted in Uncategorized by mkcooke

Meet Stuart Knight in One to Take!

#Sexycowboy

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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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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.

ONE TO TAKE

By Tia Louise

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

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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

SIGNED COPIES: http://smarturl.it/SignedPBs

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10Feb2016

Review Post: Distraction by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

Fall in love with Maggie & Sven in Distraction by

Aurora Rose Reynolds

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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?

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!

“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 so

Additional Books in the Underground Kings Series

Assumption (Book 1)

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Obligation (Book 2)

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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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9Feb2016

Review Post: Fighting Solitude by Aly Martinez

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

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**

I 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.

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

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.

Fighting Silence (Book One) On the Ropes

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Fighting Shadows (Book Two) On The Ropes

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Read My Review of Fighting Solitude

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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9Feb2016

Releasing Now: Some Sort of Love by Melanie Harlow

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

Title: Some Sort of Love

Series: Happy Crazy Love #3

Author: Melanie Harlow

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 9, 2016

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.

ADD TO GOODREADS

AMAZON US / UK
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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!

“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.”

Also Available

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Read My Review of Some Sort of Happy

AMAZON US / UK

Read My Review of Some Sort of Crazy

Melanie 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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3Feb2016

Review Post: Enshrine by Chelle Bliss

Posted in Books I love, Releasing Now Book Addicts, Review Post by mkcooke

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.

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!

Available at the following retailers

AMAZON
IBOOKS
NOOK
KOBO
GOOGLEPLAY

ENSHRINE GIVEAWAY – OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

USA 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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ALSO BY CHELLE BLISS

30Jan2016

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

Posted in Books I love, Review Post by mkcooke

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.)

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.

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.

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)~

Amazon | KOBO | B&N

“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 Bitch (Beautiful Series #1.5)~

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“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.

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~Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Series #2)~

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“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 Bombshell (Beautiful Series #2.5)~

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“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.

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~Beautiful Player (Beautiful Series #3)~

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“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 Beginning (Beautiful Series #3.5)~

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“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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“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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“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 Boss (Beautiful Series #4.5)~

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“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!!

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So Much More by Kim Holden

*****5 Exceptional Stars*****

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****4.5 Must Read Stars****

Kindle Fire (7″ Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB w/ Special Offers, Blk) & Signed paperback of Edge of Chaos

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*****5 Charming and Wonderful Stars*****

Get the book for just .99 cents today before the price goes up!

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

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

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Meet Stuart Knight in One to Take!

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

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Fall in love with Maggie & Sven in Distraction by

Aurora Rose Reynolds

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

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

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

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

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

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~Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful Series #1)~

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~Beautiful Bitch (Beautiful Series #1.5)~

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~Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Series #2)~

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~Beautiful Bombshell (Beautiful Series #2.5)~

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~Beautiful Player (Beautiful Series #3)~

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~Beautiful Beginning (Beautiful Series #3.5)~

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~Beautiful Beloved(Beautiful Series #3.6)~

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~Beautiful Secret (Beautiful Series #4)~

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~Beautiful Boss (Beautiful Series #4.5)~

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

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website

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5 Exceptional Stars

4.5 Must Read Stars

5 Charming and Wonderful Stars

5 Amazing & All-Feeling Stars

5 All Feeling Stars

4 Sven & Maggie Stars

5 Q & Rocky All-Feeling Stars

5 You Are Enough Stars

4.5 Beautifully Emotional Stars