Top Reads of 2015!

2015 has officially come to an end! Whoop, whoop!

Well technically it came to an end over 2 weeks ago, but let’s just disregard the fact that I’m a tad behind with this post. Okay? Okay.

It’s a New Year, which means endless possibilities and new chances, and of course lots of new books! giphy

*Insert lots of cheering and celebrating here*

But before we dive into all the fun that 2016 has to offer, I want to share with you some of my favorite books from this year.

2015 was a great reading year for me. I read a total of 221 books this year (at least that’s what my Goodreads tells me I read this year, haha!). I also had the chance to go to some amazing book signings and meets some fabulous authors. I celebrated my Summer of Series  and read my days away, and I have to say that I loved so many of the books I got to read this year.

I fell so hard for so many characters, and was swept away again and again by their unforgettable stories. Many of the books I read were by some of my all-time favorite authors who continue to blow me away on a daily basis, others I read came out of left field and stole my heart completely with everything they had. I even had the chance to fall under the spell of some well loved favorites that have been recommended to me for years. Some of these books made me laugh, a good number of them made me cry, and all of them will stick with me in some way, shape, or form forever.

All in all, 2015 was a good year for me & books, and I want to share with you my favorite ones. Some of these books are standalones, and some are series. Often I couldn’t pick just one favorite book from a series, so I included them all. (That’s my logic, and I’m sticking with it.) Be sure to check them all out! And if you’re looking for more books to fall in love with, head over to my Goodreads page to check out more of what I read in 2015, because I read so many fantastic books this year!! (Way more than I could ever include on one list!)

All of the books below, are memorable, phenomenal, and downright AMAZING to say the least. I could use just about every positive adjective in the book to describe them, and I still wouldn’t come close to capturing what it was like to read them. So please, I beg of you, check them out, read them, and let them amaze. Let them blow you away with all that they’ve got. Trust me. They’re worth it.

Top Reads 2015

**All books selected were read by myself in 2015. Scroll below to read and find out more about them all (they aren’t listed in any kind of order), and as always, thank you for visiting The Never Ending Book Basket.**

~The Sweet Addiction Series: Sweet Addiction, Sweet Possession, & Sweet Obsession by J. Daniels~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“Jesus Christ. It is way too early to talk about dick sizes and which way they curve.”. . .”But for the record, he’s massive and as straight as you pretended to be in high school.” ~Sweet Addiction

“I beg him because he likes it and because it’s true. I do need him; I’ll always need him. How I ever managed to convince myself otherwise is beyond me. I was a complete fool for ever denying my feelings for him.” ~Sweet Possession

“I want him to want me so badly he can’t remember anyone before. I want him to distract me so I’m not completely terrified of what this is or what it’s becoming. I don’t want to think. I just want to feel. His hands. His mouth. The wild pace of his heart.” ~Sweet Obsession

The Sweet Addiction Series by J. Daniels is AMAZING. What starts as a wedding hookup leads to so much more for Reese and Dylan in Sweet Addiction and Sweet Possession. These books are full of fun and heat and so many laugh out loud moments that will send your heart a flutter and melting again and again. They are some of my all-time favorites now, and I can’t get enough of them!! (Especially Joey. That man is my spirit animal.) Sweet Obsession continues the series with one Brooke Wicks and her Aussie obsession Mason King as they explore the intense and consuming connection they share. She’s just looking for a good time, he’s looking for that something more, and what happens when these two are together is nothing short of explosive, hysterical, and meltworthy.

Read My Review of Sweet Addiction & Sweet Possession        Read My Review of Sweet Obsession

~The Wake Series: Sail & Anchor by M. Mabie~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“The best things are worth waiting a little for, honeybee. Otherwise, fairy tales would start with happily ever after.” ~Sail

“Because sometimes things happen that are so far past fantastic you have to do them again simply to see if they’re as spectacular the second time. Those precious moments are almost as good as the next, when you learn sometimes the second-time moments are more.” ~Anchor

Blake and Casey are two of my favorite literary couples EVER. I could go on and on about how much I LOVE those two with my entire heart, and I still wouldn’t come close to capturing my love for them. I could also go on and on about how many times those two made me cry, or want to scream, or want to jump up and down with utter joy and happiness and frustration (sometimes all at once, haha!) I will NEVER forget their story. The events of Sail and Anchor complete their story and show how that Bait of a connection Sails them straight into something they both never knew they wanted and needed, and finds them Anchored in the exact place they needed to be all along. It wasn’t always easy for the two of them, but it was so fucking worth it. Blake and Casey’s story will blow you away, and pull at all of your emotions a million times over, and that was everything!!  

Read My Review of Sail    Read My Review of Anchor

~The On the Ropes Series: Fighting Silence & Fighting Shadows by Aly Martinez~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“You see, meeting the love of my life at age thirteen was never part of my plan. However, neither was gradually going deaf at the age of twenty-one. They both happened anyway. Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life. Fighting for my career. Fighting the impending silence. Fighting for her.” ~Fighting Silence

“When I was nineteen years old, I fell in love with a girl who changed my life by showing me that even the darkest nights still had stars and it didn’t matter one bit that you had to lie in the weeds to see them.”  ~Fighting Shadows 

The Page Brothers…..be still my rapidly beating heart. Those boys own me each and every time I read one of their books, and this series is made its way to being one of my all-time favorites this year. They are all distinctive in their own wonderful ways, but they’re all fierce and strong and determined as hell. Their books follow Till, Flint, and Quarry (his book actually releases in just over a month, and it is AMAZING!) as they fight to get to the exact places they want to be, and do their damndest to escape the shitty card they’ve each been dealt. The journeys they go on to get there will have your heart breaking and racing and healing all at once in a way that is extraordinary to experience. I couldn’t resist the pull, the emotions, and the all-feeling fight from the Page brothers. I will never forget what it was like to be inside that ring with them, or outside of it living and fighting and giving it my all right along with them.

Read My Review of Fighting Silence           Read My Review of Fighting Shadows

~The Flight & Glory Series: Full Measures, Eyes Turned Skyward, & Beyond What is Given by Rebecca Yarros~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“The fire you have within you is impossible to kill. The first breath you take when you’re free of all this, it will come roaring back. That’s what is so impossibly beautiful about you.”   ~Full Measures

“I’ve seen love burn someone to the ground, and I’ve seen it make sense of the ridiculous. I won’t settle for less than that kind of fire.”   ~Eyes Turned Skyward

“This is not a temporary thing between us. There is no deadline. I. Am. Always. Yours.”
He kissed me softly, his tongue tracing my lower lip. “So go ahead and fall. I’ve gotten really good at catching you.”   ~Beyond What Is Given

The Flight & Glory Series was a series I had meant to start reading months ago, and I could kick myself for waiting so long to read these books because they were phenomenal. They had the perfect level of emotion, angst, intensity, pull, along with some unforgettable characters who completely stole my heart. Each of these books follows a different couple, and while they might technically be standalones, I personally think you MUST read all of them because they are all that fantastic and it makes the effect of them all the more immense when they’re read in order. I am a huge military romance lover and these books delivered in every single way. The emotions and how much you feel each of these unique and unforgettable stories will leave you in awe! I read them all in less than 3 days because I could not stop reading. I HAD to know what would happen next!! Rebecca Yarros’s writing is breathtakingly beautiful and captures every ounce of these books. You truly feel and live every word of this series!!

Read My Review of Full Measures          Read My Review of Eyes Turned Skyward

Read My Review of Beyond What is Given

~Kissing Madeline by Lex Martin~

Amazon    B&N    

20632298

“I hate you”, she says under her breath.
“It’ll pass. Then you’ll love me, I promise.”
She turns and glares.” You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
I grin and motion toward her.” You need to be careful. I always keep my promises.” ~Kissing Madeline

The Dearest Series by Lex Martin is fun, engaging, and has an effervescent spark lighting off of every page. Dearest Clementine and Finding Dandelion were two of my top reads last year, so it was no surprise that Kissing Madeline made my list this year. I’m also pretty sure that this book is my favorite of the series! I had been waiting for their story ever since I finished Finding Dandelion last year, and their story did not disappoint one bit. Daren and Maddie’s story was full of so must heat, so many swoonworthy moments, and their connection was out of this world fierce. I was so beyond invested in their story together, and the level of what those two feel for one another will have you rooting with everything you have for them. Kissing Madeline has the best balance of heat, meaning, and an all-feeling love story that I will never stop loving or forget.

Read My Review of Kissing Madeline

~The Paper Swan by Leylah Attar~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

25797013

“I want to remember this,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “If I die tonight, I want to die remembering what it was like to hold the whole world in my hands.”   ~The Paper Swan

The Paper Swan is one of the most beautiful, well crafted, and eloquently written books I have ever read. It gave me a story that consumed me mind, body, and soul, and I am still thinking about this story weeks later. This was another book I meant to read months ago, and I can’t tell you enough how much it left me in awe of its magnificence. Leylah Attar weaves together a story that spans decades and continents, a story that has you on the edge of your seat the entire time and has your heart completely in the story itself with the characters experiencing every twist and turn. The story that Leylah Attar gave me in The Paper Swan is one that I know I will never forget because reading this book is an experience unto itself. This book is breathtakingly emotional, intense and consuming to say the least, and it will literally leave you in awe with the story, emotions, and unforgettable moments it gives you.

Read My Review of The Paper Swan

~Hard Love by Meredith Wild~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

Wild_Hard Love_TP

“Ours was a hard love. We’d fallen hard into it, and we’d fought hard to keep it. Out kind of love didn’t ask nicely. It took. It ravaged. It consumed the heart whole and asked questions later. The rewards were soul-deep and all-consuming, sweeping through like a wildfire.” ~Hard Love

Hard Love was the perfect, and I mean PERFECT, conclusion to Meredith Wild’s Hacker Series. Hard Love brought Blake and Erica’s consuming, hard fought, and amazing love story to a close in a way that did their story justice and had me realizing over and over again why this is one of my favorite series. Hard Love takes you on one last intense and wholly enrapturing ride with Blake and Erica as they face one last fight together. Their story in Hard Love is completely fitting and exemplifies everything that this series stands for: the utterly breathtaking, unforgettable, and all-feeling things that love can bring you if you give your self into it all and allow yourself to have it. I can’t say enough good things about this conclusion and what it gave their dynamic characters. As sad as I am to say goodbye to Blake and Erica, their story in the entire series, and especially in Hard Love, is one that completely stole my heart from beginning to end, and I know that will stick with me far past the end.

Read My Review of Hard Love

~Gus by Kim Holden~

Amazon

23389993

“You only get one chance at this circus called life. Don’t sit in the crowd watchin’ it happen. You jump right in and be the ringleader. That’s where you find your fire.”   ~Gus

A year ago I read a book that changed my life. That book was Bright Side by Kim Holden. Bright Side is a book that will stay with me in my heart, in my mind, and in my soul for the rest of time. Exactly a year later I read Gus, the follow up to Bright Side, and I have no doubt that this book will be joining Bright Side in my heart, and in my soul, and definitely in my mind. Gus is a story about a lot of things. It’s about love and healing and hurt and pain. It’s about what happens when your life is thrown upside down, and you lose the person who was your reason for being. It’s about finding yourself and fixing yourself as you try to put yourself back together again. Gus is also about love. The power of love, how love can heal you, and the unforgettable, all-feeling, and truly wonderful places love can take you if you open yourself up to you. Gus is about moving on, but never forgetting, and I know that I will never forget this book and the beauty and meaning within it. It was perfection, and I am telling you, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!

Read My Review of Gus

~Unforgettable Sun by Kathryn Andrews~

Amazon   

22607887

“…there is only one way to be loved, truly loved, and that’s unconditionally…you are under my skin, in every breath that I take and permanently branded on my heart…I want to be bear you. I burn for you…” ~Unforgettable Sun

Unforgettable Sun is the conclusion to The Hale Brother’s Series by Kathryn Andrews. This book gives you Matt’s story, and I am telling you that this series, and especially this book, is not to be missed. What you get from Matt and Elle in this book is breathtakingly emotional and will squeeze your heart more times than you can count while reading. This book gives you all the answers you’ve been searching for, while giving you a love story that is full of feeling, full of meaning, and full of a hope at healing from the darkness of the past if you only follow the sun. Matt’s story is probably my favorite from this series (though don’t tell Beau & Drew that because I LOVE them too!!). It was phenomenal to finally get into his head after wondering so much about him and what he went through, and though his story broke my heart more times than I could count while reading, I LOVED every all-feeling word of it because it truly gave me everything!

Read My Review for Unforgettable Sun

~Confess by Colleen Hoover~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

22609310

“I’m scared I’ll never feel this again with anyone else,” I whisper.
He squeezes my hands. “I’m scared you will.”
~Confess

It really doesn’t get much better than a book by Colleen Hoover, and Confess is a perfect example of that. This book was beautiful, meaningful, and full of shocking moments from the very first moment to the very last. I can’t tell you enough how utterly mesmerizing Confess is to read. Reading this book will probably make you cry, it’ll definitely make you feel, and somewhere in there while reading it you’ll realize how epic and unforgettable of a love story you are experiencing. Auburn and Owen’s story is full of some big OMG moments, and what those two go through will have you wanting to reach in and make it all better for them both. They both have secrets, both have things from their past they’d rather not remember, and they’re both still currently reeling from those pasts…but when these two come together in this book it is everything and you will be blown away by the colors they paint.

Read My Review of Confess

~The Frenched Series by Melanie Harlow: Frenched, Yanked, Forked, & Floored~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“Stop it, Mia. And don’t even look at his crotch right now. Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t— I did it. I couldn’t help myself.” ~Frenched

“What I’m trying to say is, there’s no perfect life without you. In fact, I no longer dream about a “perfect” life. I only dream about a life with you.” ~Yanked

“We have history. That has weight. It has meaning. And you of all people know that just because something is in the past doesn’t mean it’s dead and buried.”  ~Forked

“Sexually, I wanted him six days to Sunday. Sixty-nine days to Sunday, in fact, and I wasn’t even a sixty-nine kind of girl. Confession: I was, of course I was. I’d just never acted like it in real life. But I’d do it with Charlie. In a heartbeat. And were there other numbers? I’d do those too.” ~Floored

The Frenched Series is one of the most engaging, fun, and sparkling series that I have had the pleasure of reading! These books had the best amount of everything to make a well-rounded series full of so much life, vibrancy, and heat that is sure to bring a certain kind of blush to your cheeks in the best possible way. This series follows a group of girlfriends as they each take a chance on love, and the crazy, unpredictable, and downright amazing things that can happen if they give it all a chance. From Frenched with Lucas *major sigh* and Mia, to Forked with Nick and Coco, and onto Floored with Charlie and Erin, this series gives you 3 phenomenal stories that will have you laughing out loud more times than you can count, will have you practically panting and needing a fan too, and will give you 3 unforgettable stories of friendship, love, and spark, and the life changing things that can happen when you have all 3!! I fell in love with Melanie Harlow’s writing through these books, and she dazzled me completely with these books, so please do yourself a favor and read them!!!

Read My Review of Frenched        Read My Review of Yanked

Read My Review of Forked             Read My Review of Floored

~Corrupt by Penelope Douglas~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

21981841

“When you want to make an impression and you think you’ve gone far enough, go a little further. Always leave them wondering if you’re just a little bit crazy, and people will never fuck with you again.” ~Corrupt 

Corrupt was the first book I had ever read by Penelope Douglas, and to say that it owned me, that it consumed my heart and my mind for hours and hours, and that it wowed me with everything that it had is putting it too mildly. Every dark and twisty page of this book left me blown away by what I was reading. Corrupt gives you the perfect level of suspense, darkness, intrigue and mystery with a healthy dose of intense build and passion and searing heat too. This book shocked me, it awed me, and it had me blushing more times than I could count and I was mesmerized by every word of it. This book definitely pushed me a bit as a reader, but I loved every second of it, and the story I read in Corrupt is one that I know I will never forget because of how corrupting and fantastic and utterly mind blowing it was.

Read My Review of Corrupt

~The Fall Up by Aly Martinez~

Amazon

the fall up cover ebook

“I’m going to make things awkward. It’s kinda what I do. Just bear with me.”
She licked her lips, and I was forced to kiss her again. When I finally came back up for air, I continued.
“My name is Samuel Nathan Rivers. I’m twenty-seven. Aquarius. No criminal history. I have a clean bill of health. I’m a democrat, but for God’s sake, do not tell my mom. I own a furniture shop and clear six figures a year. I’m not interested in your money. I’ll show you my tax return if need be. I’m also not a super-fan interested in your fame. But, for the love of all that’s holy, I need you to come home with me.”   ~The Fall Up

Oh The Fall Up….Oh Sam, Oh Levee, Oh how much I LOVED this all-feeling, emotional, and breathtaking book. It’s not secret that Aly Martinez is one of my favorite authors (you’ll see a couple of her other books in this post too) and this book completely blew me away. It’s a bit different than her other books, but it’s just as amazing and mesmerizing and emotional. This book made me cry and feel and live everything Sam and Levee did. Boy did I cry and feel and live this book, and I can’t say enough how much Aly Martinez allowed me to be in this book with these characters. I fought with them, I struggled with them, and in the end I fell hard and fast for them because I could not resist the dynamic and distinctive spell of Sam and Levee. The Fall Up Explores what happens when you reach rock bottom and you’re not sure which way is up, and how meeting the right person, the perfect person, can change it all, can heal you, and can send you falling up to the exact place you need to be. PLEASE. I BEG OF YOU. Read The Fall Up this instant because Sam and Levee and their emotional all-feeling story is not to be missed!!!

Read My Review of The Fall Up

~Blue Horizons by Kathryn Andrews~

Amazon

3a14d-bluehorizons_amazon_ibooks_coversm

“All I ever wanted was to be somebody. Somebody to someone and somebody to myself. Ten years later with the brush of her hair across my arm, and the flash of blue under the lights of the bar, I knew, just like that…I’d finally been found.” ~Blue Horizons

Kathryn Andrews never fails to deliver a story and a set of characters that I am emotionally invested in from the first word until well beyond the very last. Blue Horizons tells the story of Ash and Ava, two people who are searching. They’re searching for that something more, they’re searching for that meaning, and they’re searching for that peace, that calm, that something that will make them feel complete. What they both don’t expect is the immense pull they share with one another, and the events and feelings that unfold between them after a chance encounter in a bar. Blue Horizons gives you a story full of feels, full of many moments that will squeeze your heart again and again, and two characters who help each other find exactly what they’ve been missing. Kathryn Andrew’s phenomenal writing brings it all to life in the most authentic and all-feeling way, and in the end you will be in awe of what you’ve gotten from Ash and Ava and their emotional journey. This is a book you need in your life, and one that will have you feeling it all with Ash and Ava as they give it all a chance together.

Read My Review of Blue Horizons

~The Alabama Summer Series: Where I Belong, All I Want, What I Need, & Where We Belong by J. Daniels~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“I know what being around you does to me.” I grab her hand and place it against my chest, my other hand reclaiming its spot on her hip. Her eyes dart from my face to where her hand is and I see her eyes react to the effect she has on me. “Do you feel that? That’s what you do to me. Every fucking time I’m near you.” I can hear her heavy breathing while her eyes stay glued to her hand. I don’t say anything else. I just let her feel it. You own this part of me. Take it.” ~Where I Belong

“I don’t feel anything when I’m with them. I don’t even see them. I see you. I taste you. And when they ask me who Tessa is, because that’s the only name I’m saying in their ear, you wanna know what I tell them?” She sniffs loudly and her lip trembles, but she doesn’t answer. And I don’t wait for her to, either. I lean closer, brushing my nose against her cheek and up to her temple. “I tell them she’s the worst fucking thing that ever happened to me, and I can’t let her go.” ~All I Want

“I want this,” he says moving his finger along my cheek, tucking some of my hair behind my ear. “Whatever this is between us, I want it. I can’t stop thinking about you. I haven’t been with anyone else since you kissed me that first time. I don’t want to be.” I smile, leaning into his head as it caresses my face. “I want this too. So much.”  ~When I Fall

“Nothing is wrong with you, Angel. I’m the same way.” I thrust my hips a little and she gasps. Her head rolls to the side. “I ache for you. Want you so bad I can’t fucking breathe” “Will it always be like this?” Like this-wild and vital. More than necessity to me. I grab her face and kiss her hard, sucking a little on her tongue. “What do you think?” She nods, whimpering a quiet “yes” into my mouth, then leaning back to gaze at me and tugging the ends of my hair. “I ache for you too.” ~Where We Belong

The Alabama Summer Series by J. Daniels is one of my all-time favorites, and these books are all guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, a flutter to your heart, and a certain kind of blush to your cheeks if you know what I’m saying. I obviously love J. Daniel’s stories, characters, and writing to pieces, and I will one click the shit out of anything this woman writes because all of her stories have the perfect balance of fun, heat, emotions and feels. Each and every book in The Alabama Summer Series made me fall even harder for the characters of this series. It truly doesn’t get much better then Ben and Mia, or Luke and Tessa, or Reed and Beth… and don’t even get me started on how much I want and need the next book in this series in my life. (CJ & Riley… YOU. ARE. MINE.) These book are exceptionally paced, phenomenally written, and they truly hit the spot in every way, shape, and form. They allow me to laugh and feel and feel the effervescent spark they all have, and they deliver it all in one wonderful, seriously charming southern package that is not to be missed!

Read My Reviews of Where I Belong & All I Want   Read My Review of When I Fall

Read My Review of Where We Belong

~The Changing Colors Series by N.A. Alcorn~

Amazon

“I want you Little Wing…” She starts to interrupt, but I press two fingers over her lips, stopping her. “I’ve never lied to you, nor have I ever lied to any woman, just to get a leg over. I’m honest to a fault. And I’m telling you right now that this isn’t some ploy to get in your knickers. This is me, telling you, that I want you. Since the moment I met you, I’ve been distracted by thoughts of you. I don’t know where all this is coming from, but I know you’re feeling it too.” ~Forget

“Because you needed to be reminded. You need to remember what makes us so right. The minute I saw you sitting on that train, I thought you were every fantasy I’d ever had come to reality. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Your long hair, full lips…” He pauses, thumb reaching up and brushing across my bottom lip. “And eyes that I swear could see right through me. you were so fucking beautiful, Brooke. You’re still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.” ~Blur 

Forget and Blur by N.A. Alcorn are two of the most emotional, musical laced, and vibrant reads I have EVER read. These books blew me away. Literally. When I read them, I couldn’t stop reading or feeling or breathing or taking in all of the literal magnificence they were giving me. There was an almost palpable magic to them, a liveliness and pull that got stronger and fiercer the more I read. I was completely in love with Brooke and Dylan’s story from the instant I started it. Their story was full of emotional ups and downs, the most amazing meaning and feeling, and I can’t even begin to describe and capture the draw and power of what those two share with one another. This duet follows the two of them as they take a chance and give into those powerful feelings, only to have things go the exact opposite way from what they both wanted. Forget and Blur is about what happens when you come face to face and heart to heart with the exact thing you need, the exact thing you never knew was coming your way, the exact thing you’re missing, and what happens when all of that power and deeply felt feeling hits you. Square in the heart, and in your mind, and your soul. The music and love and effervescent spark and feeling and emotion in this duet will have you falling hard and fast. Trust me. These books are AMAZING!

Read My Review of Forget     Read My Review of Blur

~Live Me by Celeste Grande~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

Live Me ebook

“Just be sure when this happens, you’re ready because you’ll be mine from that moment forward. I don’t intend on letting you go-ever.” He slid one finger under my chin and lifted my tear stained gaze to his. “Be with me, Angel. Be mine. Be my forever.” My insides shook violently. My whole body went numb, both unfeeling and feeling everything at the same time. All I had to do was say yes. Three little words. One word. Yes.” ~Live Me

Live Me is a book that pulled at every single emotion and feeling that I had. This book hurt my heart, tried to heal it again and again, and in the end I was simultaneously blown away by what it allowed me to experience and feel, while feeling like I was still shattered a bit because of what I read. I often gravitate towards books that will give me some serious emotional moments, but I was not prepared for how breathtakingly emotional and heart squeezing Live Me would be. I was also not prepared for all the meltworthy and swoon inducing moments courtesy of Blake and Eva. This book is the start to their story, and I couldn’t be more in love with both of their characters if I tried. Blake’s fierce determination and Eva’s strength to fight through the darkness of her past, made them a couple I was rooting for from the very first time they were together. This book made me cry and laugh and feel and take it all in right along with them. I couldn’t believe this was Celeste Grande’s book…her writing was so fluid, so all-feeling, and so extraordinary, and she truly gave me a story and characters that found their way into the deepest parts of my heart. This book is EVERYTHING, and you will feel every word of it. I can’t wait for the continuation for Blake & Eva’s story. I NEED it. Like yesterday.

Read My Review of Live Me

~Priest & Midnight Mass by Sierra Simone~

Amazon

“Whatever happens after this, I just want you to know that this was worth it. You were worth it. You were worth everything.”   ~Priest

“Is it weird to pray during sex? Maybe it is, but sometimes it happens. I’ve tried to accept that it’s who I am—a man who loves God, and who loves fucking, that I can be dirty and holy all in the same moment.” ~Midnight Mass

If you’re looking for book that will push your boundaries a bit, that will have you blushing and turning pink the more and more you read, and that will give you an unforgettable story, then Priest and its follow up Midnight Mass are for you! Now being a born and raised Catholic, I was definitely pulled into the premise of this book and how Sierra Simone would deliver a story on such a forbidden and taboo topic. What she gave me in Priest and Midnight Mass was one of the most eloquently written, beautifully emotional, and thought provoking books I have EVER read. She definitely pushed my boundaries a bit in these books, and I LOVED that. This book made me think and wonder and feel. It gave me Tyler and Poppy and their extraordinary pull and connection as they tried to figure out what they were going to do with all they felt. These books cover a wide range of topics from love to religion, to darkness and light, to pasts and healing, and in between you get a love story that is not to be missed. These books were so phenomenally written, and Sierra Simone delivers on every level with all that Poppy and Tyler give you.

Read My Review of Priest    Read My Review of Midnight Mass

~Kyland by Mia Sheridan~

Amazon

23637440

“I think that when enough time has passed, when you’ve survived that which you didn’t imagine you could, there’s a dignity in that. Something you can own. A pride in knowing the pain made you stronger. The pain made you fight to succeed. Someday, when I’m living my dreams, I’m going to think of all the things that broke my heart and I’m going to be thankful for them.” ~Kyland 

Mia Sheridan never fails to write a book full of distinctive characters, stories that pull at your heart and your mind in more ways than one, and an exceptional level of feeling and emotion that will stay with you well beyond when you reach the end. Kyland gave me everything I’ve come to love and expect from her books, and the story she gave me within its magnificent pages is one that was beautiful, full of meaning, and showed the true tenacity, fight, and determination of her characters. Tenleigh and Kyland’s story in this book pulled at all of my feelings and emotions, and I was rooting for those two in the start. Kyland tells their story of fight, of struggle. Their story of what it’s like to want something so badly, to crave it so much you can practically taste it, and the life changing things that happen when you meet someone who changes everything. A poignant story that struck so many chords, Kyland tells a story of what it’s like to struggle, what it’s like to give something and someone your all, and how even when things don’t go the way you wish they could, you can still experience the most amazing and heartfelt moments that will change your life in ways you never thought possible.

Read My Review of Kyland

~Asking For It & Begging For It by Lilah Pace~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“Once again that mixture of fear and desire surges through my veins, the same kind of fire I imagine injected heroin must feel like—an agony so sweet you’d do anything for it.”   ~Asking For It

“We are bound together and yet parted. Two halves that can’t be glued into a whole. Maybe that’s how it is when you find someone whose wounds are the same as your own.” ~Begging For It

Asking For It and Begging For It are two of the most provocative, outstandingly written, thought provoking, and intense books that I have ever read. The story that Lilah Pace gave me within their pages pushed my mind, my thoughts, my heart, and my soul. She thoughtfully crafted a consuming story that will literally blow you away with everything it has. These books tackle a very thought provoking topic and a fantasy that is sure to make you think and feel and wonder. In these books Lilah Pace explores what happens when two people who share the same fantasy of force, come together both literally and figuratively, physically and emotionally, and how they fare the tumultuous, intense, and consuming waters that surround their shared desire and fantasy. Vivienne and Jonah’s story is one of the most exceptionally written and conveyed ones that I’ve read. They’re full of heat and desire and moments that will have you searching for the nearest fan, but they’re also about so much more. They’re about discovering things about yourself and your wants, they’re about finding someone who gets you, who understands your innate needs, and who is willing to do whatever it takes for you. These books are about the unforgettable moments and experiences the right person can give you, if you open yourself up to them.

Read My Review of Asking For It    Read My Review of Begging For It

~Perfectly Imperfect by Harper Sloan~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000039_00005]

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

It’s no secret that Harper Sloan is one of my favorite authors. She always gives me a story that fulfills me on many levels, and after reading Perfectly Imperfect, I’m pretty sure she gave me a story that is not only my favorite of hers, but is a book that will stay with me in some way, shape, or form. This book blended the most amazing and relatable message with a love story that gave me all the feels and emotions I wanted and craved. Harper Sloan wrote a book that I got completely. I understood Willow. I LOVED Willow. I am Willow. Perfectly Imperfect tells the story of one girls fight and journey as she comes to accept and love herself, all her imperfections, and the amazing person she is. This book also tells the story of what happens when the right person finds that amazing girl, and shows her again and again how out of this world she is. Perfectly Imperfect gave me it all, and the messages that were bursting so beautifully and meaningfully from its pages are not to be missed!

Read My Review of Perfectly Imperfect

~Playing With Fire by Alison Bliss~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

26633250

“Funny how one woman can make everything around you look so different isn’t it?” Cowboy rubbed at the back of his neck and grinned. “Like getting lost in my own backyard.” ~Playing With Fire

Rules of Protection was one of my top reads last year, so it was no surprise to me that its follow up, Playing With Fire, made my top reads list for this year. With the perfect amount of Texas charm, laugh out loud humor, and so many moments that are guaranteed to melt your heart…and other things, Playing With Fire delivered in every way. This book had the best balance of meaning, humor and charm, and it gave me yet another chance to be with the fantastic characters that make this series what it is. Reading this book felt like coming home in a way, and I felt wrapped up in everything this book and its characters had to offer right from the start. Anna and Cowboy’s story is definitely interesting to say the least, and you will be laughing, and feeling, and basking in everything they give you as it all unfolds. These two seemingly opposites attract in the fiercest of ways, and their story is not to be missed. I am already looking forward to more fun and crazy shenanigans with these characters, and that is all because of what Alison Bliss created in this book!

Read My Review of Playing With Fire

~Hard Beat by K. Bromberg~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

24611562

“Whoever said love is like war, easy to begin but hard to end, knew exactly what he was talking about.” ~Hard Beat

I love me a book by K. Bromberg something fierce. She has created some of my all-time favorite stories and characters (Colton and Rylee, anyone?!) and I was beyond ready to jump into Hard Beat when it released. What I was not expecting was this book to become my favorite book of hers. I have LOVED all of her books, and I always will, but Hard Beat was AMAZING in its own unique and distinctive way. Hard Beat gave me a story that was definitely a bit different than the other books that I’ve read by this author, but I think that’s what made me love it so much. Tanner and Beaux’s story had all the emotions, connection, and pull that I’ve come to expect and love from K. Bromberg’s writing and stories, but it gave me a story that blew me away with everything it had. Maybe it was because of the level of mystery weaving its way through the book, maybe it was because this book takes place in a whole different world, or maybe its because of Tanner and Beaux and the characters they are, but simply put, this book was outstanding in every way. Hard Beat was enrapturing and all-feeling and intense to say the least, and I could not have asked for anything more from what Beaux and Tanner so outstandingly gave me within its pages!

Read My Review of Hard Beat

~The Found Duet: Find Me & Free Me by Laureling Paige~

Amazon

“Usually he made me feel wanted. Right now, I didn’t feel that in the least. But what I did feel-the reason I followed him despite the tension radiating off his body-was needed. He needed me. Maybe only for tonight, maybe only for this hour. But I knew that sure as I knew anything.” ~Free Me

“Gwen,” he said, and every part of me melted at that word. “I was lost when you met me. And then you found me. You have been the only thing besides revenge that has kept me alive. And really? Living for revenge isn’t any sort of life at all.” Cry. That’s what the urge was. My throat was thick and my eyes glossy. I’d thought there was no possible way I could be important in his world after Corinne,and  here he was telling me that I was wrong. His lips crept into the hint of a smile. “Did I ruin it?” “Not even a little bit.” My voice sounded tight, but actually I felt more open than I had in a long time. The hint turned into a full grin. “Also, you have the nicest tits and pussy I’ve every seen.” “Dammit. Now you ruined it.” “I totally did, didn’t I?” ~Find Me

Laureling Paige is one of my favorite writers for a reason: she always gives me a well-rounded story filled with the perfect level of connection, heat, and mesmerizing feeling. She always delivers a story that is equal parts intense, consuming, and unforgettable to say the least, and The Found Duet was no different. JC and Gwen’s story was enrapturing, heart racing, and all-feeling to say the least, and I LOVED every word I got from these two. They completely pulled me in, and they never let me go once while I was reading these books. This series is a spin off of Laurelin Paige’s fantastic Fixed Trilogy, and I have to say it was amazing to be back with all of these characters once again. I had always been curious of Gwen’s character, and these books gave me all of her and more. I loved that girl something fierce, and the journey she goes on with JC will pull at your heart more times than you can count. It’ll also probably melt you a bit from time to time too, and what you get from these two as they fight against and give into the world of feeling they share, will have you loving them both to pieces. Trust me.

Read My Review of Free Me    Read My Review of Find Me

~The Strictly Business Series: The Best Medicine & Just Say Yes by Elizabeth Hayley~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“He was again overwhelmed by how deeply she seemed to see him. When she looked at him, she seemed to be dissecting him—as if she were trying to fir pieces of a puzzle together. It surprised him how badly he wanted her to figure him out.” ~The Best Medicine

“Carpe diem, Quinn. Today is the first day of the rest of your life (is that how that corny saying goes?). Anyway, I decided that we needed to up the stakes for your first foray into Good Girl Gone Bad-dom.” ~Just Say Yes

Elizabeth Hayley is one of my favorite writing duos, and their books are chalk full of laugh out loud humor, moments that will have your cheeks heating and hurting simultaneously because your smiling and blushing like crazy, and characters that never fail to find themselves in your heart. I have LOVED all of their books, and this year they released The Best Medicine and Just Say Yes, two interconnected standalones that tell the charming, fun, and utterly fantastic love stories of a group of friends. The Best Medicine follows Lauren and Dr. Scott, and their back and forth banter is sure to win you over on about page 2. Just Say Yes follows Quinn and Tim, Lauren’s best friend and Scott’s brother respectively, as Tim tries to help Quinn get out of her comfort zone. Both of these books were fabulous, and they tell two very different stories of love, and the event filled, humor driven, and feeling and emotion bursting moments that it takes to get there. Both of these books and characters highlight the talent and phenomenal writing skills of Elizabeth Hayley. These books had me loving these two even more, and I can’t wait to read what comes next in this must read series!!

Read My Review of The Best Medicine   Read My Review of Just Say Yes

~The Tangled Series: Tangled, Twisted, Tamed, & Tied by Emma Chase~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“Women fall in love quicker than men. Easier and more often. But when guys fall? We go down harder. And when things go bad? When it’s not us who ends it? We don’t get to walk away. We crawl.” ~Tangled

“He yells, “I want any part of you that you’re willing to give me!”
We both fall quiet. Breathing hard. Staring each other down.
And his voice drops low. Defeated. “I’ll take anything, Kate.
Just . . . don’t tell me it’s over. I won’t accept that.”   ~Twisted

“Life is a short, wild ride. Don’t try to put the brakes on, don’t over-analyze or try to control it. If you’re lucky, like I was, you’ll find that perfect someone who’ll sit next to you and hold your hand through every curve, every up and down.” ~Tamed

“I’m not gonna wish you happiness, ’cause you’ve already got that. So I’ll just say, may the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon our face. May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live. May there be a generation of children on the children of your children. May you live to be a hundred years, with one extra year to repent. And may the saddest day of your and Kate’s future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.” ~Tied

Now I know I am WAY BEHIND on reading this books, so please excuse the fact that I just read the Tangled Series by Emma Chase this year. I am sorry. I messed up big time because these books were AMAZING, laugh out loud funny, and they introduced me to one of my new favorite authors. I LOVED every word of this series, the feels, the laughs, the moments that squeezed my heart and the moments that had my cheeks hurting because I was smiling so much. If you haven’t read these books, then you NEED to. They are fantastically written, and half of them are told from a solely male point of view, which is outstanding in case you were wondering. Drew Evans is one of the most distinctive, effervescent, and wonderful male characters I have ever had the chance to fall in love with, and I basked in everything that that man gave me. He is charming and wonderful and he has absolutely no filter, and experiencing what it was like for that man to fall in love was EVERYTHING. This series gave me the best of him, Kate, and all of the other unforgettable characters of these books, and I loved every single wonderful bit of them!

Read My Review of Tangled    Read My Review of Twisted

Read My Review of Tamed   Read My Review of Tied

~9 Minutes & Out of  Time by Beth Flynn~

Amazon

“A story about a man who has loved me from the very beginning, from the first glance. The man who always was and still is my soul mate.” ~Nine Minutes

“Answer me. You think you can just take whatever you want?” He looked over at her and smiled. “I took you, Kitten.”  ~Out of Time

Nine Minutes and Out of Time by Beth Flynn are two of the most well plotted, gripping, and thrilling books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I swear Beth Flynn must have gone through thousands of index cards when writing and plotting this book, because of how well layered these books were. I was completely consumed by these books from start to finish, and I could not get enough of the mesmerizing story and characters they allowed me to experience. The story that this series tells spans decades and states, and it will reach every recess of your mind and heart while you are reading everything from its pages. This series tells the story of Ginny, a young girl who is captured by a south Florida motorcycle gang, and it follows her in the years she spent with them. I am telling you that this book will bend your mind, and just when you think you know how it’s all going to go, you will be blown away by where it actually goes. Beth Flynn’s outstanding storytelling gave me a group of characters and a story that I can’t wait to get more of! These books are not to be missed, and I am telling you that they will bend your mind and capture your heart through every page!

Read My Review of Nine Minutes     Read My Review of Out of Time

~Empty Promises by Elle Brooks~

Amazon

Sad woman is lying in bed with her arm on head and eyes. Young woman with long hair, wears pink underwear.

It wasn’t until I knew that I was about to die, that I decided to really live. And it wasn’t until I gave up on love, that I finally found it. Just not in any of the places that I’d been searching. Sometimes you don’t get the fairytale happily ever after, but if you’re lucky, you get so much more. You get a perfect beginning that you can keep hold of until the end.” ~Empty Promises

Empty Promises was the first book that I read by Elle Brooks, and it’s what made me fall in love with her writing and fantastic storytelling. What she gave me in Empty Promises fulfilled me on so many levels, and the level of emotion and feeling behind what she was writing completely stole my heart. This book is the third book in her Promises Series, but it can either be read before the other two books or after, and I LOVED that because this book made me HAVE to read the other books in the series. Empty Promises tells an emotional and heart squeezing story of first love, promises, and the hope and pain that accompany Emily as she tries to make her last few months on this planet unforgettable. I will tell you now…have your tissues ready for this book. It will pull at every emotion you have and will have you relishing in what Emily shares with Lucas and the fight she goes on in this book. Empty Promises completely stole my heart from beginning to end, and Elle Brooks’s fantastic and all-feeling writing brought it all to life in the most authentic and enrapturing way!

Read My Review of Empty Promises

~The Law of Moses & The Song of David by Amy Harmon~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“Everyone always talks about being color blind. And I get that. I do. But maybe instead of being color blind, we should celebrate color, in all its shades. It kind of bugs me that we’re supposed to ignore our differences like we don’t see them, when seeing them doesn’t have to be a negative.” ~The Law of Moses

“Millie told me once that the ability to devastate is what makes a song beautiful. Maybe that’s what makes life beautiful too. The ability to devastate. Maybe that’s how we know we’ve lived. How we know we’ve truly loved.” ~The Song of David

Amy Harmon has created many beautiful and unforgettable stories that I have found myself lost in, and I have loved each and every story of hers that I have had the chance to read. Earlier this year when I read The Law of Moses and The Song of David, I was once again blown away by the power, emotion, and beauty of her writing, and I have no doubt that these two books will be some of my favorites from her. I LOVED them. I loved what they made me think and feel and experience. I love how I hurt through them, hoped through them, and felt the fierce and determined fight of these characters through every page of what I was reading. Amy Harmon’s vivid and all-feeling writing weaves together two stories that will make you think and feel and live it all with her characters in the most captivating ways, and in the end you will be in awe of what you’ve just read. Moses and David left me in awe. They blew me away with their respective stories, and the unforgettable moments I got with them in their books are some that I will NEVER forget. The beauty and eloquence of Amy Harmon’s writing brings these characters and stories to life in the most phenomenal way, and I can’t say enough wonderful things about both of these books and the literary magic they cast.

Read My Review of The Law of Moses    Read My Review of The Song of David

~The Consolation Duet: Consolation & Conviction by Corinne Michaels~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“You’re supposed to be untouchable, and yet here you are in my arms. I don’t know if I’m lucky or a fucking idiot. I just know that when we’re together, it feels right. It feels like we’re supposed to be.” ~Consolation

“Loving you was never the issue. It’s keeping you when you’re not mine to have.” ~Conviction

The Consolation Duet by Corinne Michaels is a military romance at its finest. What she gives you in this duet is nothing short of phenomenal, and the level of connection and pull you will feel from and to Natalie and Liam as you read these books is out of this world. From the moment I started these books, I couldn’t stop reading them, and I will tell you now be glad both book are out, because the cliffhanger in Consolation…I’m still not over that! (And I love that months later I still feel that! Major props to Corinne Michaels for that!) Consolation and Conviction tell an authentic, all-feeling, and consuming love story about what happens after. It’s about what happens when you’re sent reeling from the events that come your way, and what happens when the person who helps you put yourself back together, the one who helps make you whole once again, is the one person you shouldn’t be with. Natalie and Liam’s story in this book pulled at every emotion I had, and I could not get enough of the two of them! I loved them fiercely, rooted for them with all I had, and melted and felt and lived every breath of these books with them because of Corinne Michael’s outstanding writing. Trust me. You want and NEED these books in your life!

Read My Review of Consolation   Read My Review ofConviction

~Never Never Part 1 &2 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“You think you can make me like you again?”
I look over at her and give my head the slightest shake. “No. I’m gonna make you fall in love with me again.”
~Never Never Part 1

“Never forget that I was your first real kiss. Never forget that you’ll be my last.
And never stop loving me between all of them.
Never stop, Charlie.
Never forget.” ~Never Never Part 2

I have never had more questions, upon questions, upon questions while reading a story than I had when I read Never Never Part 1 and 2 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher. This story blew me away, and it had my mind mentally trying to put it all together the more and more I read. Never Never Part 1 and 2 are gripping, captivating to say the least, and in the end of Part 2 I think I had more questions than answers, but I LOVE that. This series tells the story of Silas and Charlie, two people who wake up with no memory of who they are, and it follows them both as they try to put the pieces of the puzzle back together again. This series is full of mystery and suspense with a healthy dose of pull and connection, and a helluva lot of questions, and I am telling you that just when you think you might’ve figure out something, a new piece of information will come along to shatter everything you think you know. I have never read a series quite like this one, and I know I probably never will again because it doesn’t get more thrilling or enrapturing or mesmerizing than what Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher created in this series. It should also be noted that the last and final part of the series releases in just a few short weeks, and I can’t wait for that last piece of the puzzle. I. NEED. IT.

Read My Review of Never Never Part 1   Read My Review of Never Never Part 2

~The Fading Series: Fading, Freeing, & Falling by E.K. Blair~

Amazon    B&N

“I don’t understand what I did that was so wrong.”
Wiping away my tears with his thumb, he says,
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then why did this happen to me?” ~Fading

“In the end there doesn’t
have to be anyone who
understands you…
There just has to be someone
who wants to.”
~Freeing

“I’m sure she can hear my heart pounding, but I need her to hear me. I need her to feel it as it thuds in my chest because I need her to hear me falling for her, ‘cause that’s what’s happening here – I’m falling. I never wanted to before, but with her, all I want to do is fall. Fall into her. Fall so deep inside of her heart so that I never have to be without her.” ~Falling

How do I even begin to describe my LOVE for The Falling Series by E.K. Blair? This is one of the most well written, utterly emotional, and all-feeling stories that I have ever read. Each book had me falling harder and harder under the spell and pull of these characters. What I think I loved the most about this series was that each book was told solely from a different characters perspective, yet all three books surround the same event and the ramifications of that event on each of the characters. E.K. Blair wove together 3 unique and distinctive stories in this series, and with each new character, and each new book, I fell more and more in full on love with Jace, Candace, and Ryan. Their stories were all emotional, all intense, and I felt and breathed and lived every word of them through E.K. Blair’s outstanding writing. These books will give you one of the most fulfilling and consuming stories you’ll ever read, and I truly can’t recommend them more to you. The level of emotion and connection you will feel to them all as they search for that light among the darkness, as they try to heal from all the pain they experience, and as they try to find the one thing they all so truly deserve, love.

Read My Review of Fading    Read My Review of Freeing

Read My Review of Falling

~The One Night Series: One Night Promised, One Night Denied, & One Night Unveiled by Jodi Ellen Malpas~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“I want to surrender myself to you completely, Livy. I want to be yours. You are my perfect.”  ~One Night Promised

“She’s the blood in my veins.” He speaks clearly and softly. “She’s the air in my lungs.” There’s a slight pause, and I’m sure I hear William inhale a shocked breath. “She’s the bright, hopeful light in my tortured darkness. I’m warning you, Anderson. Don’t try to take her away from me.” ~One Night Denied

“I fucking love her!” Tears burst from my eyes and I fall into his side. He immediately grabs me and pulls me close. “I love her. I love everything she stands for and I love how much she loves me. It’s more than you love me. It’s more than any of you claim to love me! It’s pure and light. It’s made me feel. It’s made me want more. If any fucker tries to take her away from me, I’ll fucking kill them.” ~One Night Unvieled

Jodi Ellen Malpas has one of the greatest writing talents that I have ever experienced, and I am so thrilled that I finally read all of her books this year. I LOVED every single heart racing, well thought out, and exceptionally written word of this series and I was blown away by everything her series gave me. Livy and M’s story has the perfect level of suspense and mystery, emotion and feeling, and a love story that you will feel every ounce of. When I finally got around to reading this series this past summer, I couldn’t stop reading these books. I couldn’t get enough of what I was getting from these books. Every jaw dropping moment, every shocking revelation, and every bit of feeling and love that bursts from Livy and M will leave you in awe of their story and what Jodi Ellen Malpas creates for them. I thought it would be hard to top Jesse Ward, because that man is everything, but M, and everything I got from him in this series just about had Jesse beat. Seriously. This series is not to be missed, and every emotion, every feeling, and every meltworthy moment of this series had me loving it all even more!

Read My Reviews of The One Night Series

~The Edge of Never & The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“I think that if past lives are real then we have been lovers in every single one of them. I’ve known you for a short time, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”   ~The Edge of Never

“You’re the world to me,” I whisper onto
her lips. “I hope you never forget that.”
“I’ll never forget,” she whispers back.. “But if I ever do, for
whatever reason, I hope you’ll always find a way to remind me.”
…“Always.”
   ~The Edge of Always

This is another series that I can’t believe I waited so long to read….I had always meant to read them, and with one not so subtle shove from a friend of mine, I started reading them and I LOVED THEM. I could not stop reading and feeling and living Andrew and Camryn’s story. The intensity of what those two feel for one another is out of this world phenomenal, and reading their story in this series had me falling hard and fast for the both of them. The Edge of Never and The Edge of Always had my heart reeling, my pulse racing, and I simply couldn’t get enough of what they both so authentically and fully gave me. Their story is one that had the perfect level of emotion, the best amount of feeling, and showed the amazing things that love can bring you if you only open yourself up to it. Andrew and Camryn had an amazing and unforgettable love story that mesmerized me from start to end. There was so much meaning and feeling behind everything that they shared, and I loved every bit of what they gave me in their story!

Read My Reviews of The Edge of Never & The Edge of Always

~The Blackistone Affair: Naked, All In, Eyes Wide Open, & Rare and Precious Things by Raine Miller~

Amazon    B&N     KOBO

“That picture changed everything. I was not the same after I saw it and I couldn’t go back to the man I’d been before seeing it either. Not after we met that night on the street. My whole world altered because of a photograph. A photograph of my beautiful American girl.”   ~Naked

“I have no intentions of letting you go.” I swallowed hard. “If you come with me you’re signing on for all of me, Brynne. I don’t know any other way to be with you. It’s all in for me. And I want it to be all in for you too.” ~All In

“The one who had the power to take me apart was also the only one with the power to put me back together again.” ~Eyes Wide Open

“I knew more happiness and love than I’d ever experienced in my life, and now understood how precious it was to have that love.” ~Rare and Precious Things

The Blackistone Affair was a series that reinforced over and over again why I am such a huge fan of series. Spending 4 books with the same amazing and phenomenal couple was downright outstanding. I couldn’t get enough of Ethan and Brynne’s intense, mesmerizing, and highly charged relationship. From the moment I started Naked, I was blown away by everything that Ethan and Brynne gave me, and I couldn’t get enough. I wanted more, I craved more, and I NEEDED MORE. That lead to me devouring these books within just a few days, and I loved every single word of this series. I loved getting to be there with Ethan and Brynne through it all, through every up and down, through every shocking and intense moment, and through every moment in which they fell harder for one another. Their love story was mesmerizing, powerful, and full of so many blushworthy and swoonworthy moments that had me loving it all. Raine Miller brought so many amazing characters and feelings to life in this series, and I will not soon forget what it was like to read these books and to experience the beauty and feeling of her writing. This is a series full of romance and emotion and feels upon feels upon feels, and it truly doesn’t get better than that!

Read My Reviews of The Blackistone Affair

So there you have it folks! My Top Reads of 2015. All of these books were AMAZING, and they blew me away with everything they had. I hope you take a chance on any or all of these books because I HIGHLY recommend them all. So please, do yourself a favor and check them out. Trust me. You won’t regret reading any and all of these books!

Releasing Now: Angel’s Halo Reclaimed by Terri Anne Browning

 

Title: Angel’s Halo: Reclaimed
Series: Angel’s Halo MC #4
Author: Terri Anne Browning
Genre: Contemporary Romance
 Release Date: January 12, 2016

Synopsis2

Felicity Bolton finally feels like she has moved on with her life. She misses her friends and family back in Creswell Springs, but now she has new friends—a new family. She has found the peace that she lost the night she lost her unborn child. She would do anything to protect her newfound family, even if that meant facing the devil himself.

The minute Jet Hannigan walks back into her life that’s exactly what she has to do.

Jet Hannigan is officially a free man. With his parole lifted he can finally do what he’s been aching to do, go after the only woman who will ever own his heart. He’s known where she is for months and has been impatiently waiting for the day he could reclaim her. What he wasn’t excepting was to have to pull out the big guns and blackmail her into returning to Creswell Springs with him. With everything going on with Flick’s boss, and the media circus surrounding the chaos, Jet thought the safest place for her was home where he and his brothers could protect her.

Instead he brings her home to a war zone.

 My Review*****5 Reclaimed Stars*****

It is no secret that Terri Anne Browning is one of my automatic one click authors. I have loved each and every book I have read by her. She never fails to deliver a book that weaves together wonderfully dynamic characters, a fast paced story that never quits, and an overall outstanding reading experience that leaves me completely fulfilled and so excited for more at the same time. She first hooked me in with her Rocker Series, and she continues to hook me in even further with The Angel’s Halo Series. I truly can’t get enough of her books.

Terri Anne Browning always gives me the right amount of everything in her books, and Angel’s Halo: Reclaimed was no different. This book was well-paced, action packed, and intense to say the least. It gave me a well thought out story that gave me so much of what I love about these characters, while also giving me one helluva second chance love story jam packed with emotions and feels that had my heart so invested in what I was reading.

I got it all in this book with these characters. I got the action, the grit, the intensity, the feels and emotions, all the meltworthy moments and the moments that tugged at my heart again and again. I got all of that and everything in between, and I loved every bit of it because it just worked. Flick and Jet’s story was one that I needed and craved for so long, and it truly delivered in more ways than one.

This book was a fantastic addition to this series, and I was thrilled to be back in Creswell Springs with the Angel’s Halo MC. If you haven’t read the other books in this series, then you really need to before reading this one to really get the full impact. (Plus those books are equally as outstanding as this one!) The world of this book is unique in the most fantastic way, and it never fails to send my heart racing in the most memorable way. Getting back with all these characters as I finally got Flick and Jet’s story was nothing short of wonderful, and I truly couldn’t have asked for anything more from this book.

What I absolutely loved about Angel’s Halo: Reclaimed:

  • The story I’ve been waiting for. I have been wanting and practically craving Jet and Flick’s story ever since I read Angel’s Halo almost 2 years ago. Even when reading that book, I knew I needed more on Jet and Flick with the fantastic glimpses I got of their characters. I was so curious about both of their characters, what had lead them both down the paths they’d gone, and what would happen next with them both, especially with what happened at the end of Angel’s Halo. This story not only gave me the background and past of Flick and Jet that I’ve been wanting for so long now, it gave their present, and that present was emotional, consuming, and bursting with so much need from the both of them. The story with Angel’s Halo: Reclaimed lets you journey with Flick and Jet from their tumultuous beginning, through their heart racing reunion, as he tries to win her back and show her that he can’t live without her. She’s hesitant as all get out, he’s persistent with a capital P, and what ensues between them is enrapturing to say the least.
  • Flick and Jet completely stole my heart. I have loved Flick and Jet’s characters so much through what I’ve gotten from them in the other books of this series, and I fell even harder for them as I finally got into their heads in this book. They both have such strong personalities, such fierceness and determination to them, and they never failed to wow me with what they gave me. Flick is a girl who’s been through her fair share of pain and anguish, but this book finds her on the other side of it all stronger, more whole than ever, and determined to show that strength, and that’s when Jet comes racing back into the picture. Jet is certainly a force to be reckoned with, and the one thing he wants in this world is Flick and to be given the chance to make up for the past, show her that he needs her, and to share what he’s always been feeling. This book allows you to see them both at their most vulnerable, their most open, and you get to understand them both fully as they try to figure out what they’re going to do with all the feelings they share.
  • All the emotions and feelings as Flick and Jet tried to put it all back together. This book was very emotional to say the least. Flick and Jet share such a past filled with pain, anguish, and hurt, and you’re there with them as they relive that. You’re with them as they see each other for the first time in years. You’re with them feeling and experiencing the varied and thoughtfully crafted emotion bursting from them as they are brought back together once again, and as they see if they can make it work and have a future together. Terri Anne Browning creates those emotions and feelings so authentically, so viscerally, and in such a way that lets you feel and live and breathe every bit of what Flick and Jet do. You feel their love and their hurt, their pain and their hope, they depth of what they feel for one another and what they shared. You feel and live it all, and that connects you to them so fiercely, and it truly lets you get them and their emotional story in a way that has you believing and rooting for them all the way through.
  • Non-stop action and intensity. One thing I’ve come to expect and love from Terri Anne Browning is that her books are always action packed, and are sure to keep me hooked all the way through. Angel’s Halo: Reclaimed did just that. The events and truths revealed had my heart racing, my adrenaline pumping, and my jaw dropping more times than I could count while reading. I never knew where the next page or chapter would take me or Flick or Jet or anyone else, and that made the pacing of this book phenomenal. It had me on the edge of my seat right from the start, and had me beyond pulled into it all. I couldn’t put this book down, and the gritty, action packed story I got within its pages had me feeling and living it all in the most spectacular way through Terri Anne Browning’s vivid writing.
  • The crossing of two amazing series. Angel’s Halo: Reclaimed brings together two of my favorite series in a way that had me realizing over and over again why I love these characters and their respective series whole heartedly. The way that Terri Anne Browning weaves together the world of both of those series is done in such a well thought out way that will satisfy you across many levels. It will give you the best of what these series’ and these characters’ have to offer, and in the end you’ll just need more from them both because they’re both that captivating, that distinctive, and that extraordinary.
  • Creswell Springs is the best place to be. What I love about all of Terri Anne Browning’s books is how she not only gives you the main couple’s story, she also gives you a glimpse at the other characters of the book and what’s going on with them. Angel’s Halo: Reclaimed not only gave me Flick and Jet and their all-feeling story, it also gave me more of the other characters of the MC and the heart squeezing things that were happening with them. She balances it all perfectly, in a way that doesn’t overshadow Flick and Jet’s story, and gives you so much of what makes the other characters so fantastic to make the overall story more complete and satisfying. She updates you on them all, even lets you jump into their heads, and she teases you just enough about what’s to come with all these characters, and it all works fantastically.

Angel’s Halo: Reclaimed reaffirmed once again why Terri Anne Browning is one of my go to author’s, and why I can’t get enough of her books, her unforgettable characters, and the mesmerizing, all-feeling, and seriously consuming stories they all give me. This book not only gave me a story that I’ve been wanting for years, it gave more of what I was already head over heels in love with from this series. It was gripping, filled with passion, emotion, heat, and some serious feeling, and it packed a mesmerizing and breathtakingly emotional second chance love story I couldn’t get enough of.

Jet and Flick’s story truly gave me it all. It allowed me to fall in love with their characters all over again, while understanding their shared pasts and presents. All throughout this book I was falling so hard under the two of them as they explored their second chance and all that came with it. The more I read, the more I needed these two to be together, and the more I needed it to all be okay for them. Their story isn’t easy, but it’s so worth it. It’s emotional and will squeeze your heart more times than you can count, but through it all you will know that what these two share is extraordinary and so worth fighting for.

This was an overall outstanding addition to this series, and I am already looking forward to what’s to come in this series for all these characters. I need more Hannigan’s in my life, and I have no doubt that Terri Anne Browning will continue this series in a way that will make me love it all even more. This was a true must read, and this series is not to be missed!

Teaser 1 (3)

Buy The BookAMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO
Also Available

 

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO

 

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO

 

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO
author
 
Terri Anne Browning is the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Rocker…Series. She started writing her own novellas at the age of sixteen, forcing her sister to be her one woman fan club. Now she has a few more fans and a lot more passion for writing. Reese: A Safe Haven Novella was her first Indie published book. The Rocker That Holds Me changed the tables and kicked off The Rocker… series featuring the sinfully delicious members of Demon’s Wings. The Rocker… Series has since expanded to OtherWorld with Axton Cage and his band members. Terri Anne lives in Virginia with her husband, their three children, and a loveable Olde English Bulldog named Link.
Author Links
TWITTER
WEBSITE

Giveaway! Click below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Review Post: Gus by Kim Holden

23389993

Gus by Kim Holden

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis2

The journey that began in top-rated, best-selling Bright Side, continues …

This is the story of Gus.
Losing himself.
Finding himself.
And healing along the way.

“ … but the honest-to-God truth is I don’t even know how to function anymore. Bright Side wasn’t only my best friend; she was like my other half … the other half of my brain, the other half of my conscience, the other half of my sense of humor, the other half of my creativity, the other half of my heart. How do you go back to doing what you did before, when half of you is gone forever?”

My Review

*****5 Gus is Epic Stars*****

Exactly one year ago I read a book, and it changed my life. That book consumed me. It made me think and wonder and question. It made me feel, and live, and experience. It allowed me to feel hope and healing and happiness and pain and vulnerability all in one glorious unforgettable package.

It changed my life. It changed the way I felt about things, how I saw the world, how I saw my life. It changed me.

That book was Bright Side. I’d never read a book like that until I read that one, and exactly one year later, almost to the hour, I finished the follow up to that book. Just like its predecessor this book made me feel and think and wonder. It consumed me just as much, and I have a feeling it’s going to change me a bit too.

You don’t read a book such as this one and not have it change you or move you in some way shape or form. The words of this book are too good, too meaningful, and too life changing to not change you or move you, and it honestly doesn’t get better than that.

Today I read Gus by Kim Holden, or really I experienced the magnificence and perfection that is Gus by Kim Holden. I read this book almost an exact year after I read Bright Side, and while I feel slightly moronic for waiting so long to read this book, I can’t say enough good things about what I got from reading Gus.

Gus 1I feel like I almost needed to read this book today, a year after Bright Side. I think it made reading Gus even more meaningful because I felt like this day, this anniversary of sorts belonged to the world of Bright Side. Two utterly superb books two years in a row isn’t too shabby, in fact I think it’s everything.

Gus is a story about what happens after. It’s about what happens when you lose one of your reasons for being, and where you go when your life is thrown so off course from where you thought you’d be. It’s about figuring out how to get out of the never ending tailspin that threatens to consume you. It’s about feeling. It all. Even when it hurts, even when that anguish threatens to overtake you, even when you don’t think you know which way is up.

This book is also about fighting. Fighting through those feelings, and coming out on the other side. It’s about fighting to find that healing, that thing that makes it better and starts you back where you want to be, and fighting to find what will make you you again. It’s about fighting and pushing and giving it your all, even when you want to give up and give in to it all. Gus is also about pushing through all the bad stuff to find the good, giving it your all no matter what, and living.

Gus is about love too. So much love. The love you have for your parents. The love you feel for your friends. The love you feel for your other half. Even the love you feel for the people you meet and come across in your daily life. It’s about the power of that love. The encompassing, all-feeling, consuming nature of that love and what it can do for you. It’s about how love can fill you, change you, move you. It’s about jumping in heart first to that love and seeing the extraordinary places you can end up because of that love.

This book encompasses what it means to live. To truly live. Epically. Fully. Every day through every moment. Feeling and breathing and experiencing it all. Taking the bad with the good, making as much sense of it as you can, and seeing where you can go from there with the second chances that life gives you. It’s about not wasting one second of the precious life you’re given, and using that life to your advantage to help the world, help others, and in turn help yourself.

As you can see Gus is about a lot of things. A lot of wonderful and truly unforgettable things, and even though I’ve listed so many things that it’s about, this book is truly about so much more. I can’t even begin to fully encompass what this book is about and what it means to read and experience the magnificence of this book. My words just aren’t good enough for that, but you know whose words are good enough for that? Kim Holden’s. She made Gus into an enrapturing, immensely meaningful, and beyond satisfying read with her words. She gave me it all in this book, and I gladly took it because when you’re reading literary amazingness like Gus, you take it all.

You take every wonderful, all-feeling, intense, visceral, vulnerable, and real bit of it because when put together it is everything. I’ll say that again. This book gives you everything. Everything that makes you feel every ounce of what this story and its characters have to offer. Everything that fills your heart and mind and soul with so much varied emotion and feeling, and with characters you love whole heartedly. Everything that makes a book truly exceptional to read.

Gus 2

Gus by Kim Holden gives you everything.

If I could only use one adjective to describe this book it would be fulfilling. This book was perfectly fulfilling. It fulfilled every hope I had for these characters. It fulfilled me with its extraordinary level of feeling and emotion that was so real and visceral at times that I felt as if I were actually living through this book. This book made me laugh and cry and smile and hurt and shudder and feel, and I loved it all because that was just one of the phenomenal aspects showing me how connected, how invested, how involved I was in this story.

It showed me how much I loved these characters. How much I needed them to find their ways. How much I rooted for them, cared for them, and adored them. Gus showed me again and again why I love the world of these books because of the people who make up that world, because of the feelings and connections they so fiercely give me, and because of the fantastic little intricacies that make that book world what it is.

Gus fulfilled me in ways that I didn’t even know I needed to be fulfilled, which made me love it even more. Gus truly and utterly fulfilled me in every humanly way possible. It gave me a story that was shear perfection in every way. It have me characters whose wonderful distinctiveness leapt off the page filling my heart with their literal amazingness. It have me Gus and Scout and Franco and Audrey and Paxton and everyone else that makes up the indescribable world of this book.

It gave me so much of what made me love Bright Side, but it gave me more too. It gave me Gus’s distinctive dynamic. It gave me a new set of characters to fall head over heels for. It also gave me some of my favorite characters ever again, and let me spend more time with their highly awesome selves. It gave me meaning and complexity and emotions and feelings. It gave me life and death, hope and pain, and all the other intensely wonderful things that make up life.

Reading this book felt like coming home. Reading Gus felt as if the world of this book, its characters, and everything they bring with them were welcoming me with open arms. It felt right. It felt good. It felt like everything all wrapped up in an all-feeling and seriously meaningful package.

I could use so many more adjectives to describe Gus and Kim Holden’s out of this world phenomenal writing. I could use any and all of the positive adjectives I could think of and I still would not come close to encapsulating what it meant to read this book. I wouldn’t even scratch the surface of the literal amazingness of Gus, the meaning laced so thoughtfully through every word, and what it was like to be in Gus’s head, and Scout’s, and to fall in love and be with all these characters once again. I wouldn’t even come close.

Gus 3

So you know what you need to do? You need to read this book. You need to experience its power, its meaning, its feelings and emotions. You need to live it. You need to take it all in and let it mesmerize you. You need to experience it fully, and the only way you can do that is by reading this incredible book.

Like I said, a year ago I read a book that changed my life. 365 days later I read that book’s follow up that I know will have the same unforgettable effect. I loved every single breathtakingly emotional, all-feeling, and superb word of Gus.

I loved this book. I lived this book. I breathed in and felt every ounce of this book, and it truly doesn’t get better than that.

So please, read this epic book. Let it move you, let it change you, let it give you every amazing thing it has to offer.

Live this book. Love this book. Read this book.

Let it leave you in awe with its epicness.

It would be wrong not to.

Buy The Book

Amazon   

See where it all started in Bright Side….

BrighSide

Amazon   Barnes & Noble    KOBO     iBooks

Read my 5 Star Review of Bright Side

author

Check out more on Kim Holden and her books at the following links:

Facebook     Website      Goodreads

 

 

Review Post: Live Me by Celeste Grande

Live Me ebook

Live Me by Celeste Grande

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis2

Broken…

Shattered…

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

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

Run.

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

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

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

Live me 3

 

My Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

What I absolutely loved about Live Me by Celeste Grande:

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

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

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

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

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

You need to. Trust me.

Live Me 2

Buy The Book

Amazon     B&N    KOBO

author

 Celeste

A New York workaholic, mommy and wife, Celeste Grande has always been a lover of words. From an early age, poetic words opened her heart, releasing her emotions through pen and paper.Then she heard the shouting.

These characters were trapped souls in her head, screaming at her for release. Celeste quickly fell in love with the beautiful story she was being told and knew she had to share it with others.

Her first new adult romance novel, Live Me, will be released in 2015.

Author Links:

Releasing Now: Midnight Mass by Sierra Simone

midnigmassbw

Release Day: December 8, 2015

Synopsis2

 

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

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

But even I never expected what came next.

Even I never expected my punishment to come so soon.

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

Goodreads

Buy The Book

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

12309855_1831851033707938_9126762187568256623_o

 My Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Giveaway

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

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

12307972_1831851037041271_5629244174955096162_o

 

author

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

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/blzNNn
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesierrasimone
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSierraSimone
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sierra-Simone/497450453680395?fref=ts
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/953848401332729/
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7369992.Sierra_Simone?from_search=true&search_version=service
Goodreads Fan Group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/166241-sierra-simone-books
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Sierra-Simone/e/B00HFK1EJO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1447527300&sr=8-1 cropped-SSFprLogo3.png//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Releasing Now: Love’s Sacrifice by Erin Everleigh

 

Book: Love’s Sacrifice
Author: Erin Everleigh
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Synopsis2

I am nothing like my family.  But I’m held captive by their secrets and lies.

I should have listened to that voice in my head and left Susan alone.  But I couldn’t just walk away.  She was the only brightness in my life—a life of living in the shadows cast by the evil that surrounded me.

She taught my heart to love.  But in return, she was forced to run away and leave everything behind, including me.  After that, my life was never the same.

I no longer live—I survive. I survive to protect her from my family.

I didn’t deserve another chance with Susan, but an accidental meeting years later gave me just that. And selfishly, I couldn’t let her go—I never could. Unfortunately, neither would my family.

Only able to communicate in secret, Susan and I had to wait for the day that my family’s truths would be exposed and we could finally be together. Until then, I would tell their lies and keep my silence. But I will have my revenge.

Some would think our story is one of loss. But sometimes through loss, we discover the most precious gifts of all.

*Note to readers: This is a follow-up novella to Absolute Love, however it can also be read as a standalone.
LS teaser 3b
 
My Review

****4.5 Beautifully Breathtaking Stars****

Love’s Sacrifice was a beautiful, enrapturing, and truly meaningful story that I loved reading. It was a poignant read that weaved together a mesmerizing story of feeling and emotion, sacrifice and loss, but most of all love, and what people are willing to do for that love. From the moment I began this novella I could not put it down, as I was so captivated by what I was reading and all of the emotions and feelings it was bringing up in me as I read through this novella’s wonderful pages.

Erin Everleigh’s beautiful writing brought this story to life in the most meaningful of ways. Her words and thoughtfully crafted storytelling made every bit of Love’s Sacrifice mean more. She made each interaction of these characters, every memory of the past, every ounce of outstanding emotion and feeling in this story mean more through her phenomenal writing.

She not only allowed me to connect so truly to the characters she created, she allowed me to be there with them through it all, feeling and experiencing every ounce of what they were. I felt and breathed and lived through every moment of love and sacrifice and pain and hurt. I felt every breath of longing, every whisper of hope, and I basked in all of it because it brought the world of this story and these characters to life in the most meaningful and enjoyable way.

Love’s Sacrifice is the second story in this series, and can either be read as a standalone story or after the first book in the series, Absolute Love. While you can read this story either before or after Absolute Love, I personally recommend reading it after to really get the full impact and power of this beautiful and emotional story. I especially recommend doing that because I absolutely loved Absolute Love. It was a fantastic book that introduced me to Erin Everleigh’s outstanding writing, and it truly should not be missed.

This novella tells a story of a lot of things. It tells a story of loss, and sacrifice, and the hurt that comes with that sacrifice. It also gives you the perfect amount of mystery and intrigue as the puzzle pieces of it all start coming together, and with each piece of the story you get, the more you become invested in what you’re reading. It also tells the story of love, so much glorious love. What that love can do to you, what it can make you hope and fight for, and the beautiful and unforgettable gifts that love can give you if you only give it a chance. Erin Everleigh’s enrapturing writing encapsulates all of that and more in Love’s Sacrifice to give you a story that has every ounce of feeling and emotion and love that you need.

I am not exaggerating when I say that you feel this story. You feel every bit of what it has to offer, and that will have you so beyond in it all with these characters and in the world of this story. It will have you loving them, connecting to them so truly, and rooting like crazy through it all that things will have a way of working out the way they should.

Through a mixture of past memories weaving themselves into the present of this story you get the story of Aaron and Susan, two people who have a world of feeling and love for one another, yet have a serious set of odds set against them. In Love’s Sacrifice you get their beautiful and heart squeezing love story that is bursting with so much love and hope and feeling. Your heart will be so beyond invested in Aaron and Susan’s story. You will feel so immensely for them, you’ll hurt and break with them while reading, and you’ll have the biggest amount of hope that the sacrifices those two make will have a way of meaning something more.

I loved Aaron and Susan’s story so much. It wasn’t the lightest of stories, but it was theirs and that’s what made it all the more meaningful. I am telling you now that you will have no doubts in the depth of what those two share. Their story spans years and decades. It’s powerful and meaningful, and it will melt, squeeze, and break your heart more times than you can count. It’ll break you a bit, it’ll try and heal you to, and through it all you will be basking in the meaning of what Aaron and Susan share, and the sacrifices, gifts, and legacies that that love leaves in its wake.

This story truly was beautiful and meaningful in every single way, and Erin Everleigh’s outstanding writing put you right there in the midst of it, feeling, experiencing, living and breathing and loving through it all.

One of my favorite aspects of Love’s Sacrifice was that it was told in multiple points of view, which weaved together a thoughtfully crafted story that was well plotted and kept me insanely hooked into everything I was reading. I not only got to experience the power and extraordinary level of feeling in Aaron and Susan’s story, but I also got so many unforgettable pieces to their story and the overarching story in this novella and series. I got to meet some outstanding new characters, jump into their heads, and experience the power and beauty of this story with them too, which made reading this story even more enjoyable.

I also loved how the events of this story flowed so well into what I read in Absolute Love. They meshed and complimented each other so well because of Erin Everleigh’s fantastic writing, and how it brought everything together in the most all-feeling and meaningful way. The more and more I read this novella, the more and more I craved a happy ending for all of these characters. The more I read, the more I needed it for them all, the more I hoped with all I had for them all, and that was just one of the things that showed me how emotionally invested I was in what I was reading. I really can’t say enough how in this story I was.

Erin Everleigh pulled me into this story and the world of this series heart first once again, and I can’t say enough good things about what I got from all these characters as I lived through and experienced their heart squeezing story.

The level of feeling, emotion, and love in Love’s Sacrifice will blow you away. You will feel every ounce of what this story has to offer. There are so many moments in this novella that will make your heart hurt, that’ll make it melt and soar with the feelings it gives you, and throughout it all you will bask in what you get with these characters. I absolutely loved the reading experience that that emotion and feeling gave me while reading, and it truly brought the meaning and message of this novella to light in the most enrapturing way.

Like I said, Love’s Sacrifice is a novella about a lot of things. It’s a story of young, yet oh so powerful love, that changes your life in ways you never imagined. It’s about how far you would go for someone else, how much you would do to protect them, and how much you’re willing to sacrifice in the hopes of more. It’s about longing, and hope, and so much love. It’s about giving it all you’ve got and never giving up hope, even in the most dire of situations, because that hope can take you places you never thought possible.

But really this fantastic novella is about love. The beautiful, meaningful, raw and honest power of love, and the truly unforgettable places it can lead you, and sure it might not be easy, but it is oh so worth it, and you will feel and believe that in every word of Love’s Sacrifice.

This novella was the perfect addition to this series. It gave me more of what I loved from the first book and expanded that love even more. It allowed me to fall in love with all of these characters, new and old, and it gave me their heart squeezing, captivating, and downright fantastic story that I loved to pieces. Erin Everleigh’s writing truly gave me it all in this novella, and I look forward to reading more of this author’s books soon. She has a true talent and her writing is simply beautiful in the most mesmerizing of ways.

Simply put, I absolutely loved this novella and I highly recommend it and its predecessor to you. They will make you feel and think and hope and wonder, and most of all they’ll have you truly believing in the power, magic, and pull of all consuming, beautifully breathtaking, and heart melting love.

LS teaser 2

 

Excerpt

“Come on, Aaron.  Don’t be such a wuss!”  Susan pulls me down to the snow-covered ground and instructs me to lie flat on my back. 
I do as I’m told.  I would do anything for her.
“Okay, are you looking?” Susan asks, as she rests her head on my stomach.  Her body stretches out from mine so we are in a “T” shape.  I look up towards the afternoon sun shining brightly in a rare, clear blue winter sky. 
“Uh, huh.”
“Good.  Now squint your eyes.  See the rays of light coming off the sun in all different directions?” She doesn’t wait for me to answer. “Can you see how far they stretch?” This time she does wait.
“I do,” I say, still curious where she is going with this.
“Our love is like the sun, its brilliance and warmth shining down on each of us. With its rays stretching to the edges of the earth—there’s no distance that could break the bond that we share.  No matter where life takes us, the sun will shine upon us as a reminder of our love.  Don’t forget what we have—it’s eternal.  No one can take that from us.”
 “Who knew you were so philosophical?” I joke, secretly wiping away tears that escaped my eyes.  I have no right to cry.  She’s the one who is leaving everything and everyone she knows.

Buy The Book

The Absolute Series:

Absolute Love – Book 1
On sale for $0.99 until December 14 (reg. $2.99)
Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited
                                                               
Buy Links:

5 Star Praise:

“Absolute Love has such beautiful writing, thoughtfully developed and layered characters that scream authenticity, and a seriously engaging story that I truly could not put down” ~ The Never Ending Book Basket
“I found this book to be one of the most beautifully written stories of love, redemption, loss and understanding. Add in forgiveness and finding yourself and you have an EPIC read for 2015.” ~Goodreads reader

author

Author Social Links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorErinEverleigh

Twitter: @erineverleigh

Tsu: https://www.tsu.co/AuthorErinEverleigh

 

Review Post: Just Say Yes by Elizabeth Hayley

25056603

Just Say Yes by Elizabeth Hayley

Releasing: December 1, 2015

Synopsis2 From the author of The Best Medicine comes the latest Strictly Business novel—and this time, for one woman, finding the ideal man can be a pretty tall order…

Magazine columnist Quinn Sawyer has always attracted sweet, innocent, and safe men. And something tells her it’s because she’s just as harmless. So when she starts craving a guy with an edge, she realizes she may have to get one for herself.

When her boss asks for a unique pitch, Quinn’s quest to live outside her comfort zone prompts her to suggest an idea that will cause her to break her good-girl rules. And who better than Tim Jacobs to help her push her boundaries? For a while now, Quinn’s had a hot crush on the tattooed executive chef with a checkered past. If anybody can bring out her inner rebel, he can.

It’s no surprise that with every task the two complete, the sparks between them grow more and more intense. Soon there’s no denying the attraction they each feel. But Tim’s troubled past reveals an even tougher edge than Quinn expected—which means for her, falling in love might just be the greatest rebellion of all.

 

My Review*****5 PHENOMENAL STARS*****

Elizabeth Hayley is hands down one of my favorite writing duos around. Their books are some of my all-time favorites, and I have spent many memorable days between the pages of their phenomenally written books. When I sit down to read a book by them I know I will be getting some exceptional writing, effervescent characters with so much life and distinctive personality to them, and a story that is sure to make me laugh hysterically while also having me feel a lot.

Just Say Yes by Elizabeth Hayley not only gave me everything I’ve come to know and love about Elizabeth Hayley’s writing, it also gave me one helluva story that just gave me every single aspect that makes a book extraordinary. It was fantastically balanced, so well written, and just downright enjoyable to read in every way. Reading this book just adds to my absolute love of this series as a whole, and the fantastic stories that Elizabeth Hayley has given me over the years.

Reading a book by this duo is one memorable experience to say the least. Just Say Yes made me laugh more times than I could even count, it made me smile like crazy, and it certainly made me blush in the most wonderful ways. It also choked me up a few times, and had so many great feelings and emotions weaving their way through the story in such a meaningful way. My heart was fully in it all from the start, and through it all I absolutely loved what Tim and Quinn gave me so authentically in their page turning story.

What I absolutely loved about Just Say Yes:

  • Finally getting my hands on Tim’s story. Ever since I met Tim’s character in The Best Medicine, I wanted his story. There was just something about him that really spoke to me, and it was easy to fall under the charming spell he cast. He’s a bit rough around the edges, and he’s a character that’s not afraid to admit that, but I will tell you that there is so much more to his character than meets the eye. He certainly has a past that he’s not so proud of, but seeing what that man does with his future in this story will have your heart going to him in no time. Tim is easy to love and feel for in this story, and seeing that man try to move on from the binds of his past will have you rooting for him from start to finish. Did I also mention that he’s a tattooed chef that likes to walk around without a shirt on? Because that’s just the icing on top of his fantastic character.
  • Quinn is my new BFF. Quinn was definitely a bit more subdued than some of the other female leads that Elizabeth Hayley has written, but she was such a fabulous easy character to love and relate to. That girl is no wilting flower either, she is strong and fierce in her own way and it’s fabulous. She’s a girl searching for what she truly wants, and is looking to step outside of her comfort zone, and with the help of Tim she starts doing just that. I loved Quinn’s character immensely and I found myself personally relating and connecting to her throughout reading. She was so real to me and so easy to love, and I just got everything she was feeling and thinking because I’ve been there too. Feeling that connected to her while reading Just Say Yes made me love her more, and brought the story itself to life in the most magnificent way. You will love her and her lively journey in this book to pieces. Trust me.
  • The build from friends to something more. Quinn and Tim’s relationship has the best kind of build to it. These two start off as friends, but clearly they both want something more. You feel such a build and connection between them that crackles and fires like fireworks every time those two are together. That build intensifies more and more as the story progress, and gives the best evolution to their relationship and feeling. What starts off as a friendship and a challenge soon turns into so much more that is filled with so many moments that’ll melt your heart, make you blush, and smile and feel like a fool. Elizabeth Hayley develops their relationship in the most phenomenal ways, taking you through every up and down that comes there way, and it is truly nothing short of wonderful to experience.
  • Taking chances! One of the many premises of this story is throwing that caution to the wind, and giving new things a chance. Whether it be a new life experience or a relationship, Elizabeth Hayley brings the aspect and meaning behind taking chances into this story in such a fantastic and fulfilling way. Seeing both Tim and Quinn think and question what it could be like to take those chances, and then getting to see what happens after puts you in this story so fully and will have you loving every moment you live and take with them. Just Say Yes is full of chances and it honestly doesn’t get much better than that!
  • Finding yourself and then some. Both Tim and Quinn go on a journey in this book, not only in their relationship, but also with themselves. They’re both searching for something within themselves, and trying to figure out what they want, what they deserve, and what they’re willing to fight like crazy for. Elizabeth Hayley takes you on that journey with them both, and you get to be with them both every step of the way as they try and figure out who they are, and who they want to be. I can’t say enough how much that emotionally invests you in these characters and their story. You get to see them be vulnerable, be real, and just be them. Simply put, Quinn and Tim will blow you away with every incredible bit of their journey’s to take those risks and find themselves.
  • The fantastic balance of laughter and feels. Just Say Yes gives you so many outstanding moments that give you so many different reactions making this book phenomenally well rounded. You get so many hysterical moments that’ll have you laughing out loud and smiling until your cheeks hurt. You’ll also get a lot of moments bursting with the best amount of emotion and feeling that you feel every lick of. There’s also quite a few moments that’ll melt your heart a bit and have you truly feeling what Quinn and Tim do for one another. You get it all in Just Say Yes, and that is just part of what made this book so great to read!
  • The supporting characters that make this series what it is. Not to be outdone, the supporting characters that make up the Strictly Business Series are not to be missed. They’re all distinctive and wonderful in their own ways, and they add the glue that helps bring this story together. They add a true sense of family and friendship to every page, and they’ll all give you so much that you will enjoy every moment of. I love them all, and it was so good to spend some more time with them again in this book. Seeing them all here made me love them all more, and I seriously can’t wait for more time with all of them. I need more of them stat, and you will too when you read this book.

Just Say Yes was another book by Elizabeth Hayley that I could not put down. It was enrapturing to say the least, and had me feeling and loving every minute I spent between its outstanding pages. Quinn and Tim’s story is fun, meaningful, full of all the feels, and will give you a truly memorable reading experience that you won’t want to end.

This book highlights the talent of this writing duo, and the vibrant and meaningful stories they so thoughtfully and fantastically craft.

Just Say Yes is a story about taking chances. About looking deep within yourself, discovering what you truly want and desire, and what you’ll do and how much you’ll fight to get that something. It’s a story about throwing that caution to the wind, and seeing the extraordinary places those chances and risks can take you, if you only give them the chance. Tim and Quinn’s story in Just Say Yes allows you to take that journey with them, heart first and feeling it all, and in the end I guarantee you will be beyond satisfied with every outstanding word and feeling you get from them in this book.

So what are you waiting for? Grab Just Say Yes this very instant. And while you’re at it, grab every single other book by Elizabeth Hayley. You won’t regret reading this book, or any of their others for that matter. Read this book, let it wow you, let it make you feel and laugh and smile, and let yourself live and breathe through its brilliant pages.

Take that chance, just say yes, and fall in love with the literal amazingness of this book and Tim and Quinn’s vibrant, captivating, and truly incredible story.

Buy The Book

~Just Say Yes~

25056603

Amazon   B&N   KOBO

~The Best Medicine~

23398885

Amazon B&N KOBO

Read my 5* Review of The Best Medicine

Be sure to check out Elizabeth Hayley’s other books because they are all AMAZING!

~Pieces of Perfect~

PiecesofPerfect1-Dark2 (1)

Amazon

~Sex Snob~

Sex Snob

Amazon

~Picking Up the Pieces~

20521460

Amazon

~Perfectly Ever After~

20761218

Amazon

Read my 5* Review

~Pieces Series Box Set~

(Pieces of Perfect, Picking Up the Pieces, and Perfectly Ever After) All 3 for one price!

22306216

Amazon

author

To learn more about Elizabeth Hayley and their books check out the following links:

Fan Facebook    Author Facebook    Website    Twitter    Goodreads

Review Post: All That’s Left to Hold Onto by Ella Fox

all that's left to hold onto book tour

all that's left to hold onto live

Letting go is all Ronan’s ever known.

Will he realize a life with Keely is something

he should hold onto at any cost?

Find out in All That’s Left to Hold Onto by Ella Fox!

all that's left to hold

AVAILABLE NOW!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1R1nO1E

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Ibo4Ut

iBooks: http://apple.co/1legK5e

Kobo http://bit.ly/1kPuLqC

Synopsis2When Ronan Sharpe unexpectedly left Colorado for parts unknown, he took a piece of Keely Carmichael’s heart with him.

After leaving his hellish roots behind him, Ronan found contentment when he started over. Thoughts of the past had been pushed down for so long; he hardly thought about it at all.

He intended to keep it that way.

When unexpected circumstances force Ronan to return to Colorado, the Keely he finds is no longer the adolescent girl he remembered. Torn between desire and fear, Ronan struggles with his feelings for Keely and his need to escape the town that scarred him so deeply years ago.

Letting go is all Ronan’s ever known. Will he realize a life with Keely is something he should hold onto at any cost?

all that's left to hold onto teaser 2

My Review

****4.5 All Feeling Stars****

All That’s Left to Hold Onto by Ella Fox was an enrapturing, all-feeling, and heart squeezing story that I loved immensely. This book was gave me a story that made me feel, and think, and care so deeply for these characters, and through it all I lived and felt and experienced every bit because of Ella Fox’s phenomenal writing.

While reading this story I fell heart first for Ronan and Keely’s story. My heart squeezed for them and what they’d both been through, it melted more times than I could count with what happens when those two get together, and it beat like crazy at all the possibilities those two shared. To say my heart was invested in this meaningful and emotional story is putting it lightly. I was so beyond consumed into the world of this book, and I loved every well thought out and superbly captured moment I had with Ronan and Keely.

All That’s Left to Hold Onto had the best level of feeling and emotion, the perfect level of tension and heat and build, and gave me a love story that completely stole my heart from beginning to end. It wasn’t always easy, and it had its moments of raw pain and hurt that broke my heart a bit, but it was real. It was real and honest and vulnerable, and that was everything to experience while reading this book.

It’s no secret that Ella Fox is one of my favorite authors. I have absolutely loved each and every one of her books, and All That’s Left to Hold Onto was nothing different. Her outstanding writing brought this story and these characters to life in such an extraordinary way. She allowed me to become invested with these characters, to love them, to want to fight for them, and she created that in her distinct way through her exceptional writing. What Ella Fox so truly gave me in this book is not to be missed. Her writing gives you it all, and you will definitely want to take every bit of it. Trust me.

This book had it all, and what I so authentically got from these characters and their heart squeezing story is everything and more.

What I absolutely loved about All That’s Left to Hold Onto:

  • Ronan, Ronan, Ronan. Ronan Sharpe is definitely what book boyfriends are made of. He is fierce, melt worthy, and he will make you swoon quite a bit while reading this book, but more than that he is an honest to goodness good guy who you will love immensely. Ronan is a man who left Fort Collins, leaving the pain and hurt of the past long behind, until the events of this book call him back home. I loved that Ronan’s character was so raw and honest, and that I got to see such a vulnerable side to him because of the events of this book. I felt like I had such a superb level of understanding of his character, and that just made me love and feel for him more because of what he’d been through and all that he was doing in the present to make everything okay. Ronan will steal your heart a million times over with all that he is, and I truly think there is no way you can resist that man. Seriously.
  • Keely’s determination. Keely Carmichael is a force to be reckoned with, and I loved that girl something fierce while reading this book. I loved that she wasn’t afraid to do what needed to be done, and Keely was a girl who was determined to make everything okay. The sheer determination that comes from that girl is truly extraordinary, and there is not length too great that Keely wouldn’t go to to make sure everything is as it should be. Like Ronan, that girl has a world of hurt and pain in her past, and the way that she rises above that will have you in literal awe of her character. Keely is a true gem of a character, and she is so beyond easy to love because of the true goodness that emanates from her. Her resiliency, her goodness, and the light and warmth from her will have your heart with her every step of the way in this book.
  • Tension and sparks and build galore! Ella Fox has a true talent in writing and creating the feelings and emotions between her characters, and the level of build and tension and spark she created between Ronan and Keely was nothing short of intense and consuming. The spark between those two is almost palpable. You can feel it in your bones because it’s so intense and so fiery, and it keeps building and building and building in the most consuming and all-feeling way. What Ronan and Keely share goes well beyond lust, but the tension that Ella Fox so authentically creates between those two will have you beyond captivated in everything you’re experiencing with them. What makes it even better is with those sparks and build and tension, you get a world of deep feeling straight from the heart that you get to experience every ounce of.
  • The fight to overcome the past. Both Ronan and Keely have pasts filled with more pain and hurt than any person deserves. Some of that pain and hurt is shared between them, and some of it belongs to each of them, but much of this book focuses on the two of them giving it their all to overcome it all. The determination, the tenacity, and the sheer will of those two will have you in awe of them both. It will have you so beyond invested with them both too because you’ll want to be with them every step of the way as they fight to overcome that darkness of the past. Ella Fox thoughtfully reveals that past over the course of this book, and when all is revealed, I am telling you that you will have more love and respect for what both Ronan and Keely have been through.
  • All the struggle. One of my favorite aspects of this book was that it was a story of struggle just as much as it was a story of triumph. Both Ronan and Keely struggle. They struggle with the pain of their pasts and how those pasts are currently affecting their presents. They struggle with their feelings for one another. They struggle with what the future holds and the choices they need to make. They struggle, and it’s real and honest, and it shows you such a vulnerable side to them both. That struggle makes them both even more real, and it makes their story even more authentic because of that struggle. Ella Fox creates that struggle in a way that has you feeling for, loving, and rooting for these characters like crazy because you want them to see their way through that necessary struggle to the other side. This book allows you to struggle right along with Ronan and Keely, so that you become even more invested in them both, and sure it’s hard and that struggle isn’t always the easiest, but Ronan and Keely make it so worth it. So very very worth it.

All That’s Left to Hold Onto by Ella Fox was a book that I could not put down from the moment I started it. It was captivating, all-feeling, and gave me a story that I never stopped feeling and loving and living through all the way through. Ella Fox created two characters that I completely fell in love with, and as this story unfolded I fell more and more under their effervescent spell. Ronan and Keely completely won me over right from the start, and getting to experience the emotional ups and downs of their story was nothing short of wonderful.

This book gives you so much of everything that makes a book fantastic to read and experience. It had relatable and easy to love characters that were unique and real and good in every single way. It had enough tension and heat and build to pull your heart even more into the story. It also had a story filled with the perfect amount of twists and turns and the best level of emotion and feeling to have you experiencing it all with these characters.

All That’s Left to Hold Onto gives you everything. It gives you all the feels, all the heart squeezing moments, all the melt worthy moments, and everything in between. Ronan and Keely are such dynamic and phenomenal characters in every way, and what you get with them both in this story is everything. It’s meaningful, filled with hope and light, and shows you the extraordinary things that can happen when two seriously good hearted and determined people come together and attempt to overcome the darkness and pain of their pasts.

What you get with Ronan and Keely in All That’s Left to Hold Onto by Ella Fox will fill your heart, mind, and soul with so much, and will have you believing in and fighting with every breath you have for every possibility of what those two share. Being that connected to them is everything, and will have you invested in every heart squeezing moment of this outstanding book. Ella Fox has hit it out of the park once again, and I can’t wait for more from this seriously talented author!

all that's left to hold on to teaser 4 (1)

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

There were nasty looking bruises on his cheek and jaw, his lip was swollen and his knuckles were scraped and bloody. The instant I got a good look at his face I knew something was horribly wrong. It only went downhill from there.

My attempts to contain my panic weren’t working. Choking back a sob I blubbered, “Why do you have to go?”

The anger was all but pouring off of him. Not toward me—he’d never once been angry with me. I knew anger though, and it was more than obvious he was furious about something. A permanent grimace seemed to have set up camp on his face. For him, it was highly unusual. Even in the toughest of times, he kept his cool.

Suddenly, he wasn’t calm at all. He was angrier than I’d ever seen him. It was obvious he’d been in a fight, but it didn’t change his status as the most attractive guy alive, in my opinion.

I saw his jaw clenching and unclenching which I figured meant he was trying to control himself.

“Because this piece of shit town is like a fucking cancer,” he spat. “I’m so done with the crazy assholes around here. People like us aren’t normal—we’re the freaks for trying to be good people.”

I didn’t know how to argue with his words. He wasn’t wrong—there was a lot wrong with many of the people in our town. Most of the crazy people were either my family members or his. I knew it and so did he. There wasn’t a response to erase the reality of the kind of people we dealt with.

“Are you going alone?”

His hands clenched into fists at his sides as he nodded stiffly. “Yes.”

“Even though you live with—”

His hand shot up into a stop gesture to keep me from finishing the sentence.

“Don’t say her fucking name. If I never hear it again, it’ll be too soon. I don’t live with that crazy bitch anymore.”

I couldn’t stand her so it wasn’t like I was going to push. She was an evil troll. If he had to go, I was glad he wasn’t taking her with him. It would’ve made me ill. She pretended to be sweetness and light when he was around but it was nothing but a charade. She was terrible. I was glad he wasn’t taking her, but the fact he wouldn’t say her name told me his leaving was somehow her responsibility. I hated her more than ever.

“Where will you go?”

He gestured back over his shoulder toward the street with his thumb.

“Wherever my car takes me once I pull out,” he said.

I couldn’t imagine life without him, nor did I want to. Not only had he been my crush for as long as I could remember, he was the only person who ever really listened to me.

“Will you ever visit?” I asked hopefully.

He was shaking his head in the negative before I’d even fully finished asking the question. I knew he wouldn’t. The bone-deep hatred he had for everything about where we lived was stamped all over his face. I wanted so badly to know what, exactly, had sent him over the edge, but when I asked, he’d refused to tell me.

It sucked being fourteen because he treated me like a kid. My age said I was a child, but I was so different than any of my peers it wasn’t even funny. Because of this, they teased me often, referring to me as Granny Carmichael. I hated it. It wasn’t as though I’d had a choice. My childhood was over the moment my mother got sick.

His expression softened when he looked me over. “You need to get back inside before you get pneumonia.”

The frigid Colorado air wasn’t even making an impression on me until he pointed it out. I realized my tears were leaving cold trails on my face, but I couldn’t walk away. All I cared about was how much I didn’t want him to leave.

“I don’t care about the cold or getting pneumonia. I don’t want you to go!” I cried anxiously.

He hugged me then, his strong arms wrapping around me to give comfort. I hadn’t hugged him since I’d been much younger—probably five or six. Those hugs had mostly involved me wrapping myself around one of his legs. This was different. I wrapped my arms tight around him and cried against his chest, holding on for as long as he allowed me to.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he ended the embrace and stepped back. “I have to leave.”

Knowing my denial and resistance weren’t going to make any difference, I swiped at my tears as I nodded.

“I’ll miss you,” I said on a choked sob. “Take care of yourself.”

“I’ll miss you too,” he replied softly. “You’re one of the few good people here.”

My heart galloped in my chest. I loved him for saying what he did—but hated that it came at such a horrible price. Losing him was unbearable.

He turned as if to leave, then stopped. Spinning back my way, he stared at me intently for a few moments before he spoke again.

“You’re so much better than any of these people. Don’t ever let them change who you are. The world needs a lot more you and a lot less them. No matter what anyone tells you—you’re perfect. Got it?”

I nodded as I wiped at the tears running unchecked down my face.

He hugged me again, very briefly. My heart skipped a few beats when he dropped a kiss on top of my head.

“Don’t ever forget your worth—not even for a minute,” he murmured.

When he let go, he said nothing else. He just turned and walked to his car. As he went, the chill in the air suddenly took hold of me. Hugging my arms around myself, I watched as he got into the car, turned it on and then pulled out of my driveway. He looked at me one last time before putting his hand up in a goodbye gesture. I did the same. A few seconds passed before he put the car in drive then sped off into the night.

I stayed outside for two or three minutes, hoping against hope he would change his mind and come back.

He didn’t.

Hours later when I got into bed, I prayed fate would bring him back one day. I said the same prayer most nights for a long, long time. Eventually I had no choice but to accept reality.

Hell would freeze over before he returned.

all that's left to hold onto teaser 7

author

ella fox bio

Ella Fox writes like a woman possessed whenever she gets the chance! She is the author of The Hart Family Series, The Renegade Saints Series and The Catch Series.

When she’s not writing, Ella indulges the gypsy in her blood and travels the country. Ella loves reading, movies, music, buying make-up, reading Tmz, Twitter and pedicures… not necessarily in that order. She has a wild sense of humor and loves to laugh. Her favorite thing in the world is hanging out with her family and watching comedy movies.

Stalk Her: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Email | Website |

Goodreads | Newsletter

Giveaway

Click the link below to enter the giveaway!!

$25 Amazon Gift Card

Share Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDk5NjRmMDM5ZDM4YTBjYWM0YzAyYzM0NGI2ODRhOjc2Nw==/?

Review Post: Perfectly Imperfect by Harper Sloan

perfectly imperfect book tour

perfectly imperfect live

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

NOW AVAILABLE on the following retailers:

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

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

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

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

PI

Synopsis2

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

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

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

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

The type of women Kane Masters gravitated toward.

Well, that’s definitely not Willow Tate.

No. That will never be me.

Because I’m completely imperfect.

And … I hate myself.

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

perfectly imperfect teaser 3

My Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

perfectly imperfect teaser

Excerpt

“Are you nervous right now?”

I nod.

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

“I’m not perfect,” I whisper.

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes, Kane. Nerves or not, I do.”

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

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

author

harper

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

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

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Giveaway

Click below to enter the giveaway!

$50 Amazon Gift Card

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

Review Post: Some Sort of Crazy by Melanie Harlow

SSC BT Banner

 

Some Sort of Crazy Cover HH Blurb

 

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

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

Then Miles Haas comes back to town.

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

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

 

goodreads link

 

amazon link

 


Some Sort of Crazy Teaser

 

My Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 


 

Excerpt

 

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

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

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

“Huh?” Stop thinking about her ass.

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

I blinked in surprise. “Oh.”

“Did you really mean the things you said?”

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

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

“Tonight was not about us, Natalie.”

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

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

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

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

“And now?”

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

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

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


Other Books by this Author

 

Some sort of Happy

.99 Cents for a Limited Time

amazon link

 


About the Author

 

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

 

Connect With Melanie