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Monday, September 29, 2014

Stay with Me

19501672At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought she'd left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from the moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.


My Thoughts on the Book

 
This book is another wonderful book in this series, We don't know much about either character when this book starts, nothing about Jax in fact and this book can almost be read as a stand alone but you will miss how special the cameos are for the other players in this series, and a few other surprises too. Calla is a strong girl that has been through more then we can imagine and her life is not getting any easier. Jax works as her Mom's bar and is protective of her right from the start. Both have secrets and they find that they do not matter when it comes to how they feel for each other. Jax is wonderful and protective but not perfect and make a few mistakes will Calla but his love should never ever be questioned, and while Calla has gone through more then we can imagine, she has had a sheltered life, she too has to learn how to be part of a couple and a team and it is wonderful journey to watch.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Wore Me Down

17861219“Worn me down like a road. I did everything you told. Worn me down to my knees. I did everything to please.”

Austin Conrad has never taken his personal life seriously. As a Navy SEAL, he spends all of his time in dangerous, life-threatening situations. The only way to leave behind the horrors he’s seen throughout his career, is to turn it all off when he gets home. He’s too much of a playboy to settle down; even if he did find a woman he could stand to be around for more than one night, he would never taint her life with the demons of his past.

When his best friend and SEAL team member, Brady Marshall asks him to keep an eye on his baby sister, Gwen, Austin figures it will be a walk in the park. The only thing Austin likes more than flirting his way under a beautiful woman’s skin, is walking away with a smile on his face. Austin never expects that the single mom and her little girl will be the ones getting under his skin.

Gwen Stratford knows all too well about living in a nightmare. After taking her daughter and fleeing from her abusive husband in the middle of the night several months ago, she’s worked hard to get her life back on track and forget about the man who tried to break her. Growing up under the iron thumb of her parents and then moving right on with a man who ruled their marriage with his fists, Gwen is finally able to breathe and live her life the way she wants.

When scary, mysterious things begin to happen to Gwen and her daughter, she realizes you can never outrun your past; it always has a way of catching up with you. As she struggles with the desire to keep her newfound independence, she knows she won’t be able to protect herself and her child alone. She’ll need to lean on the one man who drives her crazy.

Can Gwen really put her trust in a man who thinks life is one big joke, or will he be just another man in her life who tries to wear her down?


My Thoughts on the Book 


I really do love this series and while they can be read as stand alone they are enjoyed just as much read in order. This is Austin and Gwen's story. We met both in the previous book but know more about Gwen's background then Austin, so much so that I got confused at first when I read the description and thought I had read this book ( don't hate me I read a lot of books) but it was just a case of knowing and remembering and loving the characters. This book is a wonderful story or learning to trust and learning to love for both of the characters. This book has great heart and wonderful banter between the characters and that always makes a great book for me.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Upon a Midnight Dream

14739756"I release you..." were the last words Rosalind remembered before her world went black. Stefan, the future duke of Montmouth, no doubt thought his words were welcomed but he couldn't have been more wrong. Oh, he was handsome as a pagan Norse god, but that was unimportant when her life as well as those of her family hung in the balance.

With less than six weeks left, Rosalind has stopped believing in the fairy tale, the prince on the white horse, and the stolen kiss that would awaken her from her worst nightmares. Resigned to her fate, she waits for the inevitable curse to run it’s course.

"We must marry at once!" Stefan declared, fully expecting Rosalind to be delighted that he had come to save her, but he was sorely mistaken. Rosalind was no simpering docile female; she was a fiery temptress with a stubborn streak only matched by his horse, Samson. Insulting, infuriating, intoxicating and alluring enough to drive a man mad. Stefan found himself thankful for the curse that required him marry her, thankful for the betrothal contract he had so recently tried to release her from...With the fortitude of a sailor shipwrecked, abandoned, and a solider warring for his life Stefan decides to lay siege to the greatest prize, Rosalind's heart.


My Thoughts on the Book

 
3.5 stars This is a very sweet regency romance with a fairy tail theme. I liked it a great deal but felt it jumped from the prologue to the main story too quickly with no back story on Rose for Stefan's time away. There were a few other places too that I felt it was not a twist but a change that could have been better organized. But I enjoyed Rose and Stefan together especially once the two started to relax in front of each other but I felt too much of the book was setting up for the next story rather then really living in this one.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Raced

22850915The Colton Points of View Collection

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author K. Bromberg comes a companion novella to the Driven Trilogy (Driven, Fueled, and Crashed). This novella is a compilation of reader requested scenes from the series retold through the eyes of Colton Donavan.


Colton Donavan lived life in the fast lane, but it took Rylee Thomas to teach him what racing was all about.

Arrogant
Rogue
Broken
Conceited
Dirty-Talking
Rebel
Egomaniacal
Voodooed
Bent
Reckless

You think you know me?

Think again.


*Raced is not a complete re-write of the Driven Trilogy. This companion explores pivotal scenes as well as some new ones written in Colton Donavan’s point of view that were not previously published in Driven, Fueled, and Crashed. Hear his thoughts, experience his inner-turmoil, and laugh with him on his journey as he overcomes his demons and accepts what it means to love.

This novella is for the devoted readers of the Driven series. It is recommended that this companion be read after Driven, Fueled, and Crashed.
 


My Thoughts on the Book

 
This is a Change of POV book but done in a rather unique way from others that I have seen and I quite enjoyed it. Rather then putting out a whole book in Colton's point of view we get certain chapters from each of the 3 books with some commentary before we read it. This gave me some wonderful insight into K. Bromberg's thinking and into the character of Colton as well. I am usually not a fan of books that are released as the same story in the other characters POV but I always like a few chapters that authors sometime put up on Facebook or their blog so this is just what that is in book form with a few extra scenes as well. It is a nice treat.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Black Lies

22471294 
Brant:
Became a tech billionaire by his twentieth birthday. Has been in a relationship with me for 3 years.
Has proposed 4 times. Been rejected 4 times.

Lee:
Cuts grass when he’s not banging housewives. Good with his hands, his mouth, and his cock. Has been pursued relentlessly by me for almost 2 years, whether he knows it or not.

Go ahead. Judge me. You have no idea what my love entails.

If you think you’ve heard this story before, trust me – you haven’t.


My Thoughts on this Book 

5+++ Stars
This book was simply amazing a put together perfectly. The description is dead on and yet wrong at the same time and I loved it. I really can not say too much about the plot because it will be too easy to give away but the plot is wonderful, there is a twist that you may figure out or you may not. The clues are there but even if you do figure it out you will never be quite sure until closer to the end and even then there is more to the story. Lana is wonderful, I agreed with all of her choices, don't judge her is right. You will understand soon enough. Brant is great too, this is a love triangle book,  but not in anyway you would suspect and it is such a good story because of that.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Hard to Hold on to




18841490Edward "Easy" Cantrell knows better than most the pain of not being able to save those he loves--which is why he is not going to let Jenna Dean out of his sight. He may have just met her, but Jenna's the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago.

Jenna has never met anyone like Easy. She can't describe how he makes her feel--and not just because he saved her life. No, the stirrings inside her reach far beyond gratitude.

As the pair are thrust together while chaos reigns around them, they both know one thing: the things in life most worth having are the hardest to hold on to.


My Thoughts on the Book

 
I started this series last year and really enjoyed the first two books, I am from Baltimore and while I don't live there now it was nice to have a book series centered there, that made this series extra fun for me. These stories are romance with a mystery and some action and adventure all with some very hot ex special forces men. What is not to enjoy? Nothing but the story goes much deeper then the hot and pretty surface. These men are heroes in every sense of the word but had to leave the military under less then fair conditions and have some heavy and personal baggage because of it. It does not stop them from being heroes but makes them even more human and something to love. Then we get to Easy story, it is just a novella right?, Easy is fun, right? it will be a cute short story to tide us over until the next full book, Wrong. It was beautiful, powerful, heart wrenching and simply wonderful. I had no idea you could poor that much emotion into a novella and I love Easy and all of the Men of Hard Ink even move because of it. Thank you Laura

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Only This

22849969When you’re the new guy in a family of heavy hitters, life doesn’t always seem to be in your control. Tyse McCallan proceeds with caution, even though his arrival has been accepted—for the most part—positively. Of course the media has taken special interest in him, but Tyse wants no part in the fame game. He spends his time with family members that share his same approach to life while focusing on running a new recording studio.


Lucky for him, he’s also got a gorgeous business neighbor a few doors down. Sarah Douglas is smart, witty, and sweet, but she suddenly develops a very strong aversion to him. Tyse knows it has to do with discovering his last name, but he’s determined to change her opinion of him.


Tyse has always fought through his hardships and come out on top, believing you should always forgive quickly and move forward. This time his beliefs are fully challenged, and now he has to trudge through McCallan secrets that could make him question why he came looking for his family in the first place…


My Thoughts on the Book

 3.75 Stars for me. I enjoyed to book but it lacked the charm of the first two.  It greatly improved in the last few chapters but the book was a bit too introspective for me.  I missed the humor and the banter that the first two had for me.  The characters were wonderful but the charmed that was there for the main characters was forced until the end.  Still a great book in the series and a series I will continue to read. 

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Elicit by Rachel Van Dyken

18465432Cursed, numb, rejected, scorned, wicked, sinister, dark, twisted...my name is Tex Campisi and this is my legacy. I killed my father in cold blood and lost my soul right along with him.
I crave war more than peace, and I'm about to take my place in history as the youngest Capo dei Capi in the Cosa Nostra...that is until someone stops me, saves me from myself.

But the only person able to do that...is my best friends sister, Mo Abandanato, and she just ripped my heart out and asked me to hold it in my hands while she put bullets through it.

Im cursed so I did it.
I'm numb so I held it.
I'm wicked so I liked it.
I used the pain Mo caused as a catalyst to turn into my biggest nightmare--the five families greatest enemy. It's my turn to take a stand, knowing full well I'm going to lose my mind to the madness that is the American Mafia. I've always been told Blood is thicker than life. I wish I would have listened. Because regardless of who you love? You will betray. You will kill.
Blood Always Wins.
The only way out is death...yours.

Welcome to the Dark Side of the Family.


My Thoughts on the Book 

Wow! This book was a roller coaster ride from page one. A fun ride but a tense one for sure. This is Tex's story and Tex has to decide his loyalty lies, sadly he may have to choose blood over family but what is really blood and what is really family? This book questions all of this and throws twists and turns in almost every chapters. Plans are made, plans are change but it in the end blood and family wins. A great addition to the Elect series!