This was a delicious, erotic and highly sensual romantic treat from Kendall Ryan and, with the hint of more to come from the secondary characters, thiThis was a delicious, erotic and highly sensual romantic treat from Kendall Ryan and, with the hint of more to come from the secondary characters, this promises to be a series that will go the distance.
Our heroine Brielle has been harbouring an unrequited crush on her male best friend Kirby for many years but he only really thinks of her as not much more than a kid sister. She thinks they would be perfect together but lacks confidence as a seductress and when she happens on the following notice, she plucks up the courage to get in touch with this dominant gentleman.
Fit, masculine, educated male, late 20s. Discreet and forthcoming.
Under my direction and guidance, women learn seduction techniques, how to achieve climax with and without a partner, explore physical gratification, and more.
Dominant, but don’t be scared, kitten, I’m not into pain.
Do not be misled. I am pure mischief. But I’m the best kind of trouble.
So, what do you say? Do you feel like being naughty?
If you’re ready to reach new levels of pleasure, contact me at @thedominantgentleman. Serious inquiries only.
Hale, our gentleman mentor, takes one look at Brielle and knows he’s in trouble. He’s firmly against commitment of any kind due to bad experiences in the past and vows to not spend much more than the allocated time with her but he finds her highly tempting and considers Kirby to be an idiot of the highest order for not appreciating her talents!
I found myself thoroughly engrossed by this very engaging romantic story. The BDSM is there, mostly in the form of dominance and a little bondage, but it’s very light and what we have is a caring and very sensual dom without any real sadism and it’s an intoxicating mix. Hale is fairly stoic and resolute in his determination not to get involved with his new client but it’s easy to see just how much he’s falling for her and I found myself falling for him. Right along with Brielle.
Brielle is very naive and fairly lacking in sexual confidence and she could so easily have come across as an annoying doormat and it’s a fine line but Kendall Ryan does a great job of creating an engaging heroine that’s easy for us all to identify with. After all, looking back, I bet we’ve all had a few unrequited crushes over the years when the boy of our dreams hardly seems to notice us. I know I have. *Sigh* So, it’s easy to identify with her plight and follow her journey as she takes instruction from her gorgeous new dom.
Hale was just to die for – quietly commanding and impressively dominant, he’s just the kind of caring and nurturing dom I know I adore in romantic fiction. He’s a bit of a closed book to Brielle, only revealing his name by accident and keeps a lot from her and, as such, the mystery factor really adds to his appeal but all those skeletons in the closet will come tumbling out at the most inopportune moment and will this destroy any burgeoning happiness that they have?
This was a great series opener and, even though I really loved Brielle and Hale, there’s a few hints of what’s to come in the second book in this series with Hale’s best friend and BDSM club owner Reece and Hale’s little sister Macey. I’m very excited to read that one! So if you enjoy a very sensual BDSM lite romance with a dom to die for and a sweet, slightly naive heroine, this one will definitely work for you.
Well, this was a sweet contemporary romance but not quite the edgy affair I was hoping for. It’s the story of Ian and Emma. Emma owns a bookstore an
Well, this was a sweet contemporary romance but not quite the edgy affair I was hoping for. It’s the story of Ian and Emma. Emma owns a bookstore and is struggling to make ends meet. Ian, an old High School friend, pops in occasionally to buy books and notices she has a spare storage room and asks to rent it for one of his ‘workshops’. Turns out he is a rope bondage instructor and his model cancels at short notice and Emma steps in and I think you can guess where we go from there.
While I did enjoy this, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I think it’s possibly my expectations that were misplaced though as I was looking for a kinky little number and that’s not quite what I got. This is very much BDSM lite focussing only on the B in BDSM and Ian isn’t a dom – he’s more of a switch who likes to tie girls up and likes to be tied himself so if you’re looking for a commanding, self-possessed dom, you’re not going to find it here.
I also found this HUGELY frustrating – Ian and Emma are quite possibly the most awkward new lovers in the known universe. The minute sex was over, they couldn’t meet each others eyes and were like bashful school kids. Both of them have strong feelings for each other but are too reticent to say anything and plenty of misunderstandings ensued! It was a bit like the blind leading the blind here. They’re both as bad as each other.
Emma is seriously lacking in confidence and self-worth and I found being in her headspace for 300 pages a rather difficult place to be. She doubts herself at every juncture and and appeared to have virtually no self-esteem. After a while, she’s just plain exhausting.
Also, the secondary characters – I found myself skimming over those scenes. In that respect, it read rather like a second book in a series and Ian’s best friend Brent and his wife Missy felt like they’d been the central characters in a previous book but a bit of research reveals that to be wrong and I found it hard to see the author’s motivations in lavishing quite as much attention on them as she did. They don’t add to the story and I hurried them along to get back to the main event – Ian and Emma.
What was done REALLY well here was the rope bondage scenes. While not always sexual, they’re intensely sensual and obvious strong attention to detail and loving affection went into writing those scenes. They’re so well described that I could follow them perfectly as Ian wound the ropes around Emma. Even when they’re not leading to sex, I found these scenes incredibly HOT and they were absolutely the highlight of the book for me.
So, it’s an enjoyable contemporary romance with some gorgeously sensual rope bondage scenes and a central couple that I kind of liked even though I wanted to slap them with a wet kipper sometimes.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this conflicted about a book, struggled so hard to rate it or have a book make me i
Well, Holy Fuck!
I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this conflicted about a book, struggled so hard to rate it or have a book make me incandescent with rage quite like this one did. So, if it’s about all about the emotions that a book drags out of you, I’d probably have to give Three, Two, One 5 stars and so many reviewers already have but I have settled on a rating of 4 and I’ll endeavour to explain myself!
For a start, I have NEVER come so close to giving up on a book only to carry on. After the first few chapters I was almost insanely angry and staring at all those 5 star reviews from people I trust thinking WTF? So, I did what any normal bookaholic does – I ranted to my ‘people’, the Goodreads crowd and they all calmly reassured me and told me to carry on, that it would all be worth it in the end and I have them to thank. If it weren’t for them, I would not have continued.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a dark read and dark erotica is my drug of choice but the first few chapters totally threw me and when I look at the negative reviews most of them are from people who couldn’t get beyond this point so that’s a whole star gone there – this IS a good story but you’ve got to wade through that highly dodgy opening to get to the good stuff and I worry that a lot of people quit before they had the chance to realise that.
We start with Blue, our heroine, cowering under a shop awning one morning, wet from the rain, so cold her lips are turning blue, clearly terrified, battered and bruised, barely conscious and off her head on drugs when our ‘heroes, Ark and JD come across her and their first thought is to use her to make a porno. Because that’s what you do when you come across an obviously malnourished, underweight girl in crisis – you offer to stick your cock down her throat for money! I had an instant and visceral dislike for these men. You can see my dilemma, right? It’s at this point that I nearly threw the book through the damn window. Ok, that’s an exaggeration as it was on my Kindle and I could never do that but I thought about it and, ultimately, I did carry on. In fact, I left it for almost a day, calmed myself down and started from the beginning again. And I’m glad I did. But it was close, very close.
As you continue, you have a seriously hot ménage style romance between the three main characters and the sex scenes are super hot but it’s not just the heat that’s done well – it’s the emotional intensity in those scenes. The author manages this beautifully – she really did manage to convey just how deeply this was affecting all three characters and what it clearly meant to them. I found myself calming down and sinking into the story and, once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down, desperate to work out what the heck is going on.
Because this is all smoke and mirrors and you just know it as you read it. None of them is who they appear to be, everyone has things to hide, no one is telling the truth and nothing is what it seems. It’s also difficult to truly get to know the characters because I found I just didn’t trust them or believe what they were saying. The story is told from alternating POV’s but just Blue and Ark – we don’t get to hear from JD and I really wanted to. I couldn’t understand that as I was reading it and it was clear that this was a deliberate choice by the author but it bothered me all the way through. Of course, now I’ve finished, I completely get it and to explain would be to spoil part of the plot so I won’t but I think it highlights how conflicted I felt while reading.
The story is meticulously planned and beautifully executed – I can’t fault the author on any of that. Her style is wonderful and really quite flawless and I would definitely read this author again and she sure knows how to spin a good yarn. In fact, this is one of those books that you’ll want to read again once you know what it is all about to spot those little ‘light bulb’ moments that you missed when everything was still shrouded in mystery. The plot is actually layered in so much complexity, it made my head spin and, once I’d hit the 70% mark, I definitely increased my reading speed and there was no putting the book down from this point onwards. No turning back. I just had to know!
I thought there was one sex scene that never happened in the book that I was dying to see and, as everything was explained at the end, I thought we would get this and yet it never happened – it would have brought about a beautiful moment of closure for me and I think I really needed it. Can’t explain what it is – again, spoilers. Other than that, the book closed out seamlessly with actually really quite beautiful closure and it’s the happiest ending you could hope for with what went down but not the one I expected. There are some HUGE shocks to absorb before you get there, that’s for sure.
So, I would have to say to anyone who’s not yet read this book and is considering it that this is a fantastically complex story with many secrets hidden within it. It’s a darkish read but not really dark erotica and if you find the beginning all too much for you, I would advise to persevere, if you can, because there is buried treasure here and it’s a highly original and compelling story once you can get into it and, ultimately, it really is worth it. It is a total mindfuck and it pays to stick it out.Once read, Three, Two, One is not easily forgotten.
As the blurb states, Sebastian Stone, frontman of popular rock group Sunder, is hiding away from LA and the press in Georgia after he got himse[image]
As the blurb states, Sebastian Stone, frontman of popular rock group Sunder, is hiding away from LA and the press in Georgia after he got himself into a whole heap of trouble. There he meets Shea who's working in a local bar and they share an immediate and undeniable attraction.
Sebastian, despite his troubled and difficult past is really quite likeable. He's pretty sincere, fiercely loyal and, despite his reputation, very much one of the good guys. Shea, who also has secrets of her own, is a very easy heroine to like and for reasons we don't get to find about until the very end she's also trying to keep a low profile and isn't prepared at all for the way Sebastian is about to rock her world. (pun totally intended)
After a difficult start, I struggled a little to get into the story at first, I found myself absorbed and touched by their growing feelings for one another. It's a fairly typical new adult romance plot line - they're obviously falling for one another but both have dark, troubled pasts and secrets they're not ready to share and both are convinced that they can never be together. It's very high on the angst, quite low on humour but ultimately very romantic and engaging. I found myself completely on board with their relationship, rooting for them to overcome their hurdles and for the rest of the world to just leave them alone but it's not to be and we're left with a devastating cliffy that completely broke my heart as I read with horror at the unfairness of the situation. It's enough to leave your heart pounding, desperate for more although I have to say that the story, at this point, pivots on a MAHOOSIVE coincidence that had my eyes rolling slightly. I totally didn't see it coming.
There were a couple of real stand out scenes for me that live vividly on in my imagination - the night that they finally succumb to that all consuming attraction. The author did a fantastic job of really allowing Sebastian's and Shea's emotions to truly shine through and their passion felt real and incendiary. Also, there's a day at the beach when everyone seems to happy and everything is perfect (at least for a while) - there's a real rose tinted glow cast over that one that still gives me a goofy grin.
As I actually did enjoy the story very much, I feel the need to explain why I've only rated it at 3 stars. The writing style and techniques adopted by the author often stopped me in my tracks and distracted me from the story.
The first couple of chapters contained some rather overblown and flowery language which, rather than setting the scene, actually confused me a little but I soon settled into it but then I noticed another habit the author has - she likes to repeat things three times.
For example:-
Weak. Weak. Weak.
Pretending. Pretending. Pretending.
Trouble. Trouble. Trouble.
Once noticed, sadly, this could no longer go unnoticed. I think this technique would work well when used for dramatic effect in moderation but it's massively overused in Stone in the Sea. It crops up every few pages over and over again and once I'd decided that it was annoying me, it pretty much hit me like a sledge hammer between the eyes every time I came across it. I'd be enjoying the story and turn the page and find
Want. Want. Want.
OR
Deeper. Deeper. Deeper.
and I'd want to howl in frustration. It jarred me from the story and totally took away my enjoyment.
A writer's narrative should be the reader's guide into the story, the key that unlocks their magical world in our imaginations but, regrettably, this constant triple repetition of focal words ended up being stumbling blocks for me that made me grind to a halt and completely hindered my enjoyment of the story. And it's a real shame because it's a good story with great character development and strong emotional depth. I'm dying to know what will happen next with Sebastian and Shea - I was fully committed to their story but I just don't know if I can start the sequel knowing how much I struggled with the style.
The story continues in June with Drowning To Breathe. I very much want them to find their way out of the dark abyss they ended up in but I'm unsure if I will actually continue.
Wow! This was quite the roller coaster! And what an ending! When I finished the book, I stared mournfully at the page, my hands seemingly surgi [image]
Wow! This was quite the roller coaster! And what an ending! When I finished the book, I stared mournfully at the page, my hands seemingly surgically attached to the sides of my Kindle, heart pounding lost in a sea of bewilderment. How can it just end like that? I knew it wasn’t going to conclude – I was counting down the remaining percentage on my Kindle with an increasing sense of doom – we were going to be left hanging, twitching for the next instalment like a addict awaiting a fix. Rebecca Shea – you sure do make junkies of us all
This is the story of Emilia, who’s grown up in abject poverty in a trailer with her feckless and depressive mother (her father having bailed seemingly seconds after conception!). After the loss of her mother, she goes looking for her father who pretty much slams the door in her face.
My heart broke for Emilia at the beginning of this story. She cuts such a lonely figure – so desperate for love, so naive. She’s like the ultimate prey for some waiting predator to come along and snap her up. I felt so sorry for her – especially with the abrupt and heart-breaking dismissal from her biological father.
Enter stage left – Alex.
Never could a young girl have been more prime for falling into bad company than at the moment when he first sets eyes on Emilia. They’re like the lion and the lamb – he’s from a different and very dangerous world and, even though he thinks he’s protecting her, he’s putting her in deadly peril by taking her into his world. He should have just carried on driving by that fateful day and, instead, look where it has all ended!
I was very absorbed straight away as I always am by a Rebecca Shea novel – her style is engaging and draws you in and I found myself lost in the story almost instantly. Emilia’s devastation at the beginning was a palpable thing and I rapidly got into her mindset. The alternating POV works very well here allowing us to hear from both of the main protagonists and you need to hear from Alex as he really did have me wondering what on earth he was up to for a large part of this novel.
I did really enjoy this – it’s very suspenseful and atmospheric as it builds towards its pulsating conclusion but I did feel that the book could have been at least 100 pages longer. A lot happens and a lot of it too quickly for my liking, especially the last 25%. It’s shock after shock without time to absorb and reflect – we’re hurtled from one startling revelation into the next and I really wanted to slow down at this point and see how the characters were feeling and reacting but it wasn’t to be. Emilia and Alex fall in love a little too quickly – I would have liked to have seen a longer build up there too. Emilia was rather too trusting – she just accepts that this devastatingly good looking stranger hanging out at a seedy motel by night only has good intentions. She’s massively naive.
So, in conclusion, a good and suspenseful romance but I needed it to be a little longer to get deeper character development and just to see more of their feelings and emotions but it’s a humdinger of a cliffy and I’ll definitely be back for more.
I really enjoyed this opening book of the Stage Dive series from Kylie Scott – it’s charming, funny and deeply romantic full of we
4 amnesiac stars
I really enjoyed this opening book of the Stage Dive series from Kylie Scott – it’s charming, funny and deeply romantic full of well-rounded characters and a dynamic plot to keep you engaged right through to the very end.
Turns out, the old expression ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ probably doesn’t apply if an Elvis impersonator is somehow involved.
"Let me get this straight, you don't remember anything?" "No," I said, swallowing hard. "What did we do last night?" "We got fucking married." he growled.
Uh oh! Yup, Evelyn has woke up after a night in Vegas remembering very little of the night before and is now throwing up in the hotel bathroom with a very gorgeous, tattooed Adonis checking to see if she is OK. She has absolutely no recollection of meeting him but it turns out they got married while she was inebriated and, not only that, he’s one quarter of one of the biggest bands on the planet, Stage Dive.
I so enjoyed this – I don’t think it was taking itself too seriously. There’s plenty of humour to be found in here along with the angsty romance. I think it taps into every girl’s fantasy that the Rock God she so adores can ditch his philandering ways and change his bad habits for the one girl who means everything to him – the girl next door type – basically, us the reader.
David has, of course, had his fair share of disposable groupies over the years and it was sweet to see how he saw something very genuine and refreshingly different in Evelyn. Turns out that night she can’t remember meant just about everything to him and, after her initial shock, she allows him to slowly and rather creatively help bring back the memories.
The book follows the well worn path of boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boys fucks up ,monumentally and loses girl and boy does just about everything in his power to get her back but this isn’t trite at all – it’s well written and the narrative flows beautifully with Kylie Scott’s accomplished style and, with her easy humour, Lick is a charming and engaging read.
There’s a whole lot of series building going on here with the other members of the band being introduced in all their glory with the promise of some edgy rockstar romances to come as the series progresses. I think it’s a great beginning to a highly promising series and it’s my first read from Kylie Scott. It won’t be my last.
[image] I absolutely bloody loved this – it’s classic contemporary romance at it’s finest. For me this series
It's Game On for Charlie and T-Rex!
[image] I absolutely bloody loved this – it’s classic contemporary romance at it’s finest. For me this series got off to a fairly average start with Rock Addiction but improved a lot with Rock Courtship and Rock Hard is, for me, the best yet. It features a familiar plot for romance – the tough, protective alpha hero and the shy, retiring heroine with a traumatic past but it’s so beautifully written, the characters so vividly drawn that I was completely enthralled from beginning to end. Nalini Singh does a fantastic job of focussing the reader entirely on the journey being taken by the two central characters and she keeps it fresh all the way through. My attention never wavered once – in fact, I found it hard to put down at all.
I’d actually been dying to read this story ever since we were treated to little snippets during Molly and Fox’s story in Rock Addiction. Charlotte (our Charlie Mouse) is Molly’s best friend and we heard through conversations and texts about her ferocious and very demanding new boss, Gabriel Bishop AKA T-Rex especially after she threw a stapler at his head when she thought he was an intruder! I’d been dying to hear their story – the tough alpha hero and the slightly nerdy heroine is pretty much my favourite romance scenario and I can hand on heart assure you that Rock Hard completely lived up to my expectations and then some.
Quick synopsis – Gabriel Bishop, a former pro rugby player who’s career ended early and unexpectedly due to injury has turned all that incredible intensity and focus on saving failing businesses with great success and he’s been brought in to save the company that Charlotte works for and turns out to be an extremely exacting boss. He, of course, knows that he wants her for himself but he can see the terror hidden in her eyes, realises that she’s been hurt badly along the way and realises that he has to tread carefully and take things slowly. And it’s his slow pursuit of Charlotte, the beautiful journey they take that takes centre stage in this novel and, despite the slow pace, it kept me engrossed even though it takes forever for them to get together. I wasn’t once bored – I enjoyed all that consuming sexual chemistry that was building to a crescendo between them and loved every second of Charlotte finally letting go of her demons and allowing Gabriel in.
She swallowed and lifted trembling fingers to his hair, tears rolling down her face. “Why are you doing this?”
“You need to ask me that?” A growl of sound. “You haven’t figured out by now that I think you’re fucking amazing? You have a brain that won’t quit, a smile that lights up my soul, and a body I want to do dirty things to and with three ways to Sunday.”
I had a few worries before beginning this book that Charlotte would be too much of a mouse, that she would irritate me but my fears were ungrounded. Yes, she’s guarded and very skittish but you learn slowly why she is that way and, even though she appears to be a mouse, she’s actually a bit of a tigress beneath that facade and it’s the little glimpses of her true character that so enthral Gabriel. Charlotte is an easy character to identify with – she’s just a regular girl working in an office for a boss who’s never satisfied and always demanding more and living and getting by in a big city (this is set in Auckland, NZ). I actually really liked her right from the get go and was dying for her to let her ferocious T Rex of a boss get a little closer to her.
And Gabriel Bishop – oh, be still my beating heart. I think I fell deeply in love with him right along with Charlotte. I think he has to be my favourite book boyfriend of 2015 to date. He’s one of the guys that my teenage self would have sighed over in romance novels when I was just beginning to discover the genre. He’s in a position of power, he’s growly, demanding yet very protective and hot as hell and he’s decided that he wants Charlotte Baird pretty much from the first moment he sets eyes on her and plays a long game to get her. I smiled goofily and often at the things that he said and did, even when Charlotte didn’t realise what he was up to. With our reader’s birds eye view of the action, we knew exactly what his game is and I think I just swooned with happiness and got a really bad case of the warm and fuzzies. Even now, as I type, I’m grinning like a loon.
[image]
The story focuses almost completely on the journey that Charlotte and her T-Rex take and the pacing was just pitch perfect. Despite very little else going on, the story never dragged or flagged and I was completely rapt and dying to carry on, to see the little victories that Gabriel claimed and the baby steps that they took together. Their growing feelings for one another are just blissful and sigh-worthy and, above all else, I loved the way that Gabriel loved Charlie – how he realised he had to go slow, how patient he was with her, so understanding and just so, SO wonderful Ok, so I know I’m gushing now but you get the picture right? I’ll take his memo any time he demands *snigger*
“What are you talking about?” he said as things went all melty and hot low in her body. “You wrangle T-Rexes, don’t you?”
Scrunching up her nose at him, she fought a smile. “Only one.”
“Good, because this T-Rex is possessive as hell and does not share well.”
So, this is a fantastic addition to the Rock Kiss series – it’s quite clear how experienced and accomplished Nalini Singh is as an author. This is virtually flawless romance, an absolute pleasure to just lose yourself in. It’s romantic, sweet, sexy and actually very funny. Highly recommended!
[image]
5 die hard romantic stars
ARC courtesy of INscribe Digital via NetGalley.
Edited 2 days after reading to upgrade my rating to 5 stars as a I book that stays so strongly with me after finishing really does deserve that rating....more
Rock Addiction is the first book in Nalini Singh’s exciting new Rock Kiss series and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. I’ve not read NaliniRock Addiction is the first book in Nalini Singh’s exciting new Rock Kiss series and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. I’ve not read Nalini Singh before although I know her by reputation, of course, as the author of the highly popular Psy-Changeling and Guild-Hunters paranormal series. The thought of such an established author branching out into a contemporary rock romance series was beyond irresistible to me. So, I had no expectations of the writing style, characters or plotlines other than the promise of a hot rocker romance.
I really did enjoy this. After a bit of a ropey beginning, Fox is incredibly cocky and sure of himself and I wasn’t sure I liked him in the first chapter or so and he falls in instalove with Molly the minute he sees her across a crowded room and I’m not really a huge fan of instalove, but putting these behind me very early on, I soon settled into the swing of it and very much enjoyed this.
So Fox falls in love with Molly at a crowded party, knows he has to have her but Molly is very wary of the media circus that surrounds him due to past trauma’s and is not keen on a public high profile relationship and so they agree to enjoy a passionate affair while he and his band are in Australia and then will go their separate ways. Or so Molly thinks. Fox, of course, has absolutely no intention of letting her go and sets about charming and seducing the pants off of Molly and works on getting her to fall in love with him.
The book is told in two halves, almost like two separate stories. This could definitely have ended after the first half and the entire second half could have made another novel. The end of the first half, really did feel like a happy ending but the course of true love never did run smooth and prepare for a rockier, angstier ride in the second part of the book.
You really can tell that you’re in the hands of an established, well experienced author – the writing is seamless and the character development is stellar. It’s an incredibly sexy, compelling and pretty addictive story as we follow Fox and Molly on their rocky road to love. both in Australia and Los Angeles. Fox is a gorgeous and sexy rock star who is used to a continuous stream of dispensable groupies who are prepared to do just about anything for him and he seemed to change instantly the minute he met Molly. I’d love to believe in the whole bad boy rocker changing his ways for the love of his life however unlikely it seems but I’m too much of a cynic at heart I think.
Molly comes across as a bit of an innocent caught up in a whirlwind with no escape in sight – she’s kind of wide-eyed innocent and lost most of the time. She does eventually get a bit stronger but there were times when she grated on me a little. Fox is very charming and I really thought she was a bit mean to him and I actually started to feel a little sorry for him.
What I think Nalini did really very well in this was develop fantastic secondary characters to the central couple who I really wanted to know more about and this is always very important in the first book in a new series and it worked beautifully – I now desperately want to read everyone else’s stories as they are released. In particular, I am dying of anticipation at the thought of Molly’s best friend, Charlotte, hooking up with her boss who she calls T-Rex. Their story is told in tiny little titbits throughout Rock Addiction, as is David’s and I can’t wait to read those. I developed an immense fondness for the other bandmates and I think this is a fantastic start to an exciting new series.
3.5 stars and not 4 just because sometimes I badly wanted to slap Molly but, other than that, I really enjoyed this one!
Well, it’s safe to say that this book is a complete RIOT! It’s totally not what I was expecting. When I first saw that cover and read the blurb[image]
Well, it’s safe to say that this book is a complete RIOT! It’s totally not what I was expecting. When I first saw that cover and read the blurb, I was expecting a romance in a similar style to Katy Evans’ Real but this is very different from that. In fact, when I first realised that the two main protagonists are actually in High School, I was initially a little put off, but there’s something about this book that really kind of captivated me and I was pretty much sucked in.
Let me start off by saying that this book is VERY Irish - you can hear that Irish Brogue coming through loud and clear with the attitude, the slang and the swearing. No one can swear quite like the Irish – I feckin’ love it! I think it’s incredibly fitting that the book releases on Paddy’s Day – perfect timing.
Bronagh is our heroine, who has been raised for nine years by her elder sister due the tragic loss of her parents. This has hit Bronagh hard and she’s vowed never to allow anyone close enough to her for her to ever feel that pain of loss ever again. She’s closed off from everyone apart from Bronagh and hides from reality behind a pair of ear buds staying in her own little world. She’s incredibly spiky and practically snarls at anyone who gets close – she’s funny but she’s also very sharp with a dry,acerbic wit. Most of all, Bronagh is fierce, scarily so – she has a short fuse and is never shy of standing up for herself and what she thinks is right.
The American Slater Brothers storm into town like a tornado and Dominic and Damien, totally gorgeous twins, are placed in Bronagh’s class and Dominic knows straight away that he wants her but she’s gong to make it as difficult for him as she possibly can, fighting off his charms while other girls are literally falling at his feet but he is determined to pursue her.
Dominic is cocky, arrogant, possessive, protective, rude, quick to anger but he’s also incredibly charming and lovable, as are all the Slater boys and, despite some of his absolute stupidity in this book, he’s hard not to like. He torments Bronagh at school for ignoring his advances and makes her life hell. I had to laugh when he admired her ‘phat ass’ and she thought he had said ‘fat arse’ and named him Fuckface – they really did become Fatarse and Fuckface in my head after that one and I found myself grinning like a goof at some of their antics and arguments.
This is all kinds of crazy as the story thunders along at a furious pace with everyone constantly falling out, snarling and hissing at one another like feral cats and constantly falling into physical fights. I think I lost count of the amount of times poor old Dominic got clocked around the head. Luckily, the guy has a hard head as he’s an underground fighter going by the names of Nico or Rampage, something that Bronagh really doesn’t like.
Of course, there’s a reason why the Slater Brothers have come to Ireland and this will come roaring back to put them all in danger and the last part of the novel is a crazy rush of drama and action and it really does move us well beyond the High School style romance and into something significantly more adult.
I have to say Bronagh’s High School experience is pretty brutal. She gets beaten up several times and is always finding herself embroiled in fights and Dominic is no better – both of them, and several others, spend most of this novel wandering around with cuts and bruises.
Deep at the heart of the novel, despite the batshit crazy pace, is a story of deep and abiding loyalty between family and friends and very much a strong theme of love – brotherly, sisterly, romantic and very sexual love. It’s thoroughly enjoyable and charming with some really great character development. It’s so sweet to see Bronagh’s spiky resolve slowly being taken down by Dominic and her frozen heart slowly melting for him. I adored the way that he loved her and cherished her, despite their screaming arguments and I couldn’t help but find myself rooting for them.
"I'm yours?" I mumbled, still in awe that this beautiful person wanted me when he could have any girl he wanted.
Dominic smiled at me and kissed the tip of my nose then winked as he said, "You've always been mine, pretty girl. You just didn't know it."
This book is just all kinds of crazy but, strangely, it works – OK, it’s a debut and it’s a little rough around the edges with a few typos but it’s very original and it is absolutely hilarious and I really did enjoy it and I’ll definitely be continuing with the series. Can’t wait for some more Slater Boys action with Alec, the manwhore, up next. I’m dying for Damien’s story which I think will be the most emotional but it appears the author is saving the best till last.
Wow! Get the Kleenex at the ready and prepare for another emotional ride from Trudy Stiles! She’s going to make you cry, ugly cry and she’ll al[image]
Wow! Get the Kleenex at the ready and prepare for another emotional ride from Trudy Stiles! She’s going to make you cry, ugly cry and she’ll also make you smile – there’s so many mixed emotions in this book and the best way I can sum it up is to say that it’s bittersweet. Although there’s a lot of happiness here, we’ll also be left with a big ‘what if’ and and longing for what’s been lost and can never be replaced.
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I have to confess to having mixed feelings about Tabitha after I read Dear Emily. While on one hand, I sympathised deeply with her incredible losses and the terrible abuse that she suffered and on the other, I felt that she played fast and loose with the emotions of the men in her life and, ultimately, crushed two good men. She left both Alex and Seth heartbroken in her wake and I began this book with no small amount of anger towards her and I was very intrigued to see how Trudy Stiles would handle this very challenging heroine.
Her words tear into me like that fucking rake did so long ago. I feel gutted. My heart drops in my chest when the words she just spoke sink into me.
There isn’t an us anymore.
We join Tabitha a couple of years after the events of Dear Emily – Tabitha has grown emotionally and is now a much stronger person. She’s single again having left Seth long behind and haven given her heart irrevocably to Alex who she hasn’t seen in years but he is about to come back into her life and he’s not the only surprise in store for her as her past comes roaring back to completely change everything.
Both Tabitha and Alex come from harrowing backgrounds. Tabitha was orphaned at birth, adopted by a wonderful woman who died tragically and suddenly, abandoned to the foster system and then almost enslaved by an evil, abusive man. She’s escaped her past but she’s not without emotional scars and lives with constant nightmares. She’s lost and given up so much in her life for the good of others – her life has been about sacrifice and, only now, is she beginning to live her life for herself and on her own terms. She’s grown so much since we first met her and she’s now an independent woman attempting to leave her tragic past behind.
Alex also suffered years of abuse after the loss of his beloved mother but, thankfully, was able to grow up in the heart of his best friend Dax’s loving family. He gave his heart to Tabitha years ago only to catch her kissing Seth, betraying him and he ran, broken hearted, without ever looking back. If only he had – if only he had given Tabitha the chance to explain, things would have been so different. He’s lost more than he can ever begin to realise and now, the truth about Emily is about to come out and watch out for some incredibly emotional scenes as Alex comes to terms with all that he has lost.
This is such an emotional story – the raw pain BLEEDS out of this novel and Alex, especially, had me welling up. I felt so badly for him, much more than I ever did for Tabitha despite her awful past. There’s just something about Alex – the way he wears his emotions on his heart, the tender and patient way he handled a skittish and battle-scarred Tabitha as they were getting to know one another, the sweet things that he does for her that really melted my heart. He’s beautiful inside and out and I couldn't stand to see him hurting and Trudy Stiles really does put him through the mill in this book. Be prepared to hurt and to hurt bad for Alex.
Tabitha has so much to deal with in this novel – not only has Alex walked back into her life, a big part of her past, a part she thought was lost to her has suddenly returns and Tabitha is left lost and floundering, desperate to do the right thing but unsure if she has the strength to do it. Alex was such a rock for her even though he was hurting – he was there for her every step of the way and I just adored him.
This is beautifully paced. It’s told from Tabitha and Alex’s alternating POV’s and differing timelines and I think Trudy Stiles does a good job of getting inside their heads at different stages of their life. Their inner voice does a good job of reflecting the age their character is at the time – it’s very well told. It builds to an incredible emotional crescendo and the last 25% or so had me turning the pages at a rate of knots, completely unable to put this down as I found myself so invested, desperate for this all to end well knowing that the ending could only be bittersweet at best – there’s still the loss of Alex, Tabitha and Emily as the family that can never be. We do, however, get to catch up with Emily, Carly and Kyle and it’s great to see them so happy and moving on as a family and and I really enjoyed their scenes.
So it’s another intensely emotional story from Trudy Stiles and we have Seth’s story to look forward to later this year.
Clipped Wings is book one in a new series from Helena Hunting focusing on the story of Tenley and Hay[image]
Love consumes you. Secrets tear you apart.
Clipped Wings is book one in a new series from Helena Hunting focusing on the story of Tenley and Hayden. There is a prequel novella, Cupcakes & Ink, which it is not necessary to have read to enjoy this book but provides some nice background. The story does not conclude in this book and will continue in Inked Armor due for release in May.
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I really loved this darkly atmospheric story from Helena Hunting. It’s so full of raw pain, anguish and sorrow. It tells the story of Tenley and Hayden, two very damaged people linked through the pain of loss who share an unyielding chemistry whose connection grows far beyond the physical into an innate need for one another.
We start with Tenley moving to Chicago to embark on a Masters Programme at the university and renting an apartment opposite a tattoo parlour. She can see the comings and going of the four people that work there but one of them catches her eye, Hayden and she watched him from afar, silently longing for him. She takes a part-time job at his aunt’s shop which is right next to Inked Armor, his tattoo parlour, but she’s painfully shy and skittish and every time he comes into the shop she tries to blend in with the background and disappear and constantly hides from him but he has noticed her and he likes what he sees and he is intrigued.
Tenley really did a number on me. Even when I was sleeping, she haunted my dreams. Her pain and her incredible grief were almost palpable. She’s so broken and she’s built such incredibly strong emotional walls that she really doesn’t want to let anyone in but, slowly, Hayden chips away at her defences and she begins to let him in and he agrees to do a really huge tattoo on her back – something that will bring them into close, intimate contact for weeks to come. It’s going to be very hard for them to resist that incredible pull that exists between them.
Hayden is inked and pierced but beneath that apparently hard exterior and brash comments and flirtatious nature lurks a surprisingly sensitive soul – he’s quite the pussycat under all that body modification. No stranger to loss himself, Hayden has handled things badly in the past and it’s only in the last year that he’s attempted to clean up his act and make something of his life but he also has a past that haunts him and is ready to roar back into his life.
Hayden has a bad case of OCD going on, really likes things in order and his feelings for Tenley are like a tornado throwing everything into upheaval – Tenley is the variable disrupting the order in his life. He sees her pain and can only guess at what she’s been through and he can see that she’s keeping everyone at a distance and how socially awkward she is but he can’t help but find himself developing very strong feelings for her. He’s a little territorial and possessive where she’s concerned but just his physical presence seems to ease Tenley’s pain and, slowly, they start up a beautiful relationship.
They’re linked through the pain of loss and they really do manage to heal one another – they’re both eased by the other’s presence but there were times when their reticence really frustrated me. They’re both very backward at coming forward and both hold so much back that, with your birds eye view as a reader, you can see disaster lurking on the horizon for these two as secrets from the past come roaring back to tear them apart and you can do nothing to stop it. There were times when I wanted to scream at them to just talk and open up but, alas, they don’t do enough of this and we;re left with a humdinger of a cliffie!
I really enjoyed this – it’s really quite haunting and atmospheric and I completely lost myself in their world. The pacing is spot on and I loved at how much time was given to allow these two to get to one another, to digest what was happening and recognise their feelings and, OMG, just how hot is it when Hayden finally gets to ink Tenley?? It’s actually a slow burner but all that pent-up sexual attraction becomes wound so tight that it’s ready to go off like a nuclear bomb when they finally succumb.
I’m now desperately waiting for the sequel to see how on earth these two come back from the events of the last few chapters – it can’t come soon enough.
This is just a short little novella showing the moments when Tenley and Hayden first spot each other and how that simmering attraction between them beThis is just a short little novella showing the moments when Tenley and Hayden first spot each other and how that simmering attraction between them begins. It's a great introduction and sets up the fantastic story that awaits you in Clipped Wings.
Invite me in, Elizabeth. I won’t leave here until I’ve had you beneath me, writhing and moaning and calling my name… Invite me in.”
This is a ne[image]
Invite me in, Elizabeth. I won’t leave here until I’ve had you beneath me, writhing and moaning and calling my name… Invite me in.”
This is a new contemporary romance from Jessica Ingro. It’s the first part of her new Concierge series and there is no cliffhanger and this is a standalone romance. The subsequent books in the series will focus on different couples.
Well, the blurb pretty much says it all – Elizabeth works as a concierge in New York, pandering to very rich clients, the most recent of which is Grant Morgan, hot shot lawyer and renowned player. Elizabeth has a strict rule about not mixing business with pleasure but Grant has his sights set firmly on her and begins to pursue her in earnest.
This was very much a heartfelt romance. Elizabeth is a sweet-natured, hard-working concierge who doesn’t think she has much time for a relationship and certainly isn’t about to combine business with pleasure however appealing Grant Morgan is but Grant is trying very hard to wear down her defences and it’s not long before she succumbs.
You have no idea how much I care for you, do you? I need you, Elizabeth. You’re a breath of fresh air in this closed off world I live in filled with vultures looking to strike at any sign of weakness.
They start a beautiful romance – Grant is actually nothing like the playboy he is portrayed as by the tabloid press. He’s very intense, very sexy and he falls hard and fast for Elizabeth. She for her part, falls for him in a big way but is slow to trust him and then, when everything seems to be going so well, they fall foul of the most nefarious of plot devices – THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING! At this point, I pretty much fell out of love with Mr Morgan – he suddenly became very judgemental and behaved appallingly leaving our poor heroine distraught and bereft,
So while I enjoyed this romance and there is plenty of sex, romance and humour, my attention did start to wander a little right up until that Big Misunderstanding which tears them asunder for months. At this point, with a couple of other plot twists under our belts, the story line really starts to pick up momentum and I found myself turning the pages rapidly in the last quarter of the book just waiting for Grant to eat humble pie after being a complete fuckwit.
It’s an enjoyable contemporary romance with some great secondary characters for future books, the story flowed well and the pacing was great. I did have a little trouble fully connecting with both Elizabeth and Grant which is why this is a 3.5 and not a 4 star read for me but, in the end, I found myself glued to the pages desperate to see how it would all end,
This really does offer something very different from a lot of new adult books out there – it’s dark, twisted and full of surprises and shocks a[image]
This really does offer something very different from a lot of new adult books out there – it’s dark, twisted and full of surprises and shocks and wholly compelling.
Meet Josie Banks – a loner amnesiac. Her past is completely lost to her – she was found unconscious after her Father was murdered and now only remembers her brutal upbringing in the foster system. As soon as she was old enough she ventured out into the world, defensive, hurting and completely alone. She creates vivid graffiti art unsure of whether this work comes from her lost memories and she cuts such a lonely figures using varying different drugs and casual, impersonal one night stands to blot out the pain and stop her from feeling anything at all. My heart really broke for Josie – she seemed so isolated, so lost.
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Josie has become obsessed with sitting, hiding beneath a hoodie, watching a local tattooed bartender, Tristan – something about him calls to her but she doesn’t know what. She sketches him obsessively but when Tristan finally sees her face, he knows her. He remembers her from her lost childhood – her life before the accident that robbed her of her memories. He has loved her his whole life and thought he had lost her forever.
“You broke my heart, McKenzi, and here you are. It’s just too much.”
She didn’t correct her name. Instead, Josie was silent as she tried to work out his declaration. Was she too much? She’d never been too much for anyone. She’d never even been enough.
“I loved you from the first time I saw you,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss against her neck.
What follows is full of shocks and surprises and I never knew which way the plot was going to turn next but there’s a building air of menace throughout the whole novel as though these two are hurtling towards an inevitable and devastating conclusion and the threat keeps growing as Josie’s and Tristan’s pasts are about to come roaring back to haunt them. It’s tense and it’s edgy and completely engrossing and there are plenty of shocks awaiting them.
This really is an accomplished debut from Season Vining – she does an amazing job of creating the barren wasteland that is Josie’s world, her very singular and miserable existence. The desperation was palpable and uncomfortable to read and I found myself wanting nothing more than for her to open her heart and let Tristan in. He himself has a darkness within, pain that needs to be healed – it’s almost as if their parting as children forced this unfortunate couple onto a much darker path than had ever been intended for them and only being together again in the here and now can put it right. It feels very fatalistic.
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It’s incredibly atmospheric and I found myself completely lost in their world gasping at every twist and turn and completely rooting for them as a couple. I adored just how much Tristan adored Josie and just how far he was prepared to go to secure her safety and protect her. This is a fantastic debut from Season Vining and I’m very much looking forward to what she comes up with next.
“What I feel for you is so big, Cara. No more doubts.” He tips my chin up to look me in the eye. “You’re with me because there’s nowhere else I
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“What I feel for you is so big, Cara. No more doubts.” He tips my chin up to look me in the eye. “You’re with me because there’s nowhere else I want you to be. Got it?”
I think I’ve probably read just about everything that Kristen Proby has ever published. She’s one of my go-to authors for contemporary erotic romance with the perfect combination of sexy alpha heroes, sassy and strong heroines, fantastic romance and, of course, shit-hot melt-your-ereader bedroom scenes! I’ve loved everyone of her With Me In Seattle series and was thrilled to discover that she’s now embarking on a new Under A Big Sky series set in Montana.
So meet Josh, sexy Montana rancher, single, dark haired, dark eyed with dimples to die for and, even better, he has an identical twin brother Zach who will no doubt star in his own book some time in the future. Josh is running his parents ranch while Zach is fighting the war in Afghanistan. His brother’s feckless wife one day just decides to dump their son Seth on the ranch in the cruellest of ways and Josh finds himself left to take care of Seth while he waits for his brother to come home from the war and Seth doesn’t want to be looked after. He’s bitter and angry and anti-social and, despite being a bright kid, he is flunking school. Deliberately. My heart broke for Seth and I just wanted to reach out and hug him. Josh realises that he needs professional help and he hires local school teacher, Cara, to tutor him during the summer break.
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Cara and Josh have grown up in the same town and, of course, have known each other for years but they’re about to realise that they share a burning attraction for one another. Josh cannot keep his eyes off her!
My eyes are glued to his lips and I’m mortified to realize that I want him to kiss me.
And not just a sweet thank-you-for-teaching-my-nephew kiss, but a long, slow kiss that lasts forever and I can’t even remember to breathe.
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Cara is a real sweetheart, a little bit insecure due to some bullying in high school. She thinks herself a little too curvy but to Josh, she’s sexy as hell and he can’t get enough of her!
This was one sexy romance! Josh and Cara’s story is definitely a feel-good romance – Josh is a hero to die for and Cara his feisty but really rather sweet heroine. This is full of real tenderness, intensely erotic sex scenes and Kristen Proby’s trademark humour and snark. Seth probably has the scene stealing best lines as he finally begins to come out of his shell. As always, Kristen Proby paces this beautifully as we are allowed to experience that growing attraction between the two main protagonists and melt with them as they finally succumb to that overwhelming connection that they share and slowly fall in love.
There’s a few stand out scenes for me which I can’t really go into detail about without spoiling the plot but it’s all incredibly visual and these characters will come to life as you read the story. There’s an excerpt at the end of the beginning of the next book in the series, Seducing Lauren, and that really did whet my appetite – absolutely can’t wait to read that one and fall in love with Ty!
5 stars - Exquisitely beautiful, intensely erotic. Books like this remind me just why I love reading so much.
“I’m at your feet forever, Olivia Rose,”
5 stars - Exquisitely beautiful, intensely erotic. Books like this remind me just why I love reading so much.
“I’m at your feet forever, Olivia Rose,” I whispered the instant before our lips met. “I’ll move heaven and earth to give you whatever you want, whatever you need.”
“Oh, Dean.” She pressed her hand to the side of my face.
“All I need is you.”
The first two books in the Spiral of Bliss trilogy, Arouse and Allure, were amongst my favourites in 2013 and I’d been looking forward to reading the conclusion to Liv & Dean’s story for a long time and I will admit to a small fear that Awaken wouldn’t live up to my expectations as we bring their story full circle to a close but my fear proved to be ungrounded and it was just so good to be back in their world, their insular little bubble. As soon as I started Awaken, the beautiful almost lyrical writing style instantly evoked the spirit of the first two books and I immediately fell straight back in step with the central characters and the feelings and emotions came flooding back as I was instantly transported back into the intensity that is their story. I was lost once more and I didn’t want to be found.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” I say. “That we found each other and flew in love. How strong we are together, how much more we’ve become because we know how to love each other. How so much has changed…”
This was just an exquisite reading experience. Books like Arouse, Allure and Awaken, the whole Spiral of Bliss trilogy, remind me just why I love reading so much. So often, when reading romance, I fall head over heels in love with the hero and that’s definitely the case with Dean, our Professor Hottie, but I also found myself feeling that way about Liv, our heroine. Her character rings out loud and true from the words on the page and there’s just something about Liv that has made her pretty much my favourite literary heroine ever. There’s an incredible innocence and purity about her, despite the trials of her past, her dark experiences – she’s got an almost ethereal presence. I can see what Dean sees in her, why she fires those protective instincts in him but Liv is a girl who knows her own mind and is now trying to step out from Dean’s protective cocoon and make a name for herself in the world. With her husband’s backing, of course.
This man would give me the stars, the moon, the sun. He has slayed monsters for me and alongside me. He’s battled through dark, tangled woods with me because he has never once wavered in his belief that we are meant to be forever. He would do anything for me. For us.
He’s a rare gift, my husband, perfect and flawed and completely, unreservedly mine.
As the story progresses, Liv & Dean have to deal with the fallout from events that took place in Allure. I don’t want to give away the plot but Dean has to take a leave of absence and leave Liv behind for a while as he deals with the accusations laid at his feet while Liv tries to get over her loss and get herself back on her feet after losing yet another job.
Their absence from one another is beautifully told. There’s an almost physical pain in the longing these two share for one another, how difficult it is for them to be apart and their desperate need for one another is a tangible thing. They may share some sexy phone calls and online video chats but it’s not the same and their separation is incredibly hard for them and for me as a reader. I just wanted nothing more than for the two of them to be back together – for the world outside to stop snapping at their heels, trying to tarnish the beautiful love that they share.
Still scares me sometimes. How much I love her. All this stuff about her needing me, relying on me, depending on me… when I’m the one who can’t take his next breath without her.
Liv’s feckless, selfish mother makes a reappearance much to mine and Dean’s disgust. She tries to reconnect with Liv but senses tension in her daughter's relationship with her husband and tries to make her see it differently from her prospective. When she puts her spin on it, I could see what she was saying but she knows nothing about love and Dean and Liv know everything about love. She made me so ANGRY I wanted to bare my teeth and growl at her – she attempted to tarnish their relationship, make it into something dirty and sordid when, to me at least, it’s one of the purest love stories I think I’ve ever had the honour to read.
Dean – well, just how much do I love that gorgeous, sexy Professor?? Immeasurably, I suspect. I felt his pain and angst so keenly in Awaken. He’s had his hand forced and is now being separated from everything that he loves – his wife, his job, academia by the actions of a selfish, foolish girl. All he wants is to be left alone to love his wife and teach his students but the outside world has a nasty way of interfering and attempting to burst his bubble. He’s so strong, so protective and so incredibly in love with Liv but he realises he needs to let go a little and give her some space and freedom and I admired the way he did this when every single one of his instincts was crying out to grab her and hide away with her and just protect her from the wolves at the door. He has a lot to deal with in Awaken and there were times when my heart just melted for the pain he was suffering.
“When we first met, I felt like I’d woken up,” he says, his gaze on the floor. “Like everything before you had just been the prologue to my real life. I’d spent all those years waiting for you, not even knowing I was waiting, and then you were there. The second I saw you, I knew I’d do whatever it took to make you mine. But even when I did…it scared the hell out of me, being with you.”
You’re the only woman who’s ever made me afraid.
I think what struck me as I was reading Awaken was just how deeply I’ve fallen into these books. The whole trilogy is exquisitely beautiful, intensely erotic and so full of deep emotions that I’ve just been lost in their story. The character development here is second to none as Nina Lane delivers both a hero and a heroine that I don’t think I can or will ever forget. They’re completely believable and will live forever in my imagination. This is a story about the purity of love and it’s so beautifully paced that all the reader needs to do is just give themself over to Nina and let her take you on a beautiful sensual ride of elegant romance and just go with the flow. It’ll make you happy, sad and angry all in one fell swoop as it’s angsty and sorrowful despite being incredibly uplifting and full of hope. It’s a stellar reading experience, not to be missed and a Sinfully Sexy recommendation.
I tighten my arms around my wife, knowing that in years to come I’ll have to let go in ways I’ve never imagined. And somehow, that will be okay.
I understand now, for the first time ever. Love is both so complicated and so simple because it’s all the emotions in the universe distilled into one.
If you’ve not yet read the first book in this series, I recommend that you don’t read my review of Sempre Redemption.
I absolutely adored the first booIf you’ve not yet read the first book in this series, I recommend that you don’t read my review of Sempre Redemption.
I absolutely adored the first book in this series, Sempre, and it feels like I’ve been waiting forever for Sempre Redemption so I was more than thrilled to finally get my hot little hands on it. I will say that it is very different from the first book – it’s a quality read but it’s probably not quite what I expected.
I’m still going to rate it highly (I’m giving it 4 stars) because it’s a well-crafted, multi-faceted and impeccably thought out story and a real thriller at that with plenty of twists in the tale but if you’re looking for a continuation of the beautiful and touching romance between Carmine and Haven then you’ll find it in short supply here.
You will still find that romance, the first 10% or so is definitely a continuation of what we had in the first book. If you recall, Carmine had sworn allegiance to La Cosa Nostra in return for Haven’s freedom. It was a huge cost but one he was prepared to pay for the love of his hummingbird – giving up his freedom for hers. What I expected was to experience their struggle with this and how they would move forward together and deal with every situation together. What we get is that they spend most of the story estranged and I, initially, found that very hard to deal with.
What we’re subjected to is a high quality mafioso style thriller worthy of the Godfather movies – it’s brutal, cruel and shocking and exceptionally well done and yet I found myself wavering slightly. I could appreciate what was happening in the story but I was impatient to get back to Haven & Carmine and once or twice I thought about not finishing but slowly, very slowly, I started to forget about their story and found myself totally enthralled with Corrado.
Yep, I have a new book boyfriend and it isn’t the star of the show – it’s his decidedly shady, mobster Uncle Corrado who we left at death’s door at the end of the first book. He’s not one of the good guys that’s for sure but I do have a real big thing for bad boys and they don’t come much more bad than Corrado. He’s unfailingly loyal to the ‘family’ and it’s his role to mentor Carmine through his early and dangerous first few months working for the firm. But there was just something about Corrado – he may be a mobster and a murderer, and that’s just on a good day, but he’s so loyal to his Celia, so noble in his cause that I found myself focussing almost entirely on him as the story played out before me!
“What’s gotten into you?” she asked breathlessly, gazing up at him. “A need.” “What kind of need?” “A need to get into you,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her mouth.
~Corrado & Celia
Eventually we do get back to Carmine & Haven but the large proportion of this book is not about our young lovers, it’s a much bigger picture. It’s very much a mafia thriller with some romance whereas I considered the first book to be a romance set on a backdrop of the mafia. I wavered with my rating – for a long while I was leaning towards 3 stars but as the plot enveloped me and I lost myself in it and in the days between finishing the book and writing my review, the story kept coming back to me in glorious technicolour in my imagination so I have decided on 4 stars just for the quality of the writing and the story. I didn’t get the story I expected and was looking forward to but I did get a thumping good, twisted Mafia thriller with a really beautiful romance as a bonus and deeply satisfying epilogue.
“Every night when I fall asleep with her in my arms, I thank God she’s mine. Every morning when I wake up, my first thought is that I’m grateful sh
“Every night when I fall asleep with her in my arms, I thank God she’s mine. Every morning when I wake up, my first thought is that I’m grateful she married me. I will never be worthy of her.
Oh, Gabriel!! I think you will probably never see just how worthy you truly are!
This was such a treat. This is sexy, sophisticated romance, beautifully paced and all put together by a man with an enviable vocabulary and a mesmerizingly enchanting writing style that overwhelms the senses like a fine vintage wine. It’s quite simply sublime – a premier reading experience. It’s not actually overtly erotic, rather it just oozes sensuality with it’s intoxicating narrative and convincing character development.
We connect once again with Julia and Gabriel as newly-weds. We’ve come a long way since we first met them in Gabriel’s Inferno and they have both grown immensely in that time. Julia is not the frightened rabbit we once knew – she’s now a woman of strong opinions and morals and will stand up for what she believes and hold fast in that. She’s not going to be steamrolled by Gabriel or anyone else. Gabriel, for his part, is an altered man. He completely worships Julianne and his love for her has changed him, immeasurably. He now has more patience and is caring, sensitive and sensible to all Julianne’s needs and desires. This is a man who knows his woman well!
I think it’s a real treat to see a couple such as Julianne and Gabriel after the apparent happy ending of a wedding. This is the point that so many romances end and we’re led to believe that the central couple live happily ever after so it’s nice to see that two damage souls such as these still struggle with the darkness of their collective past and how they move forward and deal with that together. A marriage ceremony has not been a magic wand for these two – there are still speed-bumps in the road ahead, differences of opinion and expectations and issues to deal with as in all marriages and that’s largely the story of this novel. The peripheral characters all have their stories neatly tied up by the end of this story too and I gained a distinct satisfaction comeuppance dished up to a couple of them!!
For me the overwhelming star of this trilogy has been Monsieur Reynard himself and his almost hypnotic writing style that really had me in his thrall. There is a scene in this book, fairly early on, when Julia feels hurt by something that Gabriel says and its obvious here how well the author understands the way women behave, especially when they are in pain emotionally. His description of Julia’s body language and how she retreats is absolutely spot on. I closely identified with her in this scene.
The story deals with issues of guilt and redemption and ultimately forgiveness, about learning from the mistakes and lessons of the past and moving forward, together. But, of course, this is ultimately a love story and the whole trilogy has been, in my opinion, about the power of love and how that can heal the past and change people and take them away from a destructive path they’ve been following and allowing them to take a different course with their soul mate.
I’ve really enjoyed all the literary references in this series from Beatrice and Dante to Abelard and Héloïse and ultimately Lois Lane and the Man of Steel himself, Clark Kent. It’s been a rapturous ride that I’ve thoroughly lost myself in. It’s very spiritual and there’s a lot of references to God and His Forgiveness which I confess as a non-religious person, I found fairly hard to deal with but it’s a minor niggle and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this story. It’s full of art and literature and beautiful settings and the whole story vividly came to life in my imagination as I read – it’s just divine.
A sense of peace like I’ve never know washes over me.
I’m drowning in her. And I want every last drop of Mia in my lungs until all I’m breathin
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A sense of peace like I’ve never know washes over me.
I’m drowning in her. And I want every last drop of Mia in my lungs until all I’m breathing is her.
She strokes my arm with her fingers. “I’m happy,” she whispers.
I smile against her soft skin. “Me too, babe.”
Well, I think it’s fair to say that Trouble starts with a fairly chilling and brutal account of abuse of one young girl, Mia, first of all at the hands of her father and then at the hands of her first lover. Even worse than the abuse, I think, is Mia’s mindset. She has long since accepted that this is her life and deep down seems to think that this is what she deserves, that she’s completely unlovable and somehow brings the abuse upon herself. Really quite painful to read. Even worse than that is the appalling and self-destructive habit that Mia has developed as a coping mechanism. I won’t give away what it is but it’s a real shocker and, I think, really quite well researched by Samantha Towle and not at all glamorised. The habit is there in all it’s ugly glory and it is the only way that Mia can seem to grasp some semblance of control of her awful life.
She cuts such an isolated figure – my heart hurt so badly for her. She has absolutely nobody to count on, nobody to turn to and everyone who should have cared for her has either abandoned or abused her. It’s not hard to feel immense pity for Mia. She’s such an innocent and a bit of a lost soul – I just wanted to reach out and hug her. I absolutely galloped through this part of the book, it’s very well done and I lost track of time and read far too long into the night but it’s incredibly compelling.
Mia’s boyfriend, Forbes, ultimately takes it too far one day and Mia plucks up her courage and runs with the intention of searching for her birth mother who abandoned her. She has just a town name – Durango in Colorado and she drives right across the country and checks into a hotel only to meet Jordan serving behind the desk – a cocky, tattooed yet seriously hot badass. He’s exactly what she doesn’t need in her life right now but she can’t help the way she feels about him and the feelings are mutual
“No, Mia,” he whispers. “No.”
The feel of his arms, his hands … his safe hands that I know would never hurt me…
I break.
Like glass shattering, I go. My legs give out, but Jordan is there, holding me. Lifting me into his arms, he carries me to the bed.
I wrap myself around him, burying my face in his chest as I cling to him and cry out years and years of deeply buried pain.
“I’m here … I’ve got you … always. I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again, Mia. I swear.”
I think the dual POV from Mia and Jordan worked so well in this book. At first, Jordan really does come across as a bit of a dick. He’s the kind of wham bam thank you Ma’am and don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out kind of guy. He comes across as shallow and a user of women but, of course, there’s far more to Jordan than first meets the eye and being inside his head, hearing his thoughts and slowly learning his back story helps us to better understand why he behaves the way he does and helps us to feel a lot more sympathy for him as the story goes by. One glimpse of the black eye Mia is sporting fuels his rage and all his protective instincts and Jordan cannot help his growing feelings for this battered and lonely girl and he spends a lot of the story really quite confused by it all.
I’m going to make her see herself the way I see her.
Incredible. Strong. Beautiful.
So fucking beautiful.
It hurts to want her in the way I do and not be able to have her. After my brain connected with what I’d told her in that bar about myself, I was worried shitless that I might have lost her.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Mia doesn’t care about any of it – the mistakes I’ve made. She doesn’t look at me different. She doesn’t judge me.
She sees more in me.
She sees the real me. The Jordan I had long forgotten existed.
Despite the dark subject matter, this was mostly a light-hearted and fun new adult romance. Jordan rapidly becomes very likeable and I found myself really willing these two to get it together. They both have a lot of emotional pain in their past and I really wanted them both to open up about this and ultimately heal each other. It’s actually a very sweet and sensual read with surprising emotional depth and I really enjoyed it.
There is another character here that needs a mention – Dozer, Jordan’s mastiff. He really is a bit of a scene stealer and he ultimately allows Jordan and Mia to get to know one another in the first place. He’s got a special place in my heart!
So this was a great new adult romance from Samantha Towle, one that held my attention from beginning to end and I pretty much devoured it. It deals with some fairly dark subject matter but there’s plenty of humour to be found here and plenty to smile about and the issues are never glossed over or glamorised.
![Three, Two, One [321]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1422227116l/24235463._SX50_.jpg)
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