#Review - Jordan Reclaimed by Scarlett Cole

Jordan Reclaimed: Jordan Steele and Aleksandra Artemov

(Preload #1)





Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Jordan Steele’s life began when he was ten. When he was taken from his parents and a house that was never a home. When he met his brothers, the other lost and abandoned boys in his group home. When he learned what friendship and family and love looked like.

Now he’s made good, touring the world with the band he and his brothers formed in that crowded group home. No one but his found family really knows the man under the fame and fortune, the scars he hides behind the rockstar lifestyle. Until he sees her through the windows of the National Ballet, dancing, and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so dark.

Aleksandra Artemov ticks all the ballet boxes. Father a legendary Kirov dancer. Check. Prepping since birth for classical ballet. Check. Compulsive control over the food she eats. Check. Principal dancer at The National Ballet of Canada. Check. But what she craves is freedom.

She craves Jordan.

Everything about him should terrify her. His size, his tattoos, his edge. But he doesn’t. He stirs her very soul. Jordan has nothing but himself to offer her, and he's never been good enough for anyone. Can he figure out how to face his own demons before he loses his light for good?

Review:

Jordan Reclaimed by Scarlett Cole is the first in the new series called Preload. We met the men of Preload in Second Circle Tattoo Series. Dred hooked up with Pixie from Second Circle Tattoo shop and now the rest of the band are going to get their happily ever afters.

Jordan is the reason the band lives together, severely abused as a child he has some serious separation anxiety. After reading about his heartbreaking childhood its a miracle he can function at all. Scarlett Cole does an excellent job creating emotion and pulling us into what the character is feeling in this book. You really understand why Jordan is the way he is and your heart breaks for him and you are rooting for him to figure it out and to heal.

Lexi is awesome. She really is great for Jordan, when he starts retreating she makes him listen and respond. She doesn't let him disappear. I also love that Lexi is a ballerina! In my lowly opinion there are just not enough ballerina books and Im not saying that just because I used to dance.. or maybe I am.. but anyway she is a great foil for this hardcore metal artist. Classical ballerina vs. Heavy Metal.. so cute. Lexi has her own issues. Her father is a Grade A asshole and it effects other aspects of her personality thay we have to work through before these two can find their HEA. But as a reader you are invested in the outcome. You come to care about these characters and Cole spins an entertaining emotional tale you will be hard pressed to put down. 

Review copy provided through NetGalley for an honest review, no other compensation was provided.

#Review: So I Married a Sorcerer by Kerrelyn Sparks

So I Married a Sorcerer: Rupert and Brigitta

(The Embraced #2)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Growing up on the Isle of Moon, Brigitta knows nothing of her past, except that she is Embraced: born with powers that forced her into hiding. Everything changes when she learns she’s a princess, hidden away from her villainous half-brother who now rules the kingdom. But he knows about Brigitta, and he’ll do anything to get her back. Unless a certain roguish pirate has anything to say about it…

Rupert is both an infamous pirate and a sorcerer with the power to harness the wind. He’s been waiting nineteen years for revenge—and he needs Brigitta to get it. What begins as a kidnapping of the fiery beauty turns into a fierce attraction. But can he win the captive princess’s heart?

Review:

So I Married a Sorcerer is the second book in the Embraced Series by Kerrelyn Sparks. After reading the first book I knew I would be continuing on with this series. It’s such a fun world, infused with Sparks humor and some magic thrown in.  In this tale Rupert can control the winds; which is convenient since he’s a dashing pirate. Brigitta has been living on an island with her “sisters” her whole life. She has no idea that she has an evil brother out there until he sets out to kidnap her. Her fate is coming to get her and she is fighting it for all its worth. Her fate turns out to be a pirate who kidnaps her before her brother does and we are swept away to sea.. for a short period. There is still things to be done on land, kingdoms to over throw, tournaments to enter, dragons to kill, or not kill…  I don’t know you’ll have to read to see if there is any dragon slaying. Be prepared for a fun exciting read and Brigitta and Rupert take you on an adventure! You won’t be disappointed. 

Review copy provided through NetGalley for an honest review. No other compensation was provided. 

#EarlyReview: Becoming a Legend by Sarah Robinson

Becoming a Legend: Kane Kavanagh and Nora Hannigan

(Kavanagh Legends #3)

Expected publication: December 13th 2016 by Loveswept

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Kane Kavanagh has always had one goal: being the best mixed martial arts fighter alive. With the MMA National Championships in Las Vegas fast approaching, the man they call “Killer” has no intention of letting anyone or anything get in his way. Somehow, though, a feisty opponent has slipped beneath his guard—and stolen his heart. Fiery and passionate, Nora Hannigan is harder to pin down than any rival Kane has faced in the ring. And she isn’t afraid to tell Kane that she wants nothing to do with him.

With her best friend about to marry into the Kavanagh family, Nora has been resisting Kane’s shameless attempts at flirting for months. But after their undeniable chemistry finally takes over, leading to the hottest night of Nora’s life, she’s running scared. There’s a lot about her life Kane doesn’t know, and she won’t be responsible for ending his career. Now Kane’s out to prove that he’s ready for commitment by winning her heart—and he’s never lost a fight.

Review:

I was really looking forward to reading Becoming a Legend by Sarah Robinson. I had read the second book in the series and really loved it. While I did enjoy this book it didn't quite live up to the second book. Saving a Legend was deeply emotional with well developed characters that you couldn't help but love. Becoming a Legend features Kane and Nora who we were set up for in the second book. Kane threw Nora cheesy pick up lines and Nora deflected them and him like a pro. In the second book and the beginning of this book there was great sexual tension. Neither wanted a relationship but the sexual tension was getting to both of them so they agreed to a FWB type of situation but before either of them knew it more was developing.

The romance isn’t really where I had issues with this book. That was probably the best part of the book. Where I had issues was with Nora and Kane themselves. Kane, I liked more than Nora, but even he had his spoiled middle child syndrome going on. He’d whine about how his family basically left him out to dry and how he was all alone. Which made me want to smack him up on the side of the head, thankfully this came up very rarely and his eldest brother put his ass in check. Now Nora, here was my biggest issue. Her mommy issues were distracting to say the least. I just wanted to shake her and scream you’re a smart grown women and you’re letting your loser mom wreck your entire future. I bet if she had just gone to the cops from the get go all would have been good but nooooo she decided to take on her mom's problems to her own detriment. And it wasn’t all the plausible to begin with. So in the end Im not sure I ever truly warmed up to Nora. I wanted to but she just left me mehh.. Maybe if I hadn’t had high expectations I would have liked this one more but instead it was just good or ok instead of great. I am however confident that there will be lots of great reviews on this book and many, many people will end up loving it.

Thank you Loveswept for providing a review copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Review: True by Erin McCarthy

True: Tyler Mann and Rory Macintosh

(True Believers #1)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

When Rory Macintosh’s roommates find out that their studious and shy friend has never been with a guy, they decide that, as an act of kindness they’ll help her lose her virginity by hiring confident, tattooed bad boy Tyler Mann to do the job…unbeknownst to Rory.

Tyler knows he’s not good enough for Rory. She’s smart, doctor smart, while he’s barely scraping by at his EMT program, hoping to pull his younger brothers out of the hell their druggy mother has left them in. But he can’t resist taking up her roommates on an opportunity to get to know her better. There’s something about her honesty that keeps him coming back when he knows he shouldn’t…

Torn between common sense and desire, the two find themselves caught up in a passionate relationship. But when Tyler’s broken family threatens to destroy his future, and hers, Rory will need to decide whether to cut her ties to his risky world or follow her heart, no matter what the cost…

Review:

So this book has apparently been sitting on my review TBR shelf for over three years. Oops.. So anyway, thanks NetGalley for reminding me that I had this book. I took a second look at the blurb and I was intrigued enough to give it a whirl and I’m pretty glad I did.

Tyler is a “bad boy” with a heart of gold, although, he’s not much of a bad boy he just looks like one. My favorite kind of “bad boy”.  He’s had a rough upbringing and his younger brothers have it even worse. He does his best but it’s not always enough. Rory is super smart and a bit socially awkward. Usually I don’t like the whole innocent virgin thing but it’s totally buyable in this case. Rory is only 20 and just hasn’t had the opportunity to lose it mostly because she keeps most people at an arm's length.

So I’m still not sure how I feel about Tyler was her best friend and roommate's booty call at the beginning of this book. Not so much into the trading men thing but McCarthy managed to pull it off without much yuck factor. Pushing that aside, Tyler is pretty devoted to Rory from the get go. He doesn’t rush things and it all happens pretty organically. Overall, I liked the story. It wasn’t the best New Adult I’ve ever read but it was a pretty quick read. I finished it in one sitting and I'm intrigued enough to continue the series. I want to see what happens with everyone else.

*Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Review: Tank by M. Malone

Tank: Tank Marshall and Emma Shaw

(Blue-Collar Billionaires #1)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Money changes everything...

Years ago, Tank Marshall swore off fighting. He exercises iron control to keep his anger in check. But his mother was just diagnosed with cancer and the deadbeat dad he hasn’t seen in years is back offering an inheritance and a chance at redemption.

There’s only one person that keeps him anchored in the midst of the chaos. One person untouched by violence and money and lies. Emma Shaw.

But the one thing that Tank hasn’t learned yet is that when billions are at stake, there’s no such thing as innocent. Money. Changes. Everything.

Review:

I received Tan by M. Malone for free through author Kit Rocha. They were gracious enough to provide some of their readers with a few freebies and this was one of them. I picked this one up to read on a whim, I think it was the title of the book more than anything. I didn't even know what it was about.  It didn't take me long to really start enjoying this book.  Tank has a burning hatred for the man that sired him but circumstances what they are (his mom is sick) he needs the money that his father is offering him. All he has to do is show up once a week so the old man can see him. Before he agrees to anything he decides that it is in his best interest to see a lawyer and keep seeing the same lawyer each week because of the girl that works the front desk.. Emma. He has a raging crush on her and asks her out every week and every week she says no.

Emma hasn’t had it too well as of late, her parents were murdered and all she wants to do is return to university so she can earn her degree. She works two jobs just to try to make that happen. One respectable and one not so respectable. Its a chance meeting at the second job that really has her giving Tank a second look. After he protects her and her friend and after a talk with his dad she decides to give Tank a chance and she never looks back. They basically become inseparable from there but their lives are complicated and Emma has a secret hanging over her head.

The book was entertaining and fast paced. I really enjoyed the characters and the story, though the characters are really what pull this book through. Emma is a warm soul and wants the best for everyone. Tank has some issues mostly with anger and he doesn’t have the healthiest way of dealing with it, but Emma helps. I really liked them together, I felt like they really complimented each other. I felt like there were some holes in the story especially when it came to the death of Emma’s parents. I feel like it was glossed over especially when it came to Emma’s role. I also would have liked to have heard more about Tank’s time in the military but it was barely mentioned. Overall, if you are looking for a quick entertaining read this is a good one. I may read the rest of the series and I may not. It’s still up in air, although, I did like all of Tanks brothers. There are five of them in all.

Review: The Temptation of Lila and Ethan by Jessica Sorensen

The Temptation of Lila and Ethan: Ethan Gregory and Lila Summers

(The Secret #3)

Summary:

On the surface, Lila Summers is flawless: good looks, expensive clothes, and a big, beautiful smile. But a dark past and even darker secrets are threatening to bubble over her perfect façade. She'll do anything to keep the emptiness inside hidden-which leads her into situations that always end badly. Whenever she hits bottom, there's only one person who's there to pull her out: Ethan Gregory.

Ethan set the rules a long time ago: he and Lila are just friends. He doesn't do relationships. Although his tattooed, bad boy exterior is a far cry from Lila's pretty princess image, Ethan can't deny they have a deeper connection than he's used to. If he's not careful, he could be in serious danger of becoming attached-and he's learned the hard way that attachment only leads to heartbreak.

When Lila falls farther than she ever has before, can Ethan continue to help as a friend? Or is he also getting close to falling . . . for her?

Review:

First response for The Temptation of Lila and Ethan by Jessica Sorensen is WHOA… I was not expecting it to be that heavy. Coming into this book you know that Lila has some issues and there may be more going on than meets the eye, but I was not expecting this… DAMN. Some people have some F’ed up parents but I think Lila’s parents take honors for the WORST PARENTS EVER!!! My heart truly breaks for Lila and her childhood, there was just so much wrong with it and she never really got to know what being a child was like or even what it was like to know your parents love you unconditionally or even at all. Within the first chapter we witness Lila just falling apart. She’s barely kept it together for so long but now everything is coming unglued and all she has left is Ethan. Ethan is almost as damaged as Lila, with an abusive father and his own secret that he has been keeping hidden for years. Ethan sees Lila going down a path he is all too familiar with and he refuses to lose her like he has someone in his past. He is determined to do whatever he has to do to make sure that does not happen again, but in helping Lila, he may do something he swore he would never do again…

I loved both Ethan and Lila, but that is no surprise, they first capture your heart in the first book in this series, as Ella and Micha’s best friends they are around a lot. They are both loyal and caring friends, they may have been side characters but they make their presence known. You wonder what is going on between those two but they are pretty closed lipped about it, even to Ella and Micha. Now they have their own book and their personalities are no less dynamic and there is more to both of them that you ever knew. It starts with Ethan as Lila’s sudo-savior, he’s always rescuing her from bad situations. Ethan has this overwhelming need to protect Lila even from herself. I freak’n loved Ethans determination to help Lila, to help her overcome her demons. Sometimes he’s a bit of an ass but when it comes down to it, he always does the right thing. Lila has always been so pampered she basically doesn’t know the basics of living and it’s a bit amusing to watch Lila learn things that most people have known since their teens or younger. Things like doing laundry or doing the dishes, getting a job, paying bills… You know living, but she has never had to do any of those things. There is no way Ethan is going to do those things for her; he gives her a swift dose of reality. While he is teaching Lila things, she is teaching him things, like how to care again. Ethan has long since closed himself off from caring about anyone, he feels like he has failed everyone he has cared about and doesn’t deserve it. His story isn’t as drastic as Lila’s but it has affected him all the same. These two end up being pretty perfect for each other, as different as they seem on the outside they are pretty similar on the inside. While they are busy fixing the other, they end up fixing a bit of themselves in the process.

The story itself is fast moving, I read this all in one sitting and could not put the book down. This is not surprising for a Jessica Sorensen title, she has a way of pulling you in and not letting you go until the end. You come to love her character and care what happens to them. In this book, it is such an emotional journey for both Ethan and Lila. They both have demons they are holding onto from their pasts and before they can move forward they have to come to terms with the past. Lila’s journey in particular is hard fought and amazing. I don’t want to give anything away but it about breaks your heart as she reveals things about her past and by the end while not fully healed she is well on her way to a better healthier life. Ethan’s back story the part with his parents makes you want to rally on his side, that is no way for a child to grow up and story you hear all too often. The other part of it, I was kind of ehh on, it was interesting but I didn’t always buy it. At times it felt forced, but it did add a bit of interest to the story. Overall, I loved this book, maybe not as much as Ella and Micha. I didn’t quite have the same book hangover afterwards but it is another excellent addition to Jessica Sorensens collection!

Review: Clipped Wings by Helena Hunting

Clipped Wings: Hayden and Tenley

(Clipped Wings #1)

Summary:

An emotional love story that follows the touch-and-go relationship of Hayden and Tenley; two young people who desperately want to love and be loved but are afraid to completely let go of their pasts.

As Hayden and Tenley navigate their newfound but slightly unstable relationship, they want to trust each other, but Hayden is hiding a dark and shameful past that he doesn't ever want Tenley to find out about. And Tenley has secrets of her own that could make Hayden run away forever. When Tenley asks Hayden to put a beautifully elaborate tattoo across her back, the two form what they thought was an unshakeable bond. But when Tenley's past shows up on her doorstep, will Hayden stand by her side...or run

Review:

Clipped Wings by Helena Hunting is the first full length in a new series about two seriously damaged individuals that find each other and if they can get past their guilt they might begin to find some solace in each other. Tenley survived something so traumatic she had to move to get a fresh start and even then she wakes screaming so loud her neighbor can hear her. Most of the time she is quite and timid and her guilt eats at her but then she meets Hayden. Hayden changes her world! She meets someone who is just as damaged as she is that helps her forget if even for a minute all that she lost. In the moments she finds a bit of who she used to be with flashes of defiance and spunk. Hayden has a rough past; his own guilt eats at him. For years he went on a binge of self-destructive behavior, women, alcohol and drugs. He’s finally been able to clean himself up and concentrate on his shop and his art and then Tenley starts working across the street at his aunt's shop and suddenly he finds himself semi-stalking his new neighbor. Instead of his “stalking” being creepy it’s kind of endearing. His stalking mainly consists of paying attention to when she works and mass quantities of coffee purchasing at the coffee shop attached to his aunt’s store. Hayden racks his brain trying to figure out how to capture the timid Tenley’s attention. He can sense that there is more to her then is shown on the surface and he is more intrigued with her then he has ever been in his life. Hayden is a bit of a throwback, he can be possessive and displays some caveman tendencies when it comes to Tenley. It’s more of his insecurities than anything, as if he lets her out of his grasp she’ll disappear into the ether. Hayden also has a few quirks, including some mild OCD. I wish I could find a dude that cleaned up after me! I hate to clean, so his need to clean sounds like a win win to me! LOL. I love little quirks in a character. It’s the quirks that make them more real, more human. Hayden and Tenley’s relationship starts a little slow. Mostly them circling around each other but when it happens it’s explosive. The sexual chemistry is off the charts but it’s not all just sex with these two. Maybe because of their pasts but they hit the ground running but they both have past and both their pasts come back to bite them both in the arses throughout the book. When they manage to get past one hurdle a massive curveball is thrown their way and their relationship may not be able to survive it. I was completely absorbed in this story and could not put the book down. I honestly did not think this book was going to pull me in like it did but something just hooked me, I’m not even sure what exactly it was that snagged me but damn I was in it to win it. This book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and you are left wanting more of Tenley and Hayden! I was seriously stalking NetGalley and Edelweiss hoping the second books popped up sooner rather than later, so I’m so glad it did. My recommendation, wait until they are both out so you can read them back to back, because if you get hooked you are going to want Inked Armor right away!

*ARC was provided through NetGalley for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

Saving Quinton: Quinton Carter and Nova Reed

(Nova #2)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Nova Reed can't forget him-Quinton Carter, the boy with the honey-brown eyes who made her realize she deserved more than an empty life. His pain was so similar to her own. But Nova has been coming to terms with her past and healing, while Quinton is out there somewhere, sinking deeper. She's determined to find him and help him . . . before it's too late.

Nova has haunted his dreams for nearly a year-but Quinton never thought a sweet, kind person like her would care enough about a person like him. To Quinton, a dark, dangerous life is exactly what he deserves. And Nova has no place in it. But Nova has followed him to Las Vegas, and now he must do whatever it takes to keep her away, to maintain his self-imposed punishment for the unforgivable things he's done. But there's one flaw in his plan: Nova isn't going anywhere . . .

Review:

Saving Quinton is the second book in the Nova Series is a dark contemporary New Adult series filled with pain angst and two people broken almost beyond repair. At the end of Breaking Nova, it’s been about nine months since Nova has seen Quinton. She’s managed to scrap herself together over the past school year but she hasn’t been able to forget the so terribly sad and broken Quinton. She knows he is carrying around a lot of baggage but she just doesn’t know what it is. One phone call to her ex-best friend and her world is blown apart. Now she is determined to save Quinton from himself. Quinton does not want to be saved. He has determined that he deserves this life and the slow death he is leading himself too. Brief glimpses of the old Quinton surface and Nova tries her hardest to save him, but it may be too late for not just him but her as he drags her deeper into a world she is not prepared for.

This book is so very very dark, be prepared to be submerged into a world of young people with pasts so dark that they will do anything to forget them. Drugs are in the forefront of this book, almost like another character in the book they have taken on a life of their own. This is not just weed like the first book but drugs that most people never ever come into contact with. There is very little romance in this one as Quinton and Nova struggle to connect but there are several intense moments between these two which I hope continues into Book 3. This book is not for someone who is looking for light and fluffy, be prepared to be shocked and possibly be brought to tears. Despite the so very dark subject matter I COULD. NOT. PUT. IT DOWN… I was up until the wee hours in the morning GLUED to this book. Quinton is freak’n breaking my heart! At one point I was pleading with him in my head to not do it.. please just don’t do it! There are a lot of parts where this could be applicable but there is one part in particular where you’ll know what I am talking about, towards the end. His survivor’s guilt is killing him slowly but surely. While reading the first book a song came on that I’ve always liked but it hit me that Quinton is this freak’n song (Bother by Stone Sour) he wishes he had never lived and is basically dead inside and is doing his best to make sure the next time he dies it’s sooner rather than later.

Lyric (Bother by Stone Sour):

Wish I'd died instead of lived

A zombie hides my face

Shell forgotten

with its memories

This pretty much sums up Quinton, except when he’s with Nova. Nova brings back some of the good he used to be which causes him further conflict. He feels like he failing his dead cousin and girlfriend. When he is with Nova he can almost feel normal but once he’s not in her presence anymore quilt comes crashing down and he feels worse than ever. A vicious cycle. Nova refuses to give up on Quinton. Every day she visits him in his cesspool of an apartment and neighborhood. Every day she tries to get through to him, every day she tries to give him something good only to know that he is high of every minute of every day. She can see she is losing the battle but those brief glimpses she sees almost makes it worth it. Trying to save Quinton actually destroys a little bit of Nova. It brings her back to a dark place that she thought she left and she isn’t sure if she is strong enough to deal. It’s when Quinton needs her the most that he pushes her the farthest away and she is left not knowing if he’s dead or alive.

Overall, this book is an INTENSE rollercoaster ride. I would suggest having a light fluffy read on deck to read when you are done with this one, because you are going to need it. I read this one in all one sitting glued to the pages and I’m already dying for the third book but I can see someone needing to take a breather from the intensity. I have some experience with addicts so the content of this book was as big of a shocker to me as it may be to some others but I think those who really give it a chance and especially those who have had loved ones drown in addiction will really end up if not liking this book, respecting it for going where few may be willing to go.

*ARC provided through NetGalley for an honest opinion. No other compensation was provided.

Review: Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan

Undeniable: Deuce West and Eva Fox

(Undeniable #1)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Warning: This is not a "typical love story". This is an all-consuming, soul-crushing, tear-your-heart-into-pieces story. It’s intense, gritty and raw, dark and disturbing, and it doesn’t happen overnight. This is an epic love story that knows no boundaries and has no time limits. It grows and develops—with hurt, sacrifice, and heartache—over the span of a lifetime.

Eva Fox is the princess of the Silver Demons Motorcycle Club. Growing up with bikers in the club lifestyle is all that she knows. When she’s a young girl, Eva meets the reason for her existence. Deuce West is the sexy, biker bad-ass of the Hell’s Horsemen Motorcycle Club. Like Eva, he was born and raised in the club—but that’s where the similarities end. Their first meeting is innocent, but as Eva matures into a woman, their chance reunions evolve into a fit of lust and love. Fate continues to bring them together time and time again, but their twisted journey is filled with pain, betrayal, and bloodshed that could tear them apart. Eva sees in Deuce what he cannot see in himself—a man worthy of love—and Eva spends her lifetime proving to him that her undeniable love is the one thing he can’t live without.

This is Eva and Deuce’s story.

It wasn’t easy.

Nothing worth doing ever is.

And love is worth everything.

Review:

That was one crazy a$$ ride! WOW! There was so much wrong with it but I couldn't stop reading. It touched my two usual two DNF triggers (Cheating and unprotected sex) yet in this one while disturbing I still couldn't stop reading. As the book tells you in the beginning this is NOT a typical romance and it is a F'ed up ride but I wouldn't take back reading it. If you're gonna read this one you have to throw all of your "romance novel" ideals out the window. This is a WTF, did that really just happen, oh yes it just did, sorta book. It has plenty of shock appeal and it is ugly in places but still I read on waiting to see what would happen next. Just when you think happy will happen, its yanked out from underneath you. Eventually we get there but a lot of bad happens before we do.

Review: Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen

Breaking Nova: Nova Reed and Quinton Carter

(Nova #1)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Nova Reed used to have dreams-of becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she's getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next . . . until she meets Quinton Carter. His intense, honey brown eyes instantly draw her in, and he looks just about as broken as she feels inside.

Quinton once got a second chance at life-but he doesn't want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he's done, what he's lost. He's sworn to never allow happiness into his life . . . but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he's too damaged to get close to her, yet she's the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

Review:

Jessica Sorensen has quickly climbed the list to one of my favorite authors. She creates such in depth emotional characters. From the very prolog we are taken on one of the most emotional books I have read in awhile. I swear I was almost crying from the prolog, I mean seriously who gets emotionally attached to the characters from a prolog, but it is IMPACTFUL!

Both Nova and Quinton about break my heart, the sadness and loss they both carry around just tears at your heart. Nova and Quinton are both characters that will pull at your heart strings and you’ll remember long after you’ve finished the book. In fact I’ve been thinking about these two since I finished the book about a week ago. While I was reading the book I didn’t want it to end, I saw the ending approaching and I was dreading it.

I’m not going to say a whole lot happens in this book, because not a ton does. This story is about the characters and their emotional journeys. Nova lost her dad at a young age, she was there when his heart gave out, that stayed with her. When she met Landon her new neighbor, he quickly became her best friend and then later her boyfriend. When he left her too, what was left of her heart was shattered and man can you feel it. Her pain is palpable, when she gets to college, things get a little better but come crashing around her when she goes home for the summer. At home, everything is too raw and fresh and she starts on a downward spiral.

Quinton, his pain if possible is worse than Nova’s. A year ago, he was a good guy with ambition and a drive to do well, he wanted to be an artist and to marry his girlfriend Lexi. **spoiler** Then an accident happened that killed Lexi, his cousin and…him… only Quinton was able to be revived. **end spoiler** Since that fateful night, Quinton has been doing his best to forget life and to slowly drown himself in alcohol and weed. The angst, oh the angst.. so good is this angst…

I’m not usually all about the angst, but with this book it was so very good. Nova and Quinton find in each other kindred spirits. Both are carrying around so much loss and heartbreak, as each spirals further out of control in each other they find some peace, but the guilt they carry around may destroy them both. Through the entire book you want these two to find the peace they both so desperately need. Nova and Quinton take you on this emotional rollercoaster that will have you in tears or close to it. There are certain aspects of this book that I really identified with. **spoiler** having lost three friends from suicide I could really identify with the thoughts that swirled around in Nova’s head when it came to Landon. The thoughts of were there signs? Was there something you could have done to save them? Why didn’t they love everyone enough to stay? **end spoiler**

The only thing I didn’t adore was the constant references to smoking, it gets to the point, where you are like ok, I get it, they are all pot heads. LOL! At times it was over emphasized but the rest is so good, I could live with it. When you pick up this book and you definitely should, make sure you have your Kleenex handy!

*Review copy provided for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.

**Also reviewed for Lets Get Romantical

Review: Rome by Jay Crownover

Rome: Rome Archer and Cora Lewis

(Marked Men #3)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Sometimes the wrong choice can be just right . . .

Fun and fearless, Cora Lewis knows how to keep her tattooed "bad boy" friends at the Marked in line. But beneath all that flash and sass is a broken heart. Cora won't let herself get burned again. She's waiting to fall in love with the perfect man—a baggage-free, drama-free guy ready for commitment. Then she meets Rome Archer.

Rome Archer is as far from perfect as a man can be. He's stubborn, rigid, and bossy. And he's returned from his final tour of duty more than a little broken. Rome's used to filling many roles: big brother, doting son, supersoldier—but none of those fit anymore. Now he's just a man trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life while keeping the dark demons of war and loss at bay. He would have been glad to suffer through it alone, until Cora comes sweeping into his life and becomes a blinding flash of color in a sea of gray.Perfect may not be in the cards, but perfectly imperfect could just last forever . . .

Review:

Rome by Jay Crownover is the third book in the Marked Men series. Rome is the eldest Archer brother who has been in the Army for pretty much his entire adult life, he’s now out of the Army and having troubles adjusting to civilian life. He’s moody, angry and flies off the handle at anyone in his path and Cora is sick of it and is not afraid to let him know. Rome as a character actually grows a lot through the book, another Vet kind of takes him under his wing and helps to set him straight. Rome has his moments where he lapses but through the book he goes from angry on the brink of a drinking problem to fairly adjusted. I did like Rome as a character, he would be pretty tough to dislike, he’s the protective older brother who has always done right by everyone else but has fallen on hard times. He’s flawed just enough to keep him human and likeable. Cora, while I also liked her, she doesn’t really grow all that much as a character she is pretty much the same through the whole book, which isn’t bad as she is a likeable, sassy character. She’s a bit of a firecracker, she is also fiercely protective of her loved ones much like Rome. She had a super bad break up years ago and since then she has been uber protective of her heart, which causes some strife between her and Rome. She demands that he let her in, but she isn’t as willing to reciprocate but Rome is pretty patient with her in this regard. The story is also fairly entertaining, it kept moving along but it follows the same formula as the first two books in the series. The story is different but the theme remains the same which if Crownover isn’t careful with this it may become too repetitive in any future books.

I didn’t really have that big of an issue with the characters or really the story itself all that much but where I did have issues is with the details in this book and for me the details may make or break a book. I had a field day with my Goodreads status updates as I moved through this book, the details just got so bad or outrageous in parts on top of that the editing like with Rule, was just bad. Now to be fair this was an ARC copy so I hope some of the editing issues got taken care of, but usually an ARC while has some issues it tends to be pretty close to the finished product. I swear Crownover is queen of the run on sentence and awkward sentence structure. I think there was even a random colon in the middle of a sentence for no reason at all. She’s a fairly good storyteller but as a writer it definitely wouldn’t hurt to tighten up and clean up her actual writing. Now on to some of the ridiculous: So in the beginning of the book Cora is talking about how she is excellent in business and that she is a few credits short of her MBA but in the next few sentences she goes on to tell how after her break up her senior year she fell off the school wagon and barely graduated. How is barely graduating undergrad, a few credits short of an MBA? Does Crownover realize that they are separate programs? Then there were the constant references to Rome’s size and how hot he is, I think if I was to do a search for hot and big in this book, it may take an hour for my Kindle just to gather all of the references. LOL. One of my biggest contemporary pet peeves is front and center in this book, unprotected sex. Cora and Rome have sex twice unprotected before they even talk about possible pregnancy and disease is never mentioned. I just find it irresponsible; the convo should have at least been after the first oops. If you want to get a character preggers on purpose make the condom break at least then there is an attempt at being responsible. This always just skeeves me out a little, at least Rome and Cora know each other, kind of, so it’s not quite as bad. I think one of my favorite ridiculousness’s in the book was when Rome’s eyes got described as he was about to climax. He has blue eyes but when he climaxes silver streaks through his eyes. Am I reading a paranormal romance? There is not a single other reference to Rome having silver in his eyes, but somehow when he’s about to come silver comes out of nowhere and streaks through his eyes. Come on, this happens a lot in paranormal where a characters eyes will change color with strong emotion but contemporary, please, it’s not happening. There were so many moments in this book where I was groaning or laughing from the incorrect information or the just plain outrageous. I think this is part of what kept me reading, just to see what would go wrong next, because I almost did DNF it a couple of times. Even though there were so many issues, I have to admit even with everything that went wrong with this book and even knowing that the next book will probably be just as bad I am still going to read Nash. I must be a masochist but damn it, Nash is kind of my favorite of all the “bad boys”.

*ARC provided through Edelweiss for an honest review no other compensation was provided.

Review: Drawn Together by Lauren Dane

Drawn Together: Raven Smith and Jonah Warner

(Brown Family #5)

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

Beauty is more than skin-deep…

Tattoo artist Raven Smith is blunt and hard, broken and jaded, dark and beautiful. While she doesn’t hide her painful past, she does keep a wall around her heart. She’s free sexually—but no one gets to the real Raven beneath the prickly exterior.

With a voice like smoke, Jonah Warner is a smooth-talking, highly successful attorney, with a body that should never be hidden by a suit. He’s the kind of man who never takes no for an answer and always gets what he wants. And what he wants is Raven. She’s a survivor, and he finds that incredibly alluring.

Jonah gets under her skin in a way Raven has never experienced. He makes her break all her rules—including her no-monogamy rule.

But when a figure from Raven’s past shows up at the tattoo parlor and drops a bomb into her life, their relationship will face the ultimate challenge…

Review:

Ok, it is official I am DNFing this book. Not so much because it is bad, but because I just dont care. I could not bring myself to care about either Jonah or Raven as a couple or as individuals. I got to about 70% of the way through the book and my little Kindle timer told me I still had over an hour and a half of reading time left and I just could not bring myself to spend over another hour reading about two characters I just didn't care about. Maybe I could have gotten over the lack of connection with the characters if there was a good plot, but really there wasn't much of one. There is a lot of blah blah blah talking, mostly about Ravens hard knock childhood and how Jonah needed to help her break out of it. There is a lot of talk about kids and probably the most significant relationship in this book is between Raven and a toddler her best friends kid. There was a lot of blah blah blah talk about how much she loved that kid and how she is such a great "auntie", not my favorite subject in my erotica. There is also a lot Raven's friends telling her about there is just so much more about her then a cold hearted bitch and she is such a wonderful person, blah blah blah. Usually Im a sucker for a emotionally scared character but there was nothing about Raven that could not bring me in to care. Even when she revealed a doozy of a hard knock that would usually have my heart breaking, nothing... Jonah is ok I guess, nothing special. He spends a lot of time thinking about Ravens bad childhood and how she is such a strong woman and how he wants to help, but we don't really get a good look into what makes him tick. In theory he should be a stand out character but he doesn't really stand out or shine. Since this is erotica I suppose I should talk about the steam factor in this book. Again, lack luster for me. It starts out promising but quickly tapers off to guess what?! A lot of talking about doing and not as much actual doing. So as it turns out Jonah is a Dom and somehow brings out Raven's until now non-existent sub qualities. Out of the bedroom Raven does not have a single sub trait she does not have a hard time making eye contact for any period of time, no eagerness to please, absolutely nothing that would signify a sub. I guess she is supposed to be like Nora from the Original Sinners series by Tiffany Reisz but she just does not have Nora's confidence, or swagger to pull it off. She is supposed to be bi and promiscuous and her bestie is married to men; however, when he thinks about her newly found sub tendencies she thinks of herself as a freak? Really because being Bi is so much less freaky?? Jonah is like a half assed Dom, I didn't buy it for a second. I just couldn't take him seriously as a Dom. I've read my share of BDSM and usually a Dom has a certain quality of them, a commanding presence that Jonah just did not have. The D/s portion of this book just read as an afterthought to me. Like the author randomly thought, oh this is erotica I better throw some sort of kink in there, let's just go with the old staple D/s.. easy peasy.. and the effect was EH.. Im sure lots of people will end up loving this book especially fans of this series, but for me it was just a boring miss...

*This book was provided thru NetGalley for an honest review. No other compensation was provided.