Craving Constellations by Nicole Jacquelyn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Raw, gritty, and completely captivating stars

“I know, baby. I know you need control. But with me, you aren’t gonna get it.”

In my head I reminded myself that he was taken, but I couldn’t get over the feeling that he had always been mine.

I went into this book with absolutely zero expectations. I’m a sucker for MC books, but after a recent string of very mediocre reads, I wasn’t expecting much from a debut novel.

Holy shit was I wrong. This book blew me away! It was raw, gritty, painful, emotional, dark, passionate, and unputdownable until the very last page.

Five years ago Brenna made the decision to leave the only life she’s ever known behind, in the hopes of building a different future for herself. Being the daughter of the vice president of a MC that runs guns is not exactly what she wants to be know for. What she doesn’t expect is to run back to her old life when the new one she though she was building comes crumbling down on her. Leaving behind a brutally abusive husband, she takes her daughter and runs back to the only family she’s ever been able to rely on.

Dragon is the Aces new lieutenant. When he first met Brenna at a club party he had just gotten his cut, and had no idea that the enticing woman that he felt such a pull to was his VP’s daughter. They share a night of passion only for her to take off and then reappear in his life with one huge secret.

Fuckin’ gone for five years. No one hears from you. Now, you come back, and I find out you had my daughter and didn’t tell me FOR FIVE FUCKIN’ YEARS?”.

Dragon is devasted that he was kept from his daughter for 4 years, and as much as he may blame Brenna for the decisions that she’s made and her betrayal he can’t seem to make himself stop wanting her.

Nicole Jacquelyn took two imperfect and fucked up characters and wrote them in such a way that you just couldn’t help but love them.

I am not typically a fan of heroines that are overly emotional but yet I felt for Brenna. Her life hasn’t been an easy one, and although she has made some mistakes she still struggles to bring back the strong woman that she once was. She left behind her life because she didn’t want to be the old lady on the sidelines while her man came home smelling like club whores. Dragon may not be perfect, but the magnetic pull between them is impossible for her to deny.

I went into the thing with Dragon looking for a little escape from reality, and I’d gotten way more than I bargained for. He wasn’t charming like Tony. He didn’t tell me sweet things. He was gruff and rude, and the things he said to me made me blush.

Brenna and Dragon are attempting to mend things between them, but
will the secrets that she still hold on to threaten to break them once and for all?

Their relationship was gritty, painful, emotional, but real.

We weren’t making love. It wasn’t sweet or soft. We were fucking, hard. Every movement was rough and needy, and for once, Dragon wasn’t talking me through it. We just needed to be as close as we possibly could before the world came tumbling around us again.

I loved how the relationship between them, while having it’s fair share of bumps and turns, felt real. Dragon may have been a rough around the edges, says what he wants with no holds barred Alpha man, but the way he felt pain broke my heart.

His pain bled through the pages to me. And even though Brenna was the sole reason behind this, I couldn’t bring myself to blame her. They were both broken and tortured souls, and my heart went out for both of them.

He was like a wounded animal, and I was the hunter who’d wounded him. I didn’t know if he would ever forgive me.

There was a point in this book where Dragon did something that I would usually not be able to tolerate or understand in a hero. The fact that I not only forgave him for it, but understood his pain and remorse for it after the fact speaks volumes for the writing.

If you’re looking for an emotionally charged, beautifully written MC book then you really need to give this one a try. I am really looking forward to the next book in this series (hopefully it will be Grease?)

Fatal Strike by Shannon McKenna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

That radiant smile scared him to death. All that “mine” bullshit. No longer an issue. Probably never had been. He was hers. After all his arrogant posturing. All hers.

Finally, 10 books into the series, we get a book for Miles. I’ve been intrigued by his character ever since he was introduced back in book 2. Taking into consideration how much I’ve absolutely hated Cindy, his then love interest, I’m so glad that he got a heroine totally worthy of him with Lara.

I love a good romantic suspsense, and Shannon McKenna can definitely deliver one hell of an action filled punch. But if you’ve been keeping up with the series, you have probably come to realize then when you read this series, you really must prepare yourself to leave the realm of believable. The villains in her book have been getting progressively more crazy…or actually

While enough background information is given to be able to read this as a standalone, many of the previous characters make an appearance. It’s hard for me to say whether it would get confusing, as I had read all the books. But Shannon McKenna does do a very good job with characterization and background without it being boring or repetitive.

Miles Davenport has always been a bit of a nerd in the earlier books. For those that have that image of him in their mind while reading, will have a hard time seeing him as the super sexy commando that he is in this one. I had no such problems. I thought that his journey from basement computer nerd to kickass hero is a very smooth and believable one.

Fatal Strike finds Miles still trying to recuperate after his ordeal in the previous book. After undergoing a horrendous torture, he wakes up from his coma as Miles 2.0.

But this is not happy news for him. He struggles with how to deal with his new psychic abilities, thinking that he must be going crazy. Especially when he begins getting very carnal visits in his mind’s fortress from a woman he can’t stop thinking about, or her failed rescue attempt.

Lara Kirk is being held captive by a psychopath for the past 6 months, undergoing experiments on her mind with a new drug that is supposed to increase her psychic ability. The experiments are slowly causing her to lose track of what’s fantasy or what’s reality; combining both into one shadowy world.

But when her mind leaves her body, it only knows of one safe place to hide; with a man whose virile presence is able to offer a calming and sensual escape from her reality.

When Miles realizes that his phantom visitor is in fact real, and Lara is still alive, he knows that he will stop at nothing to rescue her this time around.

I enjoyed how Miles wasn’t the typical arrogant and jaded Alpha male. Don’t get me wrong, he was still sexy as sin, but still somewhat unsure of himself. It was incredibly endearing.

Lara, although she went through hell for the past 6 months was a great heroine as well. She was strong, and tough, and I loved the connection between her and Miles.

If you’re expecting a realistic relationship progression, you’re definitely reading the wrong book. Expect to have sex scenes right after an ordeal or struggles with bad guys. I had no problem with this, since I knew in advance what I was getting into. And to be honest, I’ve grown to enjoy that in this series.

Why only 4 stars? Well I found myself getting a little bored at some parts. Fatal Strike is action packed, filled with suspense and super steamy erotic scenes. But certain parts were a bit too lengthy for me, and I had to skim pages.

We got a few peeks into Sveti and Sam’s budding “relationship”. And I’m really looking forward to their book. I’ve really liked Sveti’s character, ever since she was first introduced as a young child in Extreme Danger.

I do hope that the next book finally takes a step back from this psychic plot line that seems to be recurring ever since book 7. It is starting to feel slightly played out.

Overall, this was a great addition to the series, and I am definitely looking forward to the next book. Really hoping that it will be Sveti and Sam’s book.

ARC courtesy of Publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Uncommon Passion by Anne Calhoun
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Beautifully Erotic Stars

My God, he was broken. So broken, this frightening vulnerability protected only by pieces of bulletproof vest held together with razor wire, attitude, and a smile that broke her heart every time he flashed it.

He was in too deep, she was too deep for a man like him, and he didn’t have anything left inside to give her.

Anne Calhoun has this way with writing that is captivating yet understated. It’s erotic and beautifully passionate. The book draws you in from the first page, and the words will weave their way all around you, making sure you experience everything along with the characters; every smell, every feeling, every sound, every passionately erotic moment. Anne doesn’t write simple erotic romances.

I have fallen in love with her writing since reading Liberating Lacey, my first book by her. And I have been singing her praises every book since. I have yet to read a book by Miss Calhoun that I haven’t enjoyed, and this one was no exception. Dare I say this was her best book yet? Well it was definitely a favorite of mine.

I loved everything about this book; the story, the characters, the writing.

What I have grown to love most about Anne’s writing, is the way that she is able to write a heroine that strong, but in this incredibly endearing and understated way. This is how Rachel was.

Rachel has recently left the only life she has ever known inside a restrictive religious community. She may be sheltered and a virgin, but she knows what she wants and she goes after it. She wants to experience life without limitations, she wants to feel. She’s was like this butterfly taking flight after leaving the strict cocoon that was her upbringing.

The first thing she wants to experience is passion. When she meets the sexy Swat Officer Ben Harris at a bachelor auction, she knows that he is the perfect man to give her what she wants.

Ben is a broken and jaded man, trying to bury his pain in an endless haze of adrenaline jags at work, drinking, and sex.

He’s not looking for forever, he’s not even looking for next week. All he cares about is the here and the now. But when he learns that Rachel is a virgin after their one night together, he sets out to make amends. He knows he can’t offer her much, but what he can offer her is a no string attached sexual education and not lose her heart in the process.

Everyone was worried Rachel would get her heart broken if she didn’t get a ring and a vow and a happily ever after right out of a movie. But Rachel needed something more, something he didn’t know if he could give her. She had no shields whatsoever to protect her from anything.
Including him. The only thing he could teach her was how to harden her heart.

Rachel never imagined that this is what she was missing; this lust, this burning hot passion that sets them both on fire.

Ben may have been detached in his life and relationships, but he was certainly not detached when it came to teaching Rachel the darker parts of passion.

Just say cock.”
“I don’t use language like that.” He paused as if he were going to pull out, but then didn’t. Ensnared in need, she moaned and squirmed again. “Try ride me. Pound into me. Make me scream. Or go for the one that means all three. Try fuck me.”

The sex scenes in this book, while beautifully written, were also scorching hot.

Ben was definitely rough around the edges and loved things dirty and hot.

You should have…” she began, but that finger circled again and the words trailed off.
“Should have what, Rachel? Should have fucked you on the steps while they stumbled around? Should have made you be quiet while you took my cock deep inside?” She shook her head, as much response to the tumultuous cascade of sensation his words set off as negating his interpretation.
“Should have stopped?” The whisper was dark, taunting. “Not gonna stop, Rachel.” Two fingers slid inside her when he spoke, and a breathless little cry escaped her lips. “I want it right now, right the fuck now, against this wall now.”

All Ben wanted to do was to teach Rachel about sex, and have a little fun with her while staying his jaded and detached self. But he begins to see that she is not quite what he expected

People assumed virgin meant weak, naïve, insecure, even ashamed. Not Rachel. She was aware, thinking about what she did and why she did it, and strong enough to ask questions, plan, execute a course of action that left her alone in the world.

Rachel may have been sheltered, but she was not your typical virgin that you might read in a book. She had a backbone, she stood up for what she believed. But the way she went about doing it is what made her so endearing to the reader. She had a quite intensity to her. She didn’t scream, she didn’t cry, she didn’t make stupid decisions. She remained true to herself and her desires for life throughout the whole story, and I absolutely loved that about her.

Ben begins to see that there is a whole lot more to Rachel then the naive virgin he first thought her to be.

Rachel was wrong with him. Rachel and her dark hair and golden eyes and her ability to shine a light on the protective shield he held up between himself and the world. Just showing him it was there, let alone what it meant, or how thin it really was. Making him feel things he didn’t want to feel.

Can Rachel get past his defenses to the beautifully broken man inside? But will Ben allow her past his walls and into his heart without breaking hers in the process?

Loved, absolutely loved this book. If you have never read a book by this author, this is the perfect one to start with. You will fall in love with the characters and the story.

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Savage Rhythm by Chloe Cox
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You’ll burn baby. You’ll burn. For me.

So it’s really no secret that I love a good BDSM romance. Know why?

While the dynamic between Declan and Molly is that of a D/s, I’d call this book BDSM lite :). It was a sexy romance, but there wasn’t heavy BDSM elements like you’d find in say, Cherise Sinclair or Kallypso Masters. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the hell out of it. Because I have definitely found me a new author to read. This was my first book in the series, and I’ll definitely be going back to read the rest of them now. I’m hooked!

Declan is the lead singer of Savage Heart. A few months ago, after an incident in Philadelphia that’s shrouded in mystery, caused Declan to throw out his best friend and lead guitarist, Sorren, out of the band. It also resulted with a trip to rehab for himself. But things are not ultimately the way that they seem, and only a handful of people know what really happened.

Molly goes on tour with Savage Heart in order to get to the bottom of what happened the night the band broke up and then write a book that will bring them back from the dead.

She is prepared for a lot; groupies, havoc, dealing with being on a tour bus with a bunch of rock stars. What she is not prepared for is the utter magnetism that is Declan and the effect he has on her. Hiding a troubled childhood and a pain from her past, Molly doesn’t remember the last time she reacted this way to a man. But in order to build the career she needs to help support herself and her sister, she knows that she cannot give in no matter how sexy Declan’s voice or body might be.

Declan knows what he wants when he sees it, he is a Dom after all, and he can see the sexy submissive beneath the bluster. He makes no qualms in making it clear to Molly what will happen, no matter how much she may fight it.

You don’t get to have me, Declan Donovan. That’s not what’s going to happen. What’s going to happen is that I’m going to get to the bottom of what happened between you and Soren Andersson in Philadelphia, and you’re going to respect me. And then I’m going to write the best goddamn book you’ve ever read. And at the end of it-“ 

“You’re going to let me fuck you senseless.”

Now who can deny THAT for too long? Certainly not Molly. Even though an even from her past makes her unsure as to where all this will go, and she’s terrified of having her heart broken, she can’t stay away from Declan.

The chemistry between the two of them is combustible. But both of them are scared of getting their feelings involved, although for different reasons of their own

He’d made rules for himself, rules he’d meant to keep. But this wasn’t love; this wasn’t emotion. This was pure, raw, physical connection.

Both Declan and Molly hide a troubling and dark pasts. While Molly’s story is revealed in bits and pieces, Declan’s continues to be shrouded in mystery.

Can Molly get to the heart of the man, without getting her own broken in the process?

I really enjoyed this book. Though there were moments where I wanted to smack Molly, given her history I can understand some of the thoughts and decisions she made. I did feel the ending was a tad bit rushed, especially since there was a lot of buildup toward the big revelation of what truly happened between Soren and Declan. But it looks like we will get a continuation on their story in Soren’s book.

If you like steamy BDSM-y romances with a hot tatted up, rock star Dom, definitely give this one a try.

I am thrilled to hear that Soren’s story is next. He’s mysterious, he’s BLONDE, and his name is SOREN. I’m still on a Mistress hangover, so this is definitely music to my ears 🙂

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Reckless by Skye Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5+ Panty-melting Stars

If this was passion, it was more intense that anything she’d ever felt. Overwhelming. Obsessive. Dark

So if my inner dirty girl had an imaginary interview with the characters of this book, wonder what it would go like?
Well no need to wonder, because I’ll appease your curiosity.

All character quotes came directly from the book, I’m not that creative 😉

ME:
So Jex, you’ve just been screwed over yet again by a beautiful woman that used you for your connections as a famous stuntman in the movie industry. How does that make you feel?

JAX:
I’m so sick of this bullshit.

ME:
Uh huh…Uh huh…I can understand that. Do you think it has something to do with the fact that you tend to pick your women just based on the fact that they’re good looking? OK, no need to glare at me…moving on.
So let me ask your good friend Wes his opinion.

WES:
You could try fucking someone with a few morals for a change. And the last thing I’m gonna say on this, because it’s really your problem, if morals don’t interest you, how about hooking up with a chick who’s at least nice to you for a change? I’m starting to think you’ve got some masochistic fetish.

ME:
Well since you’re flying to New York for a stuntman job on a new movie, we’ll come back to you in a few, Jax…
Now Lexi, so your friend Rubi just pointed out that your couture dress business is really lacking inspiration for fresh-new designs. Could it be partly because of your lack of…uhem…male attention recently?

LEXI:
Nice. Point out what a loser I am the night before I fly across the country to meet Martina Galliano to discuss to proposition of my career.

ME:
Well no need to get huffy here! Maybe you just need to just get down to business with the next hottie you meet? You used to be a model, you’re not exactly hurting in the looks department.

LEXI:
My name is Lexi and I’m a sexual train wreck.

ME:
OK. OK. No need to get melodramatic. I get it. You’re fed up of men only using you to be arm-candy, and not seeing past your looks. Gotcha. Good luck with your meeting in New York then.

ME:
So Jax, let’s get to the really important questions here. Tell me, what’s your penis size?

Jax:
I’m assuming you mean erect. 9” length, 2 ¾” diameter, which corresponds to 8 ½” girth.

ME:

Yep, I can definitely work with that. Now what kind of sex do you like?

JAX:
I like the fiery, fast sex so passionate your vision blurs.

I like wild, frantic, have-to-have you sex that burns you alive.

I like deep, driving sex where sweat drips off my chin, rolls down your spine, and tickles the dip between your ass cheeks

ME:

Uhhhhh…..give me a second here….I think I just had an orgasm. Don’t mind me, please continue

JAX:
I like secret sex in naughty places, and naughty places to have secret sex.
I like the kind of sex that includes sliding my tongue in all your very tight spaces.
I like any kind of sex that drives animalistic sounds from your throat.

ME:

Um…what now? Oh! Sorry! Got carried away here…
Moving on then…
So, Lexi, seeing as you just spotted Jax at the airport, and got a case of insta-love. What type of man do you crave?

LEXI:
This was the kind of man she craved – a rough-around the edges, blue-collar, hard loving man. A few tattoos, a dark background, confidence in the bedroom… or the bed of a truck… or on the back of a motorcycle…

ME:

MY FINAL THOUGHTS

I loved loved loved FUCKING loved this book! I don’t think I disliked one single thing about it! The characters were fantastic. I loved both Jax and Lexi. The steam? Good Gawd but did Jax know how to get things done!

I’m pretty sure I went through multiple underwear changes. What? TMI?

But in all seriousness, I have found a series to add to my auto-buy list. I am so excited that this will be a series, and it’s based on super hot Hollywood stuntmen! What more could a girl ask for? Cannot wait for the next book. I’m dying for Rubi’s book. She was such an awesome comedic relief in this story as Lexi’s BFF. I loved her spunk, and blatant flirtatiousness. I can only hope that her and Wes’s book will be next.

But what are you still doing reading my review. Go read this! Now! Seriously! The book is fucking awesome! Just make sure to bring Jax back to his rightful owner once you’re done with him. I’ve already branded him and everything. Mine mine mine. And once you meet him you will completely understand my obsessively posessive ways 😉

But that’s all the ramblings from this girl for now. I’m off to have some more dirty thoughts about Jax.
And I thank you!

ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Maverick by Anna Cruise
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The ocean was an extension of myself, the only place where I could find solace and peace. And even though I’d lost my best friend to it, I couldn’t let it go, couldn’t turn my back to it. I couldn’t exist without it.

There was something in his voice, in his eyes, something that hinted there really was more to him than the public persona I’d read about. He was damaged.

If I’m being honest here, what initially drew me in to read this was the hot cover. What? Like you’ve never done that! Please!

I was so happy to find that this book was filled with more depth than I had when I was choosing it. 🙂

Kellan Handler is a professional surfer. It is all he’s ever dreamed of doing, and the ocean is the only thing that is able to give him peace.

He hits the water hard, and parties even harder. His reputation and good looks never leave him without a female body in his bed. But he’s not interested in anything more than a casual hook up. So he goes through women like he goes through waves; he find one, takes it on, and then moves on to the next one.

But beneath the shallow exterior, still waters run deep. He is still dealing with the pain of losing his best friend in a tragic accident; his hidden grief causing him to walk a fine life that can ultimately cost him everything.

When tour officials essentially tell him that he either clean up his image or be suspended from the tour, Kellen reluctantly agrees to work with the PR rep assigned to him, Gina Bellori.

Gina is dealing with demons of her own. But unlike Kellan, hers are buried even deeper, and she refuse to let them break the surface.

When Kellen and Gina begin to work together on righting his image, things began to blur. The damaged guy is forcing Gina to fight even harder to keep her demons hidden. All of a sudden her past begins to collide with her present, with Kellen right in the center of everything and her feelings are becoming more difficult to control.

Kellen begins to find that for the first time in his life, he wants something more from a woman other than a few moments spent between the sheets.

She knew everything about me and pretty much the only thing I knew about her was her name. And that she was starting to get under my skin. In more ways than one.

Can the two damaged souls heal each other? Or will the secrets that they keep ultimately cost them everything?

I really enjoyed this one, and read it pretty much in one sitting. I really loved Kellan, but had a few issues with Gina and her behavior. While Kellan’s past and secrets come to the surface fairly early in the book, Gina’s tragic past takes a little longer to learn about.

These two characters were both damaged in their own right. I really liked that there was no case of insta-love, or even insta-lust. There was definitely a connection between the two of them, but it grew over time.

So why only 4 stars? I felt that the character POV’s didn’t have a clear transition. It caused me to get slightly confused, since I didn’t know when they switched, and didn’t know who’s POV I was reading right away.

The book had a very realistic HEA, and I was glad that the author went the route that she did with the ending. I felt it was very fitting to the story and the characters.

ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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