Review: Kiss The Girl by Tara Sivec

January 31, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

KISS THE GIRL
Series: The Naughty Princess Club #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Tara Sivec
Release Date: September 4, 2018

A struggling antiques collector finds herself falling in love with a millionaire playboy; but can she ever be a part of his world?

Meet the Naughty Princess Club, a series from USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec that brings readers to Fairytale Lane and the hilarity—and romance—that three women fall into once they decide to strut their stuff and bring on their own happily ever after.

While her friends have broken free of their insecurities, Ariel Waters is struggling to come out of her shell. Her ex-husband took away her voice and her self-confidence, and Ariel is drowning under a sea of debt to afford the alimony she has to pay him. She refuses to ever fall for a man’s charms again, and is determined to make her own way.

When her house and her beloved antiques are taken by the bank after too many missed payments, Ariel finds herself adrift until the infuriatingly charming Eric Sailor comes to her rescue. Although she can’t stand the millionaire playboy, Eric’s kindness and unconditional support reveal hidden depths and a love that Ariel never imagined she could find.

But there are outside influences who will stop at nothing to keep them apart; can Ariel and Eric weather the storm and find a way to be together?

AMAZON

One of these days, Ariel, you are going to get your own fairy tale and I’m going to point and laugh at you when it happens.”

This book should come with a warning: DO NOT READ IN PUBLIC for fear of people thinking you may be crazy. Why? Because it will cause you to laugh like a lunatic at every page. I’m talking full belly laugh, tears in your eyes, laugh so hard you may pee sort of hilarity here. It was my favorite book in this series. And I loved the rest of this series, people! Maybe it’s in part because I’m convinced that the foul-mouthed, sassy, snarky yet with a hidden vulnerable side, Ariel, is actually my spirit animal.

Ah-ha!” I shout, pointing at the smug little asshole across from me. “Now who looks like an idiot? I don’t use my phone for that. NO ONE USES THEIR PHONE FOR PHONE CALLS! WE USE THEM TO TEXT PEOPLE, TO GOOGLE RANDOM SHIT LIKE IF YOU CAN DIE FROM A RUNNY NOSE, AND TO FIND A FUNNY MEME ABOUT HERPES!”
“Oh, Jesus,” Cindy mutters.
“Please, don’t be difficult, ma’am,” the older deputy says with a sigh.
“Piss off. I’m not difficult. I’m a fucking delight,” I mutter in annoyance.

See what I mean? Spirit animal, people!

But she’s also the loudest and crudest of the three friends, and I loved her for it. The sexual tension between her and Eric was always sizzling. There’s just something about the hate/lust thing that they had going that just did it for me. Oh it did it for me so hard. Eric knows exactly how to handle Ariel, much to her annoyance. So when she finds herself evicted from her home and has to leave all her beloved antiques behind, he has no problem being her white knight. Even if she does threaten his life and his balls in the process.

Suddenly Ariel finds herself living on a neighboring yacht to Eric, who inherited his family yacht business and had one to spare. The sparring between them doesn’t decrease but the sexual tension only continues to mount. Add into that one evil looking hairless cat named Derrick Alfredo and all of the hilarity ensues.

Care to tell me why you’re holding a cat that’s inside out against your crotch?” my dad suddenly asks, pointing at Derrick Alfredo. “He . . . uh . . . likes the warmth. You know, since he doesn’t have any hair and he’s always cold. My dick warmth comforts him, sir,” Eric replies with a nervous clear of his throat. “And here I thought you were just covering up a boner. I like this guy, Ariel,” my dad states, clapping Eric on the shoulder before he walks over to the couch and makes himself comfortable.

I loved every single hilarious chapter. I adored the slow built sizzle between Ariel and Eric. I loved the way he just knows how to handle her and brings out the spot gooey side of this spitfire.

I also love the friendships between them all. The girls have a bond to put Sex And The City to shame. I adore their friendship and the way they care for each other. I also love the heck out of their banter.

This is such a good idea. You’re so pretty and smart. We should make out.”
“Jesus, Belle, stop trying to kiss me. We’ve got important smit to do. Slit to do. Shiffy do.”
“I think the words you’re looking for are ‘shit to do.’”
“STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO PJ! I’VE GOT SHIFFY DO!”
“My teeth feel funny. Do I still have teeth, Vincent?”
“You still have teeth, sweetheart.”

I loved every single page of this hilarious romcom. I never wanted it to end. I adore the devious comedic mind of Tara Sivec and the way her characters practically leap out of the pages at you. If you’re looking for a book to put a ridiculous smile on your face for days after you finish it, this is simply a must read. A. Must. Read.

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Review & Giveaway: Deal With The Devil by Meghan March

January 15, 2019 by · Leave a Comment

DEAL WITH THE DEVIL
Series: The Forge Trilogy #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Meghan March
Release Date: January 15, 2019

“You can put that man in a suit, but he’ll never be tame.”

 

One look at Jericho Forge and I knew the rumors were true.

 

He was a predator, and he had set his sights on me.

 

I knew better than to bet more than I could afford to lose that night.

I knew better than to bet myself.

But desperation leads to bad decisions, and I thought there was no way I could lose.

I was wrong.

Now I have no choice but to make a deal with the devil.

AMAZON | KOBO | B&N | GOOGLE PLAY | iBOOKS

PRE-ORDER

LUCK OF THE DEVIL | HEART OF THE DEVIL

What do you want?”
One eyebrow rises. “From you? For $10 million? You should already know the answer to that.” The corners of his mouth lift until his expression is the picture of sheer triumph. “Every-fucking-thing.”

Sweet mother of ovaries, the woman did it again. Each time I think March wrote her best alpha yet, she outdoes herself with the next one. And Forge is sure to make ovaries flutter all over the world. Add into that one of the best heroines I’ve read in the longest time, and stick a fork in me. I’m on book cloud 9!

I’ve said this about Meghan’s books before, and now I’ll say it again: Welcome to your next addiction!

He’s a marauder, plundering just like the pirate I thought he was the first time I saw him. He takes without permission or apology. And I love it.

There is nothing I love better than an uber alpha. And let me just tell you all, Forge is that and more! This is a man that’s driven by forces that we only get a peek into. Driven by a revenge that he’s so close to having now that he can taste it. And the beautiful woman that has unknowingly stumbled into his web, will be the conduit for him to get it.

As always, Meghan gives just enough to tantalize the reader but also leave them with plenty of questions. Deal With The Devil was all of the things; suspenseful, and sexy. It was full of amazing banter, humor, and enough sexual chemistry to spark fire to your kindle. I absolutely loved the heroine, India. Here’s a woman that’s full of fire and sass. She doesn’t take things lying down and gives as good as she gets.

Blessed mother of all things holy. He’s naked. Totally, completely naked. And his dick is massive. And the ocean can’t be super warm. Which means . . .
“It’s like someone unleashed the Kraken,” I whisper as he moves toward me, his dick bouncing from side to side with each step.
…
“Are you going to look at my face or just stare at my dick?”
“I’ve seen your face before,” I tell him, not looking up. I got caught staring; I might as well make the most of it.

I’m hooked, line and sinker, and cannot wait for the next installment!

Making the jump from corporate lawyer to romance author was a leap of faith that New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Meghan March will never regret. With over thirty titles published, she has sold millions of books in nearly a dozen languages to fellow romance-lovers around the world. A nomad at heart, she can currently be found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, living her happily ever after with her real-life alpha hero.

You can find her online at: MeghanMarch.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Review: Third Strike by BJ Harvey

January 10, 2019 by ·

THIRD STRIKE
Series: Chances #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: BJ Harvey
Release Date: January 10, 2019

Falling for your best friend’s sister has never felt so bad yet so damn right.

From USA Today Bestselling author BJ Harvey comes the third and final standalone in the Chance series, this time it’s the much anticipated story of Drew and Ashley.

***
I have a long history of acting first and thinking it through later. In fact, I’m the definition of a screw up.

Case in point – I’m having a baby with a woman I can’t stand, my ex is now my best friend’s wife, and I’m in love with a woman I can never have.

My biggest secret is falling for my best friend’s sister twelve years ago.

My biggest mistake is thinking I could live without her.

And now my biggest regret is the look on her face the moment I tell everyone I’m already married to the woman they hate most.

AMAZON

You’re my beginning, middle, and end, Ash. 

Oh.
Oh wow.
Oh my heart.
Oh the feels.
Oh the everything!
I simply loved this book.

There is nothing I love more than a flawed but completely redeemable hero. And it just doesn’t get more flawed than Drew. He’s so perfectly imperfect and with a heart of gold. The fact that you spend the entire book inside his head was one of my favorite things. You really get to see the heart of gold beneath the well-meaning intentions that turn out to be disastrous decisions.

Drew has always thought of his best friend’s family as his own after the loss of his mother. So he’s always known that Millen’s little sister is entirely hands off. There’s just one problem with that; he can’t stay away from her. The odds are stacked against them and there’s every reason why they can’t work, but sometimes love happens when you least expect it.

Third Strike is a romance that spans 12 years; through heartbreak and devastation, life takes Drew and Ash through the ringer. I have to admit, had I not been inside of Drew’s head, I probably would have not loved this book as much as I did. This is a man that makes his fair share of mistakes. But understanding the root of them and his intentions, you can’t help but fall for his bumbling ways. He’s successful, sexy and sure of himself in every aspect of his life…except when it comes to Ash.

This story is no walk in the park. It’s painful, and tragic, and downright infuriating at times. But it’s also beautiful and emotional and a book that sucks you right in and doesn’t let you loose until the very last page. It owned my heart. It made me cry, it made me rage, it made me swoon. And there’s one scene in particular that I’m fairly certain made me spontaneously ovulate…

But I digress. If you read the first book in this series, you may have some thoughts on Drew’s character. But let me tell you, if you have doubts that you’d like him, you need to read this. He struggles with loyalty to his best friend and his love for his best friend’s sister. Every painfully beautiful memory between him and Ash owned my hear.

I still haven’t forgiven BJ for bastardizing my name with the twat of a character that she decided to name Lana, but man, even dealing with her was worth it for the experience of this book.

I’ve loved BJ’s romcoms, but she’s definitely stolen my heart completely with this beautifully angsty read. I loved it from start to finish and didn’t want it to end. I devoured it in a day and can’t recommend it enough!

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#DGRFave & Review: The Kiss Thief by LJ Shen

January 9, 2019 by · 2 Comments

THE KISS THIEF
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: L.J. Shen
Release Date: January 10, 2019

They say your first kiss should be earned.

Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.

They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.

Mine were broken before we left church.

They say your heart only beats for one man.

Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.

I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.

Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.

They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.

I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.

One kiss.
Two men.
Three lives.
Entwined together.

And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.

AMAZON

Our hearts were tarnished. Stained. And guilty. Unpredictable to a fault. And bound to break.

I got two words for you here: Must. Read.

I know I say this each time I finish a book of hers, but this was my favorite LJ Shen book to date.

I was born into a glided cage.

If you like a modern day arranged marriage trope, welcome to your next addiction. This book? GAH! It had an anti-hero that only Shen can write; brutal and hard but completely redeemable. This is someone you won’t be able to help rooting for! This was like if Vicious and Sparrow had a baby, and that baby threw down the gauntlet of delicious angst and grit. A clashing of a ruthless politician and the mafia, and a young beauty used as a pawn that gets caught in the crosshairs of political agendas and blackmail.

Francesca Rossi was such a breath of fresh air. For someone so young, she had this endearing naiveté to her that was beneath her hardened persona. She’s not a doormat, even when dealing with an extremely dominant man. This is not a woman that takes things lying down. She’s sharp-witted and smart-mouthed. I absolutely loved her.

The Kiss Thief was a book that kept me riveted to the pages from beginning to end. It was unlike any book I’ve read in a long damn while and it was absolutely everything. EVERYTHING, I tells ya!

I know you’re thinking, Lana, you’re being vague as hell right now. But trust me, you don’t need or WANT to know more. This is a book that you NEED to go into absolutely blind, or you’ll do yourself a great disservice. So, you’re welcome 🙂

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#DGRFave & Review: Faking It by K. Bromberg

January 8, 2019 by ·

FAKING IT
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: K. Bromberg
Release Date: January 8, 2019

Faking it never felt so good in this red-hot new standalone by New York Times bestselling author K. Bromberg—available in audio first!

Zane Phillips mistook me for his dog walker. It shouldn’t surprise me that the man with a suit more expensive than my rent would assume that I was there to serve him. The positive? I put him in his place. The negative? I missed my job interview because of it.

Now I find out he’s a rich Australian entrepreneur, and he wants to make up for tanking my interview. Yes, he’s impossibly hot – but he’s also an arrogant jackass—so . . . no thanks.

But after a little white lie I tell spirals out of control, I’m somehow offered the chance to play Zane’s girlfriend to help promote his new dating website – and the best part? He can’t say no because he’ll get caught in his lie too.

Little did I know this would entail sharing a tour bus with him for the next few months. The fact that the bus has just one bed isn’t the most ideal of circumstances, but this spokesperson gig might be the kick in the pants my career needs, so why not take a chance?

Famous last words.

Now I’m crisscrossing the country–and sharing that bed—with the one guy I can’t stand. And even worse, my traitorous body is wondering at every turn what it’s like to be down under the gorgeous Australian. But as the miles unfurl, so does our passion…and if I’m not careful, I might end up believing that fairytales really do come true.

AMAZON

Just face it, Harlow . . . you can’t resist me.”
“Resist you?” I laugh. “I can barely stand you.”

That hot cover and enticing blurb don’t even come close to doing this book justice. And that’s saying something because that cover and blurb are EVERYTHING. But this book is also so much more than just a relationship of convenience trope. It’s a swoony, humorous, perfectly paced, deliciously blended romance cake with plenty of sexual chemistry as the sprinkles on top! I loved the ever loving EVERYTHING out of this book. EVERYTHING!!!!

Harlow Nicks spells trouble for me in every sense of the word. She has my every wire crossed. And she’s made me hesitate to step over a line I thought would be a no brainer to cross: sleeping with her.

K. Bromberg has long been an automatic one-click for me, and Faking It just solidified why. The woman can write her heart out to deliver a bad boy hero that you can’t get enough of and a bold and smart-mouthed heroine that you’ll never stop rooting for. It’s an opposites attract romance that’s effortlessly developed and impeccably paced to deliver a one-two punch straight to the feels and have the reader hooked from beginning to finish.

Everything about Zane Phillips rubs me the wrong way. Even when I’m thinking about how good he can probably rub me the right way.

Now I love me a bad boy. Make that bad boy a self-made millionaire womanizer with a cockiness to boot? DROOLING! But then also make that bad boy something so much more? I’m putty in your hands. And that’s exactly what Zane was. He’s an irreverent womanizer. But there’s something more than meets the eye to him. There’s a depth to him that you only get glimpses of as the author sucks you deeper and deeper into his orbit. You begin to see there’s some much more to Zane than a bored playboy that’s trying to make his new business venture a success. A matchmaking site launched by a man that doesn’t believe in love? Color me intrigued.

As for Harlow? What’s not to love about a heroine that’s not afraid to put this bad boy in his place every chance she gets. This is a woman that doesn’t get played. She’s not afraid to throw the gauntlet and boy does she!

From their very first meeting, I was instantly hooked on this couple. I loved their banter, I loved the hate lust that was sparking out of every barb they threw at one another. I also loved the way that Harlow went after what she wanted. This is a woman that isn’t afraid to to play the player at his own game. But what starts out as a mutually beneficial agreement of a fake relationship until the successful launch of the business, soon begins to turn into something more. The lines get blurred and even when both of them do their best to try to ignore their feelings, it’s not long before they realize the chemistry that’s been slowly building between them from the start is about to become explosive.

I think the pacing was my absolute favorite part of this romance. It was a slow, delicious build up. The banter between Zane and Low serving as foreplay and I couldn’t get enough of it. I loved the fact that Harlow never shied away from being herself and saying what she wants. This is a woman that called Zane on all of his bull, and it was AWESOME.

If you’ve never read a K. Bromberg book before, you couldn’t find a better one to start with. Faking It was EVERYTHING! A light hearted, swoony romance with plenty of depth. It brought a goofy smile to my face for the entire time I was reading it, and I never wanted it to end. I devoured this book and loved every minute of it!!

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#DGRFave & Review: Ballistic by @KeriLake

October 30, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

BALLISTIC
Series: Vigilantes #3
Genre: Dark, Contemporary Romance
Author: Keri Lake
Release Date: October 30, 2018add-to-goodreads-button-2

A life for a life.

On the streets of Detroit, it’s the code we live by. You take from me, I take from you. A balance of power, and a ceaseless war between rivals.

As a foster kid from the projects, I never had much, besides an unshakable addiction to women and drugs. Only took one glance into the amber eyes of a slave for me to realize my two worst vices could be one and the same.

And the woman behind those eyes quickly became my obsession.

Nicoleta is more than she seems. An enigma I’m determined to crack before time runs out and our enemies hunt her down. Except, she moves by her own trajectory, an unstoppable bullet on the warpath to track down the men who murdered a girl from her past.

Me? I’m the rogue whose path is less predictable. A junkie, fiending for the one thing I shouldn’t want: the only woman who gets me high. I want to keep her for myself, but when the unstoppable bullet finally hits her mark and secrets begin to unravel, another life must be paid.
A heart for a heart.

Buy LinksAMAZON 

Review5 stars

We were as tragically beautiful and fragile as a dead rose. Two souls, broken beyond redemption.

If you’ve read any book by Keri Lake, then you already know that the woman can write a dark, gritty and captivating story like no other. She has this amazing ability to suck the readers into the dark abyss that are her books and keep them at the edge of their seat from beginning to finish. She’ll throw twist after twist your way until you don’t know which side is up. But one thing you’ll know for sure is that you didn’t just read a book of hers, you experienced it.

I silenced his argument with a kiss, feeling his fingers curl into my flesh. His mouth tasted like whiskey and sorrow, wrapped in guilt. A familiar cocktail.

I’ve been waiting for Dax’s story for what feels like forever. Ever since he watched helplessly as a young girl was driven away by one of the criminals he’d been after. He’s been searching for her ever since, only to hit one dead end after another. Until finally he finds her. But Nicoleta is not at all what she seems. And Dax definitely never saw a storm like her coming.

…my Nicoleta. The embodiment of fortitude and resilience. A brand of beauty that couldn’t be replicated because one would have to walk through absolute hell to acquire it.

While this is set in the Vigilantes series, you can easily read it as a standalone. Though I highly recommend the other two books as some of the story arcs do carry over. Ballistic was a whole different beast in this series with Nicoleta being the one seeking revenge. I loved the way that Keri Lake balanced the scales with the two characters. Nicoleta really took the driver’s seat in a lot of the story, but Dax never blended into the background. He was no less alpha and no less intense in his need to be the tool she uses to mete out her punishment. I LOVED this delicious turn of roles.

Nicoleta was a mystery wrapped in nightmares; nightmares of a hell that she’s lived through and a past she barely remembers. This is a woman that’s absolutely shattered, but she’s not weak. She’s vengeance and hell, pain and retribution. She’s a fiery ball of hatred and passion, and she was the perfect balance to Dax’s intensity.

This was a dark and twisty page turner of a story filled with blood, vengeance, and a love amongst the ashes. It sucked me in right into the dark underbelly of the worst sort of underground crime imaginable and those that rose out of the ashes of the pain it brought. It was deliciously twisty. It had me a ball of anxiety with my heart in my throat the entire time. It made me cringe. It made me cry. It made shiver in anticipation. In a word? It was UNPUTDOWNABLE!

DON’T MISS THE REST OF THE SERIES

RICOCHET (Vigilantes #1)
READ MY 5 STAR REVIEW HERE

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The only sure way to destroy a man is to take what he cannot live without.

Three years ago, I had everything.

A beautiful wife.
A son.
A reason for living.

Until a ruthless task force, assembled under Mayor Michael Culling, with a brutal strategy to make the streets of Detroit ‘safe’, ripped away everything I loved in a deadly hunt called The Culling.

They tried to kill me, too. I wish they had. Now I’m cursed by the memories of that night, and the words I whispered to my dying wife.

A promise—to avenge the wrong and set it right.

I’m no longer Nick Ryder. I’m a masked vigilante. Faceless. Loveless. Fearless. A man with nothing left to lose—one who’s seen the dark and violent truth behind the city’s flawless veneer.

Michael Culling doesn’t know who I am. Or what I want. All he knows is that I’ve kidnapped his beautiful wife.

An eye for an eye—isn’t that how the saying goes? And Aubree Culling is the perfect pawn to destroy him.

If she doesn’t destroy me first.

Buy LinksAMAZON

BACKFIRE (Vigilantes #2)
READ MY 5 STAR REVIEW HERE

Backfire+FOR+WEB

This book is a standalone set in the same world as Ricochet.

No matter how unbreakable he may seem, every man has a weakness.

A year ago, my home became a bloodstained crime scene. That night marked the beginning of my hell—the same night I was tortured by my enemies and tossed into an underground prison to die.

They failed. I survived.

Now that I’m free, only one motive burns in my soul: revenge.

Lucky for me, they think Jase Hawkins is dead. Maybe I am. I’ve got nothing but a cold, merciless rage, and Black Betty, the sharp steel blade that never leaves my side.

Then she drifts into my life.

Lucia wants answers—so much so, she’s willing to fall into the darkness where my enemies lie in wait, to kill her for what she knows.

Or to take her for the depraved fantasies her body alone can rouse in a man’s mind.

Me? I want her for the fire in her touch that feeds my addiction, forces me to feel what has become numb, but my appetite for bloodshed runs deeper than flesh.

For my own sanity, I’ve vowed to stay away from her. Because she’s my only weakness, an obsession that leaves me craving more—one that could make even the most steadfast plan backfire.

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKS

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#DGRFave Review & Excerpt: Fall by @Kris10Callihan

October 26, 2018 by ·

FALL
Series: VIP #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Kristen Callihan
Release Date: October 23, 2018

The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways.

In my defense, I didn’t know he was Jax Blackwood—who expects a legendary rock star to be shopping for groceries? More importantly, a blizzard was coming and he was about to grab the last carton of mint-chocolate chip.

Still, I might have walked away, but then he smugly dared me to try and take the coveted ice cream. So I kissed him. And distracted that mint-chip right out of his hands.

Okay, it was a dirty move, but desperate times and all that. Besides, I never expected he’d be my new neighbor.

An annoying neighbor who takes great pleasure in reminding me that I owe him ice cream but would happily accept more kisses as payment. An irresistible neighbor who keeps me up while playing guitar naked–spectacularly naked–in his living room.

Clearly, avoidance is key. Except nothing about Jax is easy to ignore—not the way he makes me laugh, or that his particular brand of darkness matches mine, or how one look from him melts me faster than butter under a hot sun.

Neither of us believes in love or forever. Yet we’re quickly becoming each other’s addiction. But we could be more. We could be everything.

All we have to do is trust enough to fall.

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N 

Stella Button, the moment you ripped that ice cream out of my hand, you knocked me off-balance. All I could do was fall.”

This book.
THIS. BOOK.
*flails happily*

This is, hands down, my favorite Kristen Callihan book to date. A poignantly written, slow burn, friends to lovers romance that was brimming with emotion; Fall owned my heart from beginning to finish. It sucked me in from the beginning and kept me glued to the pages with two incredibly multi-layered, raw, and endearing characters. Jax and Stella were everything. Simply everything!

Oh how I loved this book. Let me count the ways!!!

1. One broken yet devastatingly swoony rockstar.

I want her under me, over me, beside me. I want to dedicate hours memorizing the pattern of her freckles, each curve and dip of her body. I want her body against mine until her scent is in my skin. I want to taste her, to fuck her, to laugh with her. I want everything.

Jax is a man that has been to the dark bottom of emotion, and almost didn’t make his way up.
I really have to applaud the author in just how well she handled such a sensitive matter as depression and suicide. There was just something so real and raw about Jax that you couldn’t help but love. He captivates the reader from the very first page, and you only fall harder and harder under his magnetism and charisma the more you read. As one of the front man of a famous band, Jax is no stranger to all the women that his fame brings. But one quirky redhead that’s set to kiss him out of his ice cream at a grocery store manages to tilt his world on his axis.

2. Stella
She was just so perfectly imperfect. She was completely extraordinary in her ordinariness. Without giving much away, this is a heroine that just wins you over with her quirky, selfless, and loving personality. And then she makes you fall in love with her strength, perseverance, heart, and hints of vulnerability.

Stella works some of the oddest jobs, yet they make her happy. And when her job as a pet sitter land her one rockstar neighbor that she stole ice cream from with a kiss and never expected to see again? Well, let’s just say, things get interesting. Which brings me to the next thing…

3. The banter. OMG! THE BANTER!!

Oh my cock—god. My cock—godcockgod…” She flails her hands. “God. I meant God. God-cock. Argh!”
Her flustered blather ends in a gurgle and a new tide of rapid hand flapping. Even though her sudden appearance scared the shit out of me—until I realized it was Stella and not some stalker who’d gotten in—a laugh escapes me.
“My cock is godlike, so I can see the confusion.”
Her face flames bright red. “Dick.”
“It goes by that name too.” I wink at her.

4. The delicious, and I mean DELICIOUS slow burn romance. It hurt SO GOOD.

I meet her blue eyes and call out—God knows what. Sound tears from my throat, but I don’t hear it past my pounding ears. I look at Stella and fall into the abyss. I. Am. Wrecked.

5. The secondary characters. I love the brotherly camaraderie the band shares. I love the friendship between Jax and Killian. I NEED a book for Whip and Rye.

This book was sheer perfection. It captivated and ruined me. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me swoon. I absolutely loved it. I loved everything about it. Everyone needs to read this book. I just can’t recommend it enough.

The air between us shifts. I’m filled with a strange giddiness, wanting to laugh for the fun of it, but I’m also too warm, my limbs oddly heavy as if simple movements might be too much for me.His tone turns soft and cajoling, teasing the truth out of me. “Are you going to tell me what you do?” When I say nothing, the corners of his eyes crinkle. “I see. You’re going to torture me a bit.”The warm, fuzzy feeling grows as I shrug. “Torture feels apropos in this scenario.”

He hums again, taking another step toward me. “What makes you think I won’t like being tortured by you?”

The heat of his body and the scent of his skin makes my head light and my pulse pound. How did it get to this point where the highlight of my day is flirting with Jax Blackwood? Despite the thrill, I know I’m in over my head. I haven’t gone out on a date in months because I form attachments, I get emotional, and then I hurt when they inevitably leave. And this man will leave. He is as bright and fleeting as a camera flash. I’ll be left with the image of him seared into my memory and nothing more.

I tell myself all of this, the voice in my head as stern as possible. But it doesn’t make me back away. It doesn’t stop my body from somehow straining toward his without even moving. Because it might be stupid of me, but I want to feel something that isn’t planned. Something, for however briefly, that’s real.

He’s too attuned to me not to notice. John’s lids lower as his attention slides down my body before easing back up to my face. Slowly, he rests his forearm on the wall beside my head. “Tell me, Stella,” he murmurs.

“No,” I whisper back, flirting, even though I shouldn’t.

His biceps bunch as he leans in, a smile dancing on his lips. “Tell.”

My breasts graze his chest, and I feel it in my toes.

“You’re crowding me.” I hate how breathy I sound.

“Can’t help it.” His voice is a rumble, the heat of his breath playing over my skin. He ducks his head, drawing close until our lips nearly brush, and when he speaks again, his tone is almost conversational, except for the husky quality that touches deep within my core. “You smell like strawberries. Fucking delicious.”

My lids flutter, and I swallow hard. “Ordinarily, I’d call you out on that cliché but since I’ve been eating strawberries, you aren’t exactly wrong.”

His chuckle is slow and easy, as he eases back and his gaze slowly travels over my face. “Were they sweet, Stella Button?”

He’s looking at my mouth like he might try to find out. My lips tremble in response, and John tracks the movement, his breathing getting deeper, faster. “You have two freckles on your lips. One on the top lip and one on the bottom corner.”

Those damn freckles. They were the bane of my adolescence. I hid them with lipstick and silently cursed whenever someone mentioned them.

Freckles don’t have any feelings, but I swear it’s as if he’s touching them.

“You’re just noticing this?” I try to make it sound like a joke, but it comes out weak and thready.

His own lips quirk. “Oh, I noticed. It’s distracting as hell. They’re like two little dots of butter toffee. Makes me want to lick them, get a taste.”

Oh, God. Lick them, please. I can almost feel it. I want to feel it.

No. Bad Stella. Behave.

John’s lips part a fraction like he just might take that taste.

“Back off,” I whisper. And yet somehow my traitorous hands find their way to his sides, running over the waistband of his jeans, holding him there.

John makes a sound deep in his throat and tilts his hips, pressing them against mine. A distinctly thick bulge nudges my belly. Both of us lose a breath, and then he’s closer, his cheek touching my temple. “You’ll have to let me go first.”

My thumbs slide under the edge of his shirt and find smooth, taut skin. A tremor goes through his body. I try to think, search for what the hell we’ve been talking about.

His lips brush the crest of my cheek as he murmurs against my skin. “Tell me what you do, Stella. You know you want to.”

My smile feels illicit. Somehow the action is directly tied to all my happy parts, making them draw hot and tight. “I don’t think I do.”

Another hum. “Liar. You’re dying to.”

 

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Rockstars · Tagged With: , , ,

#DGRFave & Review: Fight Or Flight by Samantha Young

October 10, 2018 by · Leave a Comment

FIGHT OR FLIGHT
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: October 9, 2018

A series of chance encounters leads to a sizzling new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series.

The universe is conspiring against Ava Breevort. As if flying back to Phoenix to bury a childhood friend wasn’t hell enough, a cloud of volcanic ash traveling from overseas delayed her flight back home to Boston. Her last ditch attempt to salvage the trip was thwarted by an arrogant Scotsman, Caleb Scott, who steals a first class seat out from under her. Then over the course of their journey home, their antagonism somehow lands them in bed for the steamiest layover Ava’s ever had. And that’s all it was–until Caleb shows up on her doorstep.

When pure chance pulls Ava back into Caleb’s orbit, he proposes they enjoy their physical connection while he’s stranded in Boston. Ava agrees, knowing her heart’s in no danger since a) she barely likes Caleb and b) his existence in her life is temporary. Not long thereafter Ava realizes she’s made a terrible error because as it turns out Caleb Scott isn’t quite so unlikeable after all. When his stay in Boston becomes permanent, Ava must decide whether to fight her feelings for him or give into them. But even if she does decide to risk her heart on Caleb, there is no guarantee her stubborn Scot will want to risk his heart on her….

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Oh God, yes.”
“You keep calling me God, lass, and my ego might get out of control,” he murmured.

OH MY GOD.
THIS BOOK.
*flails happily*
I.
LOVED.
THIS.
BOOK.

So much. SO. MUCH.

This book is what enemies to lovers romance dreams are made out of. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I fell head over ovaries for The Bastard Scott. Everything about this book was perfection: the banter, the chemistry, the hate lust, the romance, and OMG the hate lust. These two were absolutely incendiary together and I couldn’t get enough of them.

Sparks fly when Ava and Caleb cross paths for the first time on a flight to Boston, and not of the sexual variety. The man steamrolls past her in line and gets her coveted first class seat. Then they end up sitting next to each other on the same flight, and the rude and crude Scott does nothing to hide his disdain for Ava. But underneath the side eyes and the insults is chemistry so potent, you can cut it with a knife. And this reader? I devoured it!!

Caleb is a bearded and tatted CFO of a successful company. He’s also insufferably blunt, downright rude, and infuriatingly sexy. Ava is already flying on frayed nerves after a visit back to her hometown brings back all the painful memories she left behind. So when Caleb first manages to piss her off, it’s no holds barred between them. But when the insult dust settles, the chemistry between them is undeniable. And when they realize that they’re both up for a no strings attached mutually satisfying relationship for Caleb’s short stay in Boston? Well, let’s just say that things get interesting. REALLY interesting.

Samantha Young keeps the tension going with Ava and Caleb for almost 80% of the book, and I absolutely loved that. It’s not a lets hate each other until we jump into bed together and then all is well sort of story. Both of these characters have hidden depth and even deeper hidden pain. And while Ava’s surfaces for the reader gradually, its a long and painful stretch before you get to Caleb’s. I loved the way that Ava was able to handle his gruff demeanor and give as good as she gets. I also loved watching Caleb fall for her through Ava’s eyes. The entire story is told in Ava’s POV, and while a part of me wished to be inside Caleb’s head if even for a second, I can’t deny that it made the story and tension that much better. You get to experience the mystery of this man through Ava’s eyes and experience their highs and lows right along with her.

This was easily my favorite book by this author to date. I adored this enemies to lovers romance. It kept me reading well into the night, completely incapable to set it down for even a minute. It owned me from beginning to finish and I cannot recommend it enough.

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#DGRFave & Review: Runaway Girl by @mstessabailey

September 24, 2018 by · 1 Comment

RUNAWAY GIRL
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Tessa Bailey
Release Date: September 24, 2018

It’s Naomi Clemons’s big day. Her dream wedding. And she’s outta here.

One moment. A chance meeting of gazes through the church window pane with someone familiar who radiates intrigue. Independence. It’s the final push Naomi needs to realize…she’s boring. A blonde, cookie cutter, well mannered trophy wife-to-be. How can she expect to lead a fulfilling married life when she’s never lived?

Special Forces diver Jason Bristow needs a beauty pageant coach. Not for himself—although the tattooed bruiser could definitely use some charm. For his little sister who he has returned to St. Augustine, Florida to raise. When a beautiful southern debutante lands on his doorstep, she awakens a hunger that won’t be ignored. If only she wasn’t planning on winning back the ex-fiancé she left at the altar…

Despite the potential for ruin, heat continues to build between Naomi and Jason beneath the sultry Florida sunshine, consuming them both. But they’re on borrowed time…and it’s about to run out.

AMAZON

This is it. This is the kiss I’ll think about for decades to come, maybe longer. I can feel it ruining me with every mash of his lips against mine…

A quirky & witty souther belle that’s as proper as she is endearing?

A grumpy, sexy and possessive Pouty Man Bear?

Enough sexual tension to makes your loins tighten?

A sweet and sizzling romance that will put a smile on your face and keep it there?

This book. Oh man. You guys, this book! It was everything I’ve come to expect from the amazing Tessa Bailey and so much more. I thought I loved Getaway Girl, but this book was even better. It was full of swoony feels, sizzling sexy times, incredibly endearing characters, and Bailey’s patented dirty talk that will make any ovary within a 50 mi radius quiver at the mere mention of Jason.

Actual footage of me reading this book:
And don’t you judge me either!

I’m ready to take what I want. What I need. And he’s right behind me, watching, needing me back. Ready for his own seismic shift.

If you read Getaway Girl, you may remember Naomi as Elija’s runaway bride. And while you know that appearances aren’t quite what they seem with her and she’s not the rich and prim southern belle that she first comes across at, you really get to know her here. And let me tell you, she’s an impossible heroine not to love. I’m not typically a fan of the prim and proper heroines, but there’s just something so endearing about Naomi. She’s this adorable combination of vulnerability and strength. I loved watching her grow from a woman that lives to please everyone else and keep up appearances to someone that takes what she wants.

I need her. I want to fucking drown in her.

Jason.
raaaaaaarrrrr
This man. YUM. He was absolutely delicious. Every grumpy and scowly inch of him. And let’s pretend that scowly is a word for the purposes of this review, mkay? Moving on. He’s a Special Forces diver that comes back to take care of his younger sister after a tragedy strikes his family. His sister enters a beauty pageant she has no hope of winning. Naomi is a pageant queen that’s in dire need of a job and no real skill set. Opportunity meet fate.

Sparks fly between Naomi and Jason immediately. And if you like a slow burn that will make you want to rip your arm hairs out one by one and have a smoke afterwards, you will LOVE this book. And I love me some slow burn. The sexual tension here is so thick, you can cut it with a knife and rub it all over your body. OK, I think I’m going too far here. But you know what I mean.

Wrap your thighs around me and hold on.
I don’t come like a gentleman.”

Did I mention the dirty talk? Because OMG the dirty talk!!

I loved everything about this book. I really loved Birdie and Jason’s relationship with his sister and seeing how much he’s willing to do for her. I loved the budding kinship form between Naomi and Birdie. And the romance? GAH! Perfection in a way that only Tessa Bailey can write. An absolute must read that’s full of humor, feels, and hot as sin sexy times!

1 Comment · Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance, DGR Favorites, Dirty Talkers · Tagged With: , ,

New Release & Review: No Tomorrow by Carian Cole

September 13, 2018 by ·

NO TOMORROW
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Carian Cole
Release Date: September 13, 2018

The people we love are thieves.
They steal our hearts. They steal our breath.
They steal our sanity.
And we let them.
Over and over and over again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

They say you never forget your first time.
Mine was with a homeless musician who effed my brains out under a bridge.

He was my first love. And fourteen years later, I still can’t get him out of my head.

He broke all my rules.
He also broke my heart.

I watched him climb to stardom, cheering him on from afar.
But I was never a fan; just a girl in love.

Like a tornado, he spiraled, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.

But love conquers all, right? It has to. Because here I stand, ravaged and ruined, needing it to be true.

You can’t go back, but I want to. Back to the bridge. Back to when he sang only for me. Before he was famous. Before he shattered my heart.

I thought I knew everything about him.
But I could not have been more wrong.

He promised me every tomorrow. And here I am, waiting.
And hoping.
Again.

AMAZON

FREE with KU!


If memories had a flavor, ours would be salt and blood.

Oh.
Oh wow.
Just WOW.
I feel like I’ve just been through an emotional rollercoaster. My heart hurts. My hands are shaking. My head feels fuzzy. And I’m so in love with this incredible story that I can’t even think of how to begin reviewing it.

I love you like there’s no tomorrow.”

I’ve never read this author before, but when I first saw the blurb for this book a few months ago, I knew this would be my first book by her. It hooked me immediately. Then I started reading it and I was DONE FOR. It sucked me right into its dark depths and didn’t let me up until the very last page.

This man is a drug and I’m an addict. I’m high on him and us, lost in the twirling world around me, every smell, sight, and touch heightened and vivid and so incredibly disconnected and hazy.

The story spans years and spares no emotional detail. Piper and Blue first meet when she’s only 21 years old and she spots a beautiful homeless man with a haunting presence playing guitar in the park that she frequents. Their connection is immediate. The two of them couldn’t be more opposite, but you know what they say about that. Piper is the good girl to Blue’s bad boy vibes, and the attraction between them sparks to life and entwines them in a fiery connection. Piper tries to understand the complexities behind Blue’s eyes, but you always get the sense that there’s something dark and painful that’s brewing beneath the surface with him. He’s a recovering addict and a troubled musician. He loves Piper in the only way he knows how. But love isn’t enough to keep their tattered peaces from scattering in the wind.

But what we have is a real love. It’s dark, and ugly; raw and passionate. It brings pain and it brings happiness and everything in between. This love—our love—is a love that never dies. It withers in the dark and comes back to life again under bright moments even stronger than it was before.

Spanning fourteen years, No Tomorrow tells the story of their up and downs. And boy were there a lot of downs. A part of me wanted to hate Blue for his choices, but a bigger part of me just couldn’t. This is a troubled man with many demons. I respect the author so much for not glossing over his issues. You get all of it; the good, the bad, and the worse. And while the story is told in predominantly Piper’s POV, the few snippets we get inside of Blue’s mind are incredibly potent.

She’s the glue that held all my jagged cracks together, and I love her endlessly for it. Unfortunately, I’ve always known that eventually I’d break myself all over again and she’d be left with nothing but pieces.

I fell in love with these characters. My heart ached right along with them. I rooted for them, I cried with them, and I was a ball of anxiety just thinking about how their story may end.

No Tomorrow is a hauntingly beautiful romance full of depth and emotion. It was utterly captivating and sucked you right into the story. It was a book I won’t be forgetting any time soon and one that I can’t recommend enough. Blue was a rockstar unlike any I’ve ever read. If you’re looking for something different and that’ll make you feel, you’ve definitely found your next read.

I fell hard and fast for her. She haunted me; lived in the fabric of my soul and inspired all the emotions and words that had always eluded me. 

I have a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles and of course, the sweet girls that try to tame them and win their hearts.

My first novel in the best-selling Ashes & Embers series, Storm, published in September of 2014. I have many books and sequels slated for this series. My new spin-off series, Devils Wolves, launched in 2016 with the best-selling novel, Torn. There are several books planned for this series as well.

Born and raised a Jersey girl, I now reside in beautiful New Hampshire with my husband and our multitude of furry pets and spend most of my time writing, reading, and vacuuming.

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· Filed Under: All Reviews, Contemporary Romance · Tagged With: ,
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