Love isn’t supposed to be an addiction. It isn’t supposed to leave you bleeding.

Kona pushed, Keira pulled, and in their wake, they left behind destruction.

She sacrificed everything for him.

It wasn’t enough.

But the wounds of the past can never be completely forgotten and still the flame remains, slumbers between the pleasure of yesterday and the thought of what might have been.

Now, sixteen years later, Keira returns home to bury the mother who betrayed her, just as Kona tries to hold onto what remains of his NFL career with the New Orleans Steamers. Across the crowded bustle of a busy French Market, their paths collide, conjuring forgotten memories of a consuming touch, skin on skin, and the still smoldering fire that begs to be rekindled.

When Kona realizes the trifecta of betrayal—his, Keira’s and those lies told to keep them apart—his life is irrevocably changed and he once again takes Keira down with him into the fire that threatens to ignite them both.

I don’t want easy. I want the impossible. I want love so thick, I drown in it; it’s the only thing worth having.

I cannot tell you the last time I was this invested in a romance between two characters where it drowned out absolutely everything; reason, logic, life, EVERYTHING but the need to keep turning the pages to know what happens next. This story was everything to me. It was beautiful, tragic, emotional, and absolutely unputdownable. If you’re an angst whore like me, you will love this book, and even if you’re an angst avoider, this book will convert you. This had everything that I absolutely love in a story; an angsty love story between 2 incredibly endearing yet broken characters, a hate at first sight meeting that grows to love, and a lovers reunited story that’s so beautiful it’s unforgettable.

This is a story about young love and the mistakes that go along with it. A love so thick, it’s almost toxic. A love so devastating it’s impossible to forget. It’s a story of mistakes, regrets, forgiveness and redemption. It’s a story with two characters who feel everything as deep as it gets; love and anger. A story of two people that are different yet also so similar that they’re almost bad for one another, yet a love that’s so strong it’s undeniable. This book is a hidden gem that I can only describe to you in 3 short words: A MUST READ.

Told in 2 parts, it begins in present day, flashes back to retell the epic love that burned but never burned out 16 years ago, and then picks back up in present day. But before you find out how it ends, you need to know how it all began…

Kona, I get the feeling you might end up being my favorite mistake.

Keira Riley and Kona Hale were not a match made in heaven and they certainly didn’t even like each other at first sight. Keira is an 18 year old college student that’s felt a weight on her no child should ever feel; first the weight of her father’s sickness and addiction, and then the weight of her overbearing mother with little thought to Keira’s desires. She focuses on school and escapes in her music, until a chance meeting with the school’s resident manwhore and football golden boy changes her life irrevocably.

Kona Hale doesn’t do relationships or love, he does football. Living under a weight of his own to constantly prove his worth, he knows that his football career is the most important thing. He doesn’t give Keira a second glance until they’re put to work on a school project together and her fiery temper finally gets his notice.

That live wire was too damn tempting and he wanted to burn in her. He wanted to burn in her so bad.

Their love story was anything but an easy read, but it will grab you from beginning to end. The chemistry between them is so strong and fiery it practically leaps off the pages and grips you by the heart. They’re not perfect, they’re hot tempered and make terrible mistakes that hurts more often than not. But when it’s good, OH MY GAWD is it good.

She wanted this. Him. Her. Their touch, the magic in every brush of his fingers, the glide of his tongue, with her always. It was needy, desperate and she loved the white hot craving of him, of how her body reacted to him, how her heart hammered hard like an earthquake.

Their love burns hot, until the blaze becomes too much and burns them both in a devastating mistake that leaves both Kona and Keira shattered.

I couldn’t put this book down. I honestly don’t remember the last time I had such a visceral reaction to a story that I felt everything along with the characters. My enjoyment of the story drowned out everything that I would logically dislike anywhere else. The writing was in 3rd person POV told in present tense, which more often than not, doesn’t work for me. But the writing was so brilliant that I was able to completely disregard it. I didn’t care that my logical mind wanted a reason behind Kona’s mother spiteful and hateful behavior. I couldn’t find it in me to care about any slight imperfection beyond this beautifully tragic love story. It was THAT good.

The second half of the book gives you the more mature versions of Kona and Keira, who are now in completely different points of their life but fate finds them together again. It gives you a beautiful second chance love story that’s also perfectly imperfect.

You were mine and I never loved anything more. I never wanted anything or anyone like I wanted you. Like I still want you. My always, Keira. You’re still my always.

I finished this book on Tuesday and still can’t stop myself from thinking about it and it’s just one of those books that will stay with me. I simply cannot recommend it enough. After stalking the author I saw that Ransom’s book is next, and I’m waiting with bated breath to get my hands on his story.

And if my review hasn’t convinced you to give this book a try, let me reiterate it again, READ IT. You won’t be sorry. It’s a love story that will gut you at times, but not one you’ll soon be forgetting.

DGR: Can you introduce yourself to the readers that may have not yet discovered the awesome that is you? 😉

EB: Well, let’s see…I’m from southeast Louisiana, home of the BEST NFL team ever, the New Orleans Saints (WHO DAT?), I am married to a man I can’t stop kissing and I have three daughters who do their level best to keep my hair gray. I keep my hairdresser in cash, trust me. I’ve been writing professional for ten years (mostly scif and fantasy) and work in the Seventh Circle of Corporate Hell where I literally copy and paste for a living. It’s freakin thrilling, I’m telling ya. / sarcasm.

I published my first romance novel, CHASING SERENITY, last October after my friend Kele Moon told me to…she’s very bossy and I’ve loved it. THIN LOVE is my fourth novel and it’s not part of the Serenity series.

DGR:  Thin Love was such a beautiful and at times devastating story of love, mistakes, forgiveness and second chances. What inspired you to write this book?

EB: Oh girl. If you only knew. LOL I had this daydream about a guy staring at a girl he once loved across a crowd. Then came this kid who looked an awful lot like him and it all sort of fell into place after that. But a lot of the toxicity in the novel, the anger, the passion, comes from bad mistakes I’ve made, that my friends have made in the past. I mainly wanted to delve into the idea of toxic, dangerous love and find out if those kinds of relationships can ever be healthy.

DGR:  I know I definitely had a mental picture for Kona when I was reading (*cough* Jason Mamoa *cough*) Who would be your dream casting for Kona and Keira?

EB: Keira is sort of faceless to me. A bit of the girl next door, but Kona is and always will be Mr. The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.

DGR: Can you describe Thin Love for us in 5 words or less?

EB: Exhausting, Thrilling, Passionate, Insane, Always

DGR: Ransom was one of my favorite characters (after Keira and Kona of course). I believe you  mentioned that his book may be coming next? Any more you can tell us about it?

EB: Man, Ransom, that poor kid. He’s definitely not a normal teenager and I think that comes from Keira relying on him so much. Maybe that’s a bad thing, but really they sort of grew up together and that made him more mature, more logical than his peers. But since his parents were both insane as teenagers/young adults, he sort of inherited their anger. In his novel, you’ll see an older Ransom who has just gone through something devastating. He’ll be different, he’ll be even wiser, but you’ll definitely see him dealing with the same anger that only loves brings out. In the end, because of what he’s learned from his parents, you’ll see him growing even further and falling in love very, very deeply. (Read: He’s gonna have THE SEX…but don’t tell Keira)

DGR: What was your favorite part to write about this book?

EB: I don’t know if I can pinpoint one certain part that was my favorite. Writing this book was very cathartic for me. It allowed me to exorcise some very, very old demons. But I will tell you when I wrote that scene with Keira and Kona where she asks if he still loves her? Yeah. I stopped breathing there for a moment. Very proud of that scene.

DGR: And what about the hardest part for you to write?

EB: The accident. I didn’t want what happened to happen. I loved that character a lot and really didn’t want them to die. I fretted over that for a long time, even had a two hour brain storming session with my bestie about that death. In the end, the story demanded it. It had to happen. *kicks the ground*

DGR: What’s coming up next for you? Any upcoming releases we can anticipate?

EB: I’m working on the Keira/Kona wedding novella and the third book in my Serenity series, CLAIMING SERENITY which I think will be hilarious. After that is the final book in my Serenity series and then I’m spending a lot of time playing in Ransom’s world.

DGR: Anything you’d like to leave the readers with?

EB: I’d just like to thank everyone for the support. It’s been an overwhelming year and I am humbled by the love everyone has given to my books. *My cup runneth over*

“I own you. I have the piece of paper to prove it. It’s undeniable and unbreakable. You belong to me until you’ve paid off your debts.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Being the first born daughter, her life is forfeit to the first born son of the Hawks to pay for sins of ancestors past. The dark ages might have come and gone, but debts never leave. She has no choice in the matter.

She is no longer free.

Jethro Hawk receives Nila as an inheritance present on his twenty-ninth birthday. Her life is his until she’s paid off a debt that’s centuries old. He can do what he likes with her—nothing is out of bounds—she has to obey.

There are no rules. Only payments.

A modern day Dark Erotic Romance

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5 The world was a dangerous place, but I was worse Stars

You live in a fairytale, princess, and I’m about to destroy it.

Holy mother of WOW. I have recently sworn off serials after one too many cliffys left me a ragey mess, but it’s Pepper Winters and there’s no way I was going to pass this one by and DAMN am I glad I didn’t. You know the thing that I’ve come to truly love about this author? The unpredictability of her writing. What I mean is, no one character is alike. If I didn’t know I was reading a Pepper Winters book, I don’t think I would have guessed it. Jethro Hawk is no Fox and he’s no Q. This is the ultimate anti-hero. He’s cold, he’s brutal, and there is no question after finishing this mind fuck of a book that I am truly and utterly hooked. Will I be waiting until all the books release to read the rest? Fuck no. I will be waiting and begging for any and all scraps that Pepper throws my way and reading these books THE DAY they come out. I don’t even care about the cliffys. It’s THAT good.

This had to be one of the best anti-heroes I’ve read to date. If you think that Jethro is cold and ruthless until he meets Nila and all of a sudden his uncontrollable lust for her makes him question everything he does to her…think again.

There was no compassion in his light-brown eyes. No sympathy or even guilt. How did he have the power to be so close to me- to grow hard wanting me- and know all along my fate?

Only a special person could do that. A person who wasn’t born of this world but brimstone and fire. From hell.

I spent the entire book waiting for a chink in his armor…good thing I didn’t hold my breath because there was none. Not in this book anyway. Don’t go into this expecting a romance. Eroticism? Hell yes. But you’ll find no romance here, not yet.

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. What for? That will be the biggest question you have and keep you turning the pages with bated breath…only to find more questions. Nila is a famous designer that’s been sheltered her whole life growing up in a loving and affluent family. But all that changes the day a mysterious man with golden eyes comes for her.

Nila may be sheltered and inexperienced, but this is a heroine that has a hidden core of strength that only grows stronger and more pronounced as the story progresses.

I devoured this book. Although this is a serial, it’s a book length of 255 pages. And you know what? Not a sentence was wasted. The character development was phenomenal. Jethro Hawke is a hero you will love to hate. He equal parts terrified me and turned me on, which is no small feat to accomplish.

Coldness etched his gaze.

Aloofness whispered from his posture.

Calculation radiated from his every pore.

I’d never been so intimidated or so intimately challenged.

Unpredictable. Gritty. Erotic. Unputdownable. Filled with enough twists and turns this book will leave you questioning everything, never knowing up from down and right from wrong. Just as I thought I knew where the story was headed, I’d be thrown for another loop. Pepper Winters is truly an evil genius. Even the damn cliffy was fitting. I couldn’t imagine this book ending a different way. It was perfect (even if it did leave me an anxious mess for the next one). Now to wait 8-10 weeks for the next one just may kill me.

I would enjoy ruining Nila, because I liked breaking things. But not in a gruesome barbaric way. I liked to break them smoothly, gently, ruthlessly. I liked to think I transformed creatures from their present to their potential.

**ARC gifted to Dirty Girl Romance blog in exchange for an honest review**

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

Her Dark Erotica books include:

Tears of Tess (Monsters in the Dark #1)

Quintessentially Q (Monsters in the Dark #2)

Her Grey Romance books include:

Destroyed

STALK Pepper: 
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ebook of Debt Inheritance (5 Winners)

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As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it’s booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.

Lena’s not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

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He always seemed so polished, so perfect, you could almost ignore the chaos and pain living inside of him.

I kid you not, this series only gets better with each new book. I had some high hopes for Jimmy’s story, and Kylie Scott not only managed to meet them but blow them out of the water.

See, here’s the thing. I have this thing for almost nonredeemable bad boy assholes. If they just happen to be almost nonredeemable rock star bad boy assholes? All the better. It’s a condition that I have recently diagnosed as AssholeLustitis. True story.

Enter Jimmy Ferris, the lead singer of Stage Dive, recovering addict, and all around giant dick (pun most definitely intended)

This was Jimmy is all his glory, rude as fuck and not a single social nicety to him.

Having scared off most of his assistants and outright refusing a sobriety companion, Jimmy needs someone. And his band mates think they have just the ticket to what he needs when they meet Lena. So they make her an offer she can’t refuse. Be Jimmy’s 24hr companion, live in his house, oh and earn pretty much double what she’s currently earning as an assistant to the band’s manager.

Lena is used to dealing with assholes. She’s sassy, quit witted, sharp-tongued and in 2 words? Fucking awesome. Her internal monologue had me laughing throughout the entire book.

I’m so tempted to just punch you in the junk right now and be done with it. I mean, it has to happen sooner or later, right?”

Whoops…sorry. Got carried away there. See the thing is, Lena was such a great heroine it was impossible not to root for her. The banter between the two was some of the best I’ve read. I’m talking laugh out loud funny. I’m talking wanting to reach through your kindle to fist bump her funny.

Do you actually expect me to jump around like an idiot?”
“It would amuse me.”
“Don’t make me kill you at this hour of the morning, Jimmy. It’s not civilized.”

Lena has no issues dealing with Jimmy’s broody, moody, and general assholness. Yes, assholness is not really a word, but work with me here. The problem begins when she starts to develop feelings for the asshole. And given her history with men? Well, let’s just say the cards are not exactly stacked in her favor.

I have in my time dated a cheater, a thief, a repressed homosexual, a foot fetishist, and various men who just wanted a chance to meet my sister.”
“Why’s the foot fetishist so bad?”
“Always with the strappy high heels. My toes were killing me.”

Jimmy knows he’s no good for anyone and certainly not worthy of anyone’s love. So he sets out to dissuade Lena of her crush and prove to her just how bad he is for her. Too bad he can’t stop the sizzling chemistry that brews between them.

Lena may be incredibly attracted to Jimmy, but that doesn’t mean she turns a blind eye to his more…let’s go with faults.

His smile, oh god his smile, I wanted to wipe it off his face with a pickaxe. I’d be gentle, you could trust me.

Ummmm…alrighty then

Let’s not forget about the rest of the band mates, because I loved catching up with all the guys. I actually think this is how I prefer Mal…in small doses…in someone else’s book. He was just full of great advise here.

Interesting. I’m going to tell you what I told Killer at puppy training today when he tried to mount a teacup poodle he’d only just met. If she means something to you, you gotta do the woo, son. You can’t just be trying to stick it in.

Or not. Maybe? Whatever. For Mal this was practically genius.

Kylie Scott did a phenomenal job in building an almost unbearable sexual tension. I’m talking the burn of all burns here. But it was perfect for the story. I really don’t think it would have been as good had they been thrown into bed together too soon. And when Jimmy finally gives in to the scorching hot chemistry between them? Let’s just say he REALLY doesn’t disappoint.

He ate me like a man deprived, starved.
He ate me like I was his favorite meal.
Vaguely related, apparently singers had excellent tongue control and strength. Bless them for that, many, many times over.

Right…I think I heard this in a song once too

So let’s sum it up here; gorgeous lead singer of a popular band, asshole with redeemable qualities, and then there are his OTHER qualities…

I stared at his cock, mesmerized. Even encased in rubber it remained a thing of true beauty. Had I any talent with a pen, I’d have written it poems. A haiku perhaps.
“Lena?”
I was hypnotized, helpless. Cock-struck.

It was a thing of beauty. Didn’t hurt that he happened to be packing quite the love sword, huh?

You lucky bitch.

Jimmy may be on the road to recovery and he does his best to get Lena to stay as his assistant, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t fuck up. And when he does it? He certainly does it thoroughly.

Stupid Jimmy Ferris and his amazing mouth and penis. Who needed him? Not me, I could look after myself.
That’s why god invented vibrators, thank you very much. Masturbation was so much safer. My fingers never gave me this sort of trouble.

So why even put up with his shit?

Oh shut it, Jimmy. No one asked you. It’s true, but still.

Throw in Jimmy and David’s crazy mother, Jimmy’s issues, and Lena’s luck with men and you got yourself an addicting, unputdownable, laugh out loud, entertaining and sexy read. Kylie Scott truly has outdone herself with this book. It had everything and in just the right amount. The banter, the sexual chemistry, the sex, the story. EVERYTHING. And that little teaser at the end for Ben? Gah! I just may die a little waiting for his book to come out.

So if you’re looking for a sexy and funny rock star romance, you really need to look no further than this. Seriously. Read it. You’ll thank me for it. And I thank you

After a tragic incident in Afghanistan leaves Master Sergeant Nathan Ryker the only man standing in his tight-knit team, he spirals into an alcohol-and-sex induced escape. A call from his lifelong buddy pulls Ryker from the shadows with a request for help with his stunt company’s latest blockbuster. If Ryker can survive the next three weeks of leave and get back to his remaining men, he might just be all right. But a sexy woman who can take his mind off his trauma is too hard to resist, and when he hooks up with Renegades’ sultry, snarky office manager, his sanity takes a backseat to his first glimpse of a future he isn’t sure he deserves.

Still reeling from a bitter romantic betrayal, Rachel Hart wants nothing more than an uncomplicated hookup. So when the mysterious Nathan seduces her with a little dirty talk and one delicious kiss, Rachel drowns all her good sense in a Mandarin and soda and gives herself over to a night of sexual bliss. But her memories tarnish in the morning light when Rachel discovers his real identity and his link to Renegades. Her job and her friends are the only thing holding her life together, and she won’t be ruined by one sultry night with this damaged and dangerously sexy man.

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5 Best in the Series Stars

Ricochet was a negative theme in his life, one that caused way too much collateral damage…

I have been hooked with this series ever since I first read and absolutely loved Reckless. Now while the second book wasn’t quite as good due to a heroine that I wanted to punch in the throat more often than not, this book managed to completely blow it out of the water for me. I loved every page. It was sexy, it was emotional, it was beautiful, it was perfect.

Rachel Hart is used to seeing incredibly sexy men on a daily basis and not batting an eye lash. Being the assistant to the Renegades team is no small feat. She loved her job and she’s not looking to compromise that for any man. Actually, scratch that, she doesn’t want to get involved with any man period. One heartbreaking betrayal is enough to put her off of relationships for a long while. But a girl still has needs right?

Master Sergeant Nathan Ryker is a broken man. After a tragic incident on tour in Afghanistan leaves the sexy Ranger with living nightmares that haunt his every waking minute he attempts to drown them out the only way he knows how…alcohol and women. He’s not meant for relationships, but he can definitely offer one sultry night. When his long time friend and Renegade, Troy, asks for his explosions knowledge assistant on set of a major movie stunt, he grudgingly agrees and then he meets the woman that just may offer him the distraction he needs while he’s on leave for 3 weeks.

When she’s sent to pick up “Ryker” from the airport but after a few drinks at the bar she meets the mysterious and sexy “Nathan” instead, Rachel doesn’t give it a second thought. Too bad reality comes crashing down on her the very next day when she realizes the two men are one in the same, and her no mixing business with pleasure rule is suddenly blown to smithereens. Good thing Ryker is quite capable of handling the Ricochet. (ha! See what I did there?)

I don’t want complicated. I don’t want forever. I just want simple. No strings.

Oh I get you, Rachel, really, I do. Luckily Ryker is very much up (ahem) for the task, right?

I’m offering you exactly what you want. No-strings, no-shame, no-limits, no-complications, wicked-good sex. Complete with a agreed-upon end date, a vow of secrecy, and an eight-thousand-mile anti-stalking guarantee when it’s over.”

And when you put it like that, Ryker, I’m not sure about Rachel but

Rachel is no fool to pass up such a tempting offer. And tempting it is. How good is he, Rachel?

Jesus, that man really fucks. He’s focused, absorbed, almost…”
“Obsessed?” Rubi supplied in the same hushed tone.
“Totally. It’s enthralling. All encompassing. Like nothing else exists.” She sighed, letting the delicious memory wash through her. “Un-fucking-forgettable.”

Right then.

And Ryker, was it good for you?

Well of course you did. Rachel may be a nice and proper girl at work, but between the sheets she really lets loose. Not that I blame her. You are all kinds of delicious.

While the story definitely had it’s share of steam…and LAWD was it steamy, it was Nathan’s struggle with PTSD that truly captured my heart. I’m not even going to lie, there’s some parts that managed to bring a tear or two even to my cold and black little heart. Skye Jordan did an incredible job with painting a picture of a realistic and heartbreaking struggle of a man fighting some dark demons and his road to get better.

Rachel was possibly my favorite heroine in the series. She was the perfect match to Ryker. Once she got past her own struggles, she really came into her own.

I may not know what you’ve been through. I may not ever be able to understand the depth or extremity of the suffering you’ve seen or done, but I can see an open wound…

While I would have loved an epilogue, I don’t think I can come up with one complaint for this book and can’t wait for more from this author. I love that each book also gives us another peak into the loves of the previous couples, and it was great catching up with all of them here. Now I’ll just be sitting here and slowly dying in my wait for Troy’s book. It can’t get here soon enough 

☆ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review and a whole lot of squeeing…true story☆

Ex-Army Ranger, Brand Killien, has always been good.

A good friend, a good soldier, a good everything. .

The problem is, good hasn’t gotten him anything but a crushed heart.

So after licking his wounds, he decides to move on. And moving on doesn’t include being good anymore.

Bad sounds so much better.

Jaded and detached, Brand is determined to never open himself up to anyone again. It’s not worth the pain. Instead, he becomes closed, hardened, aloof.

But then he’s called back home for a family emergency… a family that he is estranged from. A family that he put out of his mind a long time ago for very good reasons…reasons that involve secrets and pain. Reasons he tried hard to forget.

But home is where the heart is, and it just might be where Brand finds his again.

Why? Because home is where Nora Greene is. A fiery, red-headed spitfire, Nora is a thing from his past. A beautiful, feisty thing. When Brand left, she was away at boarding school.

But she’s back now.

And she wants Brand, scars and all.

5 BRANDed Stars

Being brave doesn’t mean not being afraid, Nora. It means being afraid and doing it anyway.”

If there’s one thing I know when I read a Courtney Cole book it’s that the woman is going to take all my emotions and feels and fuck with them like the sadist that she sure has to be. I’ve been a fan of this series since the very first book, and each one has managed to burrow inside me and stay. While I can’t say I loved the last book, Before We Fall, this one managed to blow me away. Emotional, captivating, steamy and unputdownable, Until We Fly is going to put you on an emotional roller coaster filled with twists and turns, but you’re going to love the ride.

What I love about Courtney’s books, are her characters. Those beautifully broken characters that never fail to tug at every single one of my heartstrings. And Brand? Well Brand I have been dying to get my hands on since first meeting him in If You Leave. He’s so different from most heroes you’d find in books these days. Yes he’s a sexy as hell, tatted up Army Ranger. So what sets him aside? He’s a nice guy. This is not a womanizing asshole. Nope. But he’s broken in his own way. Demons from his past continue to haunt his present, and Brand just learns to deal with it.

I knew that the woman that will finally steal Brand’s heart will have to be special. After putting it all out there and being there for everyone (Jacey in particular), Brand deserves a woman that would pursue him. And that’s definitely what he got with Nora.

Nora has practically been in love with Brand since she was a teenager. But then he left the small town they both grew up in and hadn’t returned since. Now he’s back to settle his father’s estate after his passing, and presents the perfect opening for Nora to make her move. When Brand gets injured rescuing her from the site of an accident, she has her perfect opportunity.

Nora seemingly has it all. Being the daughter of one of the most influential and richest families in town, a Stanford law graduate and on her way to work in her father’s company, her life is set. Only problem? It’s not what she wants. What she wants if even for a little bit, is Brand. Pure, wholesome, clean, hero Brand.

Nora is not shy about pursuing him, and she really doesn’t pull her punches when it comes to her seduction. Stuck in a cottage together with Nora taking care of him, Brand can only resist her for so long.

Nora hides her own demons. Demons that continue to haunt even her waking minutes. Demons that no amount of scrubbing and cleaning will ever cleanse from her soul. Demons that only quiet in the presence of Brand.

But I’m desperate, just for a few weeks, to see if I can lose myself in Brand. To see if his goodness can eclipse that part of me that is so irrevocably damaged, just for a little while.

Can’t say I blame her, Brand really was absolute perfection

What first started out as a strings-free summer fling, soon begins to turn into something much more for both Brand and Nora. But beyond the love story and the steamy sex scenes was an incredible story about 2 very broken characters and their journey to healing themselves.

This book, for me anyway, was probably one of the most emotional. It was filled with twists that I never saw coming and a story that kept me glued to my Kindle until the very last page. And that last chapter? Well you definitely know you’ve read a 5 star book when the last chapter manages to make you tear up like a baby. I almost didn’t want it to end. I could probably ramble on and on, but why read my review when you can experience it for yourself?

If you haven’t yet read this series, it is a must read. While you could read this as a standalone, I’d recommend starting with at least If You Leave so you can really get a better grasp of Brand’s character. But Courtney certainly gives you enough background that you wouldn’t be lost starting with this book. Definitely a huge rec from me.

**ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review**

And don’t miss the other Beautifully Broken, now available:

IF YOU STAY

IF YOU LEAVE

BEFORE WE FALL

Praise for the Beautifully Broken Series:

“I loved If You Stay. Like, really really loved it. The kind of love that kept me reading until 2:40 am and left me crying, smiling, devastated, and elated. The best kind of book love.” – Andrea, The Bookish Babe

“Beautiful, raw, gritty, emotional and breath-taking are just a few of the words I can find to describe this book…reading this book was one of the best experiences I have had.” –Amanda, Globug and Hootie Need a Book

“In If You Leave, we continue the wild ride Courtney Cole started us on in If You Stay. This raw story of heartbreak and hope solidifies Cole’s standing as a rising star in hot contemporary romance.” — New York Times Bestselling author of Down to You, M. Leighton

“Another raw, gritty masterpiece with a sexy-as-hell Army Ranger to swoon over.” — K.A. Tucker, author of Ten Tiny Breaths

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.

Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.

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Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

5 Perfect Stars

Word to the wise: if you have to fight over a guy, he’s not worth it. Go for the one who’s waiting for you.”

This was. Hands down. Most definitely. My favorite book in the series. I can’t say I ever gave Ben much thought after the 1st book…or even when I was reading the first book. But now? Move over Trent and Kacey, because Ben and Reese completely stole my heart with this book.

Want me to tell you 5 reasons I loved it? That wasn’t really a question, since I’m going to anyway 🙂

1. Reese
Reese was snarky, sarcastic, smart mouthed and quick witted. Did I mention that she also drive a Harley? This girl was seriously made of pure awesome…too bad her douchebag of an ex husband broke her heart by cheating on her and asking for a divorce. So what’s a girl to do? Get disgustingly drunk in Cancun and exorcise the fuck out of her ex by fucking someone else. Enter, stage right, Ben Morris

I love the angry ones. Of course anyone who knows me would argue that I love any and all women, and I can’t exactly disagree. But I love the angry ones the most. They’re a challenge to be conquered, the reason for their fury usually fitting neatly into three buckets: insecure, scorned, hormonal.
And this purple-haired chick gazing up at me with fire in her caramel eyes?
I’m betting on bucket number two.

Oh Ben, how right you are. Reese also has a verra big side of crazy. This is a not a girl you want to scorn or fuck with.

2. The Banter!
Oh my god, the banter! It was seriously awesome. Any time these two would talk, it was comedy genius. I think I had a goofy smile on my face the entire time I was reading.

And what is it exactly about me that you don’t like?
The womanizing mama’s-boy football-player part who spreads charm on like peanut butter and has a different girl in his hotel room every night this week.
Not every night

Well at least you’re honest about it, Ben

But given enough alcohol and Reese decides to get her exorcism with Ben…too bad it turns into the one night stand from hell. Luckily she never has to seem him again. Right? Imagine Reese’s surprise when it looks like that Ben is her new coworker since he waas just hired as an associate lawyer at her step-father’s law firm where she works.

Which brings me to my next point

3. The banter
Yes, I know I already had it listed. But it deserves more than one mention because it was just THAT good.

They make extra-strong margaritas at Amigos, down the street. Just like you like them. I’ll bring a change of clothes, for after, of course.”
“Get out.”
“We could take a nice long crawl down the boardwalk, and then-“
“Fuck. Right. Off.”

Do you see what I mean? I was highlighting practically every barb and insult that they traded.

4. Ben
Swoon. Ben was just total perfection. Yes, he was a manwhore. But he was also sweet, hilarious, honest, make-no-qualms-about-who-he-is fantastic. He also wanted Reese. Bad. But just for sex, of course. He can’t compromise his career by dating his boss’s daughter PARTICULARLY when there’s a specific no dating rule in place. Reese really doesn’t make it easy for him, but he’s determined

If I laugh, she’ll hate my guts. I need her to not hate my guts. Ideally, I need to find a way to make her love my guts. I get the impression she doesn’t even like most people, so this may be a challenge.

And you are certainly correct in that, Ben. This is a girl that “accidentally” stumbled on her ex husband and his new wife going at it at a paintball game and proceeded to shoot the living hell out of both of them with paintballs. Naked ass and all.

Duly noted.

Now back to Ben. If you’re looking for a hero that’s cocky, but in an endearingly funny way? You will LOVE Ben as much as I did.

Have you always loved yourself this much?”
“I had an awkward year in ‘ninety-nine, but I got over it quick.”

And Reese was no exception. Ben managed to worm himself in to her black little heart and chip away at her defenses and walls little by little.

5. The banter
I’m telling you people, it was just that awesome that it needs to have 3 mentions on my list.

She’s my date.”
“Date? I guess you don’t know Ben very well yet.”
“He lied and used medicinal narcotics to bribe me into coming here, so I think I have him pretty well pegged.”

So there you have it. 5 Ways I absolutely fell for this book. I laughed, I swooned, I laughed some more. I absolutely loved it.

If you’re a fan of NA romance, this is a book that’s not to be missed. Seriously. You’ll see exactly why I loved it as much as I did when you read it. It’s bittersweet to now say goodbye to this series, but what a perfect book and couple to end it with.

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

In Robin York’s provocative new novel, two young ex-lovers find themselves together again in the shadow of tragedy—and an intense, undeniable attraction.

Caroline still dreams about West. His warm skin, his taut muscles, his hand sliding down her stomach. Then she wakes up and she’s back to reality: West is gone. And before he left, he broke her heart.

Then, out of the blue, West calls in crisis. A tragedy has hit his family—a family that’s already a fractured mess. Caroline knows what she has to do. Without discussion, without stopping to think, she’s on a plane, flying to his side to support him in any way he needs.

They’re together again, but things are totally different. West looks edgy, angry at the world. Caroline doesn’t fit in. She should be back in Iowa, finalizing her civil suit against the ex-boyfriend who posted their explicit pictures on a revenge porn website. But here she is. Deeply into West, wrapped up in him, in love with him. Still.

They fought the odds once. Losing each other was hard. But finding their way back to each other couldn’t be harder.

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5 Deeper and Harder Stars

You have to let yourself want what you want as hard as you can, as deep as that goes, even if it scares the fuck out of you.

Wow. Just wow. As much as I loved Deeper, Harder managed to absolutely blow me away. It shattered my heart into a million pieces, and then slowly mended it back together, piece by piece, managing to bring a captivating and emotional story a full circle. Robin York’s writing is both poignant and uplifting, and she has easily moved to the very top of my favorite NA authors. I do not recommend reading this book without having read Deeper first, it will simply not be the same. So let’s move on to the review, shall we?

It’s been some time since where Deeper ended, and although it’s not made clear what happened, it’s obvious that Caroline and West are not together anymore. Their relationship is stunted at best, tumultuous at worst.

Before we crashed and burned, though, I liked the person I was with West. He made me vulnerable, but he helped me be stronger, too.

In Deeper we saw West take a broken Caroline, and help put her together. He was her rock, her shoulder, her everything. But when Caroline put herself back together she was stronger, and this book paints that picture perfectly.

I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to read about a heroine in a NA novel that is as emotionally strong as Caro was. Because that’s precisely what she was. This was not a girl that flew off at the rails, she knew what she wanted and she fought for it…even if she may never win.

Yes there’s an event that happens here that had me screaming and raging in anger and devastation. But as I read more, I understood why it happened and the choices that were took place. I may not have liked it, but it fit the story. It fit THEIR story.

Caro’s reaction to this was something that really made me think. She did not react in a typical way that you would expect. She showed an immense amount of emotional maturity and intelligence, which was truthfully a first for me. I think I loved her character all the more for it. It was obvious that she knew West suspected a certain reaction from her, but she knew why he did what he did, and she knew what he needed.

I could tell you how much I’m hurting, or I could get out of the car, slam the door, hitchhike to the airport because fuck you, fuck you, West, how could you do this to me? How?

What I can’t do is pretend I don’t know what you did,” I say. “Or pretend I don’t still care about you.

If in the first book West was Caro’s rock, then in this one it came a full circle. The depth of Caroline’s love for West was evident in every word and action.

As for West? My beautifully broken, hurting, fucked up West. As much as I wanted to hate him for what he did, I just couldn’t. My heart hurt for him. The more I read, the more it hurt.

He was so lost in the first half of this book. His heartbreak is palpable. What he does to push Caro away is terrible, don’t get me wrong. But you can tell he felt he had no choice. And while he succeeds in one thing, he fails in another, because Caroline refuses to give up on him. Caro was the strong one here, she needed to be, to help West find his way out of the dark

She knows who she is deep inside herself. I can break her heart, but I can’t break her pride. I can’t break her. She’s never going to let that happen.

I want her

All the time, like a virus, a disease I caught, except the other way around- like a a cure I caught a year ago, and it’s inside me, winding through my veins, pumping through my heart.

His hope and hopelessness is swallowing him whole. He wants, but he doesn’t think he can have it. He doesn’t deserve it. But it doesn’t stop his yearning.

Spark. Spark. Flame.

The whole time, I was trying to convince myself that the flame didn’t look like hope, didn’t feel like it, but I’ve never been any good at that kind of deception.
That spark in the dark, that wavering flicker- Caroline. Hope.
For me, they were always the same thing.

The first half of the book was an emotional roller coaster. The feels, the pain, the heartbreak, it was devastating. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the second half was the light.

What I truly loved about the book was that Robin York didn’t throw in any more additional drama in the end. There was no unnecessary angst, the angst that was there was intricately important to the plot, not excessive. She manages to take the story a full circle while painting a love story that’s emotional and touching.

If you loved Deeper, you will love Harder. There are events here that may take you out of your comfort zone and make you question what you feel. It will capture you and draw you in. It will break your heart and then put it back together. I’m in love with Robin’s wring, story telling, and her words. I really hope she continues this series with another couple…like perhaps Bridget and Krishna? (Hint, hint. Nudge nudge) LOL!

Highly recommended read. If you want a NA romance that’s unlike any you’ve read before, this is a must read.

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

Burned by an unreliable source, Savannah Carmichael, returns to her hometown of Danvers, Virginia with her once-promising journalism career in ruins. Given the opportunity to get her skin back in the game by writing a patriotic human interest piece, Savannah turns her attention to the town hermit, Asher Lee, a wounded veteran who returned to Danvers eight years ago, and hasn’t been seen since.

After an IED explosion in Afghanistan took Asher’s hand and disfigured half of his face, he’s lived a quiet life on the outskirts of Danvers where the locals respect his privacy…that is, until Savannah Carmichael comes calling in a borrowed sundress and a plate of homemade brownies. When Asher agrees to be interviewed by Savannah, he starts feeling things for the beautiful reporter that he hasn’t felt in years.

Misfits in small-town Danvers, Savannah and Asher create a bond right away, touching each other’s hearts in ways neither thought possible. When a terrible mistake threatens to drive them apart, they’ll have to decide if the love they found in one another’s arms is strong enough to fight for their hard-won happily ever after.

I wrote this book as a fundraiser and 50% of my profits in June and July 2014 will go directly to Operation Mend at the UCLA Medical Center. UCLA Operation Mend is a groundbreaking program that provides returning military personnel access to the nation’s top plastic and reconstructive surgeons, as well as comprehensive medical and mental-health support for the wounded and their families. By offering cutting edge reconstructive facial surgery, prosthetics and intensive therapy to those heroes with calamitous injuries, Operation Mend helps our returning warriors live fuller and more comfortable lives once home.

To learn more about Operation Mend, I encourage you to check out their website here:http://operationmend.ucla.edu/

My adoration for this book was helped tremendously due to my love for a well written book that tugs on the heart strings and gives my reading heart a well placed squeeze. It also didn’t harm the enjoyment that my favourite Disney animation of all time is the classic ‘Beauty and the beast’. I couldn’t even begin to imagine that I would fall so in love with a book that I was requested to read and review and I’m more than pleased that I gave my reading time over to a book that quite honestly has stolen my heart. This author is obviously talented with a heart to share stories that make the reader not only fall in love but think about the world around them. Timeless in it’s delivery I won’t ever be forgetting about the story of Savannah Carmichael and Asher Lee. Katy Regnery I have had the most beautiful time spent with your heart stopping novel and I’m left with a story to remember for a time to come.

What’s it all about?
Leaving New York after being publicly humiliated and loosing her job as a successful journalist, Savannah Carmichael returns to her very southern and charming home town. Feeling desperate to gain respect in the reporting world again she sets out to deliver a story that would make her be noticed for her writing talents once again. Asher Lee is the town recluse and hermit after serving his country and injured in a tragic and near fatal accident he returns to his home town. Disfigured and equally as tormented by his experiences he has given up on a world of love and the idea of living a life of freedom. When Savannah and Asher’s lives cross paths they never expected to be thrown into a friendship so powerful that it changes the way they feel and act. And as their relationship starts to bond them in a life altering way they have to take the steps to overcome the difficulties that they must face together. Beautifully poetic and tragically love struck their story is one that is worth fighting for.

What did I love?
This novel was not only beautifully romantic with a well paced unfolding plot and love story, it was also powerfully touching and heart melting. There are stories that you happily read that are enjoyable, even used as an escape but there are also those books that make you sit up and take notice and change the way you see the world. ‘Vixen and the vet’ had a clear message about friendship and love and how we can be the difference to those around us and for me if nothing else this author did the perfect job of showcasing how relationships can change lives. I admired and fell for this authors writing style she swept me right into the middle of the love and action of this story and I could not have loved two characters more. Savannah and Asher were beautiful to read about, both equally wonderful and easy to fall in love with and I was cheering for their friendship and romance from their first encounter. As you can imagine from the description of the book, the storyline dealt with some difficult topics but the book although thorough in it’s message never felt heavy or difficult to read instead it pulled at my heart strings in the best kind of way and felt a joy to read.

Final thoughts …
This is the first time that I have read any work by Katy Regnery and it comes as no surprise to me that she is an award winning romance novelist. She made this potentially heart breaking story come alive and I fell utterly in love with her story of the beautiful journalist and her admirable beast. Nothing could have torn me away from the pages of this novel and for once I enjoyed the differing emotions that this story line created, nothing was over dramatised or unnecessary instead it was simply a poetic journey of finding that other half that no matter what will cause you to be whole. ‘The vixen and the vet’ is a book that I felt proud to have read and I’m hoping that other readers will feel, experience and love this book as much as I did. Go fall in love with a hero that demands to not be forgotten, enjoy … Kisses.