Review: ★Revenant★ by @LarissaIone

December 24, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

HELL HATH NO FURY . . .

For five thousand years, Revenant believed he was alone in the world, a fallen angel beyond any redemption. Now he finds he has a twin brother who had all the light and love Revenant was denied. Caught in a tug of war between Heaven and Hell, he must weigh his thirst for revenge against his desire for a mysterious female named Blaspheme—a female whose very origins could deliver him into salvation . . . or destruction.

LIKE AN ANGEL SCORNED

Blaspheme has a deadly secret: she’s the forbidden offspring of an angel and a fallen angel. Hunted by both heavenly and satanic forces, she has survived only by laying low and trusting no one. When Revenant claims he can save them both, how can she possibly believe him? But the powerful angel is persistence incarnate and for Blaspheme, there’s no place she can hide in Heaven or Hell where he won’t find her.

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Heaven doesn’t want me, so all I have is hell.

Wow oh wow but does Larissa Ione know how to save the very best for last. I do believe that Revenant may top my list of favorite bad boys that she’s ever written. After all the revelations that took place in Reaver, I simply couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. Not only did it live up to every expectation I had, it managed to absolutely blow them out of the water.

Revenant has spent the last five thousand years believing that he’s a fallen angel that’s beyond redemption. He’s taught himself to make piece with his evil side even though the demons from his memories continue to haunt his every waking hour.
I don’t think I’ve read a hero by Larissa Ione that I haven’t loved yet, but Revenant is probably my top favorite. He’s such a damaged and tortured soul hiding behind the exterior of a bad ass that you can’t help but fall for him right away. All he yearns for is for someone to accept him, to care for him, to love him…even though he knows that he doesn’t deserve it. But that all changes when he meets a female that tempts him like no other. A female that may just have the answer to his salvation but is also hiding a secret that may be his demise…

The physician in her wanted to heal him. The False Angel in her wanted to seduce him. The female in her wanted to comfort him.

Blaspheme has spent spent centuries hiding who she really is. As the forbidden child of an angel and fallen angel, she is cursed to be hunted until the end of time. And the biggest threat to her comes in the form of a Fallen Angel in leather that is not at all what he appears to be.
There is so much that happens in this book that I don’t even want to touch on because it simply must be experienced. Ione is a pure mastermind the way she ties every single loose end together seamlessly in a story that action packed and oh so sexy…

…I would have you up against that wall, my hands pinning yours so you’d know how this feels, and I would rail you so hard you’d feel me for a month. And after we both came, I’d have you on the floor, pulling a sixty-nine that wouldn’t end until I tasted a dozen of your orgasms. before you could even think about recovering, I’d fuck you in every way a male can fuck a female. And I wouldn’t stop. Not until you begged.

I went through the ringer of emotions while reading it. I must have spent the entire last 30% a sniveling and crying mess.
There were so many twists and turns and not a dull moment in site. I binged on this book and practically read it in one day. I just never wanted it to end.

As always every character from the previous books makes an appearance and all of it serves it’s own role. Ione doesn’t waste a page. It was, in a word, perfection.

As sad as I am to see this “conclusion” to the series, I’m also happy that she didn’t drag it out. It ended in a way that was absolutely fitting and I cannot wait for more from this brilliant author.

I would NOT recommend reading these books out of order as the plot really develops though each book, even though every book focuses on a different couple with their own HEA. You will enjoy it that much more if you read this series in order. Besides, I haven’t read a book in this series that I haven’t loved. But this was by far Ione’s best book. I LOVED IT.

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Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★One Love★ by @LiliStGermain1

December 20, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Are you ready for the conclusion to
The Gypsy Brother’s Series?

 ONE LOVE is LIVE!

Buy Links

Amazon US / Amazon UK / B&N / iTunes

 

*The final book in the #1 iBooks bestselling Gypsy Brothers series* 
Will Julz complete her mission for vengeance against the Gypsy Brothers? Or is Dornan still one step ahead?

More shocking secrets will come to light and lives will be lost in this final, devastating instalment of the Gypsy Brothers series.

One Love Trailer 

GYPSY BROTHERS FAN MADE TRAILER from Scandalicious Fans on Vimeo.

Excerpt
Chapter One
By Lili St. Germain
The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.

CHAPTER ONE

“I want my lawyer,” I repeat for the hundredth time.
There are two CIA agents in front of me, and they’re playing a very cheesy rendition of good cop / bad cop.
We’ve been at this for hours. Boss Bitch — Agent Dunn, as she’s since told me — on one side, and her completely dumb but cute male offsider, Agent Brennan, on the other. In my head, to pass the hours, I’ve nicknamed them Agent Bitch and Agent Dumbass. I sit across from them, my hands in my lap, heavy metal cuffs weighing them down.
My throat is dry, my tongue parched. Agent Dumbass has a fresh can of Coke in front of him, and I can see the tiny beads of condensation running down the sides. I want it. I want to reach over and grab the can. I don’t even need to drink what’s inside. I’ll settle for the condensation making its lazy descent down the side of the bright red can and onto the dusty Formica table that separates me from them.
“Let’s try this again,” the female cop says, tucking a loose blonde hair behind her ear. The rest is up in a severe bun that reminds me of a matronly grandmother, even though this woman only looks about thirty. She’s got a slight southern inflection that reminds me of Elliot’s grandma.
I don’t reply, waiting for whatever it is she plans on doing next. Her next big thought, her latest overdone gesture, to try and convince me that I should spill all of my dirty secrets onto this table between us. So far she’s used threats against Jase, a plea deal that would grant me immunity, and long stretches of silence.
None of that will break me. I’ve been tortured by Dornan fucking Ross. This woman’s going to have to try a lot harder, or maybe get out some pliers and start yanking my teeth out of my mouth, before I’ll give her a single damned thing.
She snatches up a manila folder and opens it, handing a photograph to her male offsider. “Stick these up,” she barks at him, and he moves slowly, ripping a section of blue-tack from a large blue ball of the stuff that must live permanently on the wall to my left. I watch, just slightly interested as to what they’re going to try and scare me with.
They don’t disappoint. As I watch them pin 5×7 photographs to the wall, I can’t help but feel some sense of satisfaction for the lives that ended at my hands. I have to remain impassive though, so I tamp down the gloating grin that wants to spread across my face and settle for my resting bitch face instead.
Dunn peeks at me from the corner of her eye, and I return her gaze impassively. She might think she can get under my skin, but I grew up in the Gypsy Brothers MC for shit’s sake. I know how to hold out in front of a cop.
“Chad Ross,” Dunn says, smoothing her pants as she stands up and circles the table, coming to stand next to the photographs her partner is sticking up in a haphazard fashion. I wait for her to reach out and straighten them. Boom. Three seconds later, she does just that, making sure all of the photos line up.
“Chad Ross was poisoned,” she continues, tapping one manicured fingernail against the photo of his bloated death face.
“Looks nasty,” I reply.
“It’s a nasty way to die,” Dunn says, peering at me. “The killer added pure methamphetamine to an energy drink he later consumed. He was probably dead before he hit the ground.”
He wasn’t. He suffered. Thankfully.
“And you’re showing me this why?” I ask, studying my own nails, bitten down to the quick. I never was a girly girl. It’s not easy to keep your nails tidy when you’re constantly trying to claw your way back from death.
Dunn looks at me pointedly before jabbing her fingernail towards the second photo. Ahhh, yes. Maxi in all his naked, bloody glory. His face is a mess from the coke I shoved underneath his nose, the coke laced with strychnine that made blood gush from his nose like warm water from a faucet. I still remember the way his blood felt on my hands. How surreal everything was, bright and garish, as my skull burned with a small amount of the poisoned coke I’d snorted myself.
How I’d nearly died in my quest to kill him.
How it was so worth the risk to see the look on his smarmy fucking face, when I whispered in his ear who I really was and sat back on his lap to watch the fury rise in his cheeks.
As he realized a black widow was the one who’d just fed him his last meal of poison and cocaine.
I glance at Agent Dunn, clearing my throat and attempting to look bored.
“Strychnine-laced cocaine,” she says. “In fact, the same thing you were admitted to hospital for that very night. Jason Ross brought you in to emergency room. They said you almost died.”
“It was a hell of a night,” I reply curtly. “My nose still bleeds just thinking about it.”
She raises her eyebrows in disbelief, and in that moment I have no doubt that she’s cataloguing me as a sociopath or similar.
“Can I ask you a question?” I say suddenly.
“Shoot,” Dunn responds.
I reach my hand out slowly, methodically and take hers, a bold move. She could pepper spray me, shoot me. You’re not supposed to touch the interrogators. But she’s ballsy enough that she doesn’t want to take her hand away, even as I watch her flinch minutely.
“How do you keep your nails so pretty?” I ask sweetly, the saccharine in my voice not reaching the cold death stare I give her. I hold up my other hand. “Mine are hopeless. You spend much time in the field, Agent Dunn?”
She takes her hand away, and I let my own cuffed hands fall back into my lap. I know her skin must be crawling from my touch.
I hope the feeling stays there for a long time. She should not have fucked with me.
“I take good care of myself, Miss Portland,” she says briskly. “Which is more than I can say for you.”
“My child died,” I say blankly. “Physical appearance isn’t on the top of my priority list right now.”
She bristles momentarily. “I am sorry for your loss,” she says finally.
I sit back, crossing my legs. “No, you’re not,” I reply.
She points to the third photograph, which is… hell, I’ve got no idea what that is. I tilt my head, trying to figure out what I’m looking at.
“It’s a leg,” Dunn supplies.
“Ohhh,” I say, nodding. “Thanks.”
It is indeed a leg, or at least part of one. Charred and black, with spots of unmarred flesh and blood still peeking through in sections. Huh. I wonder who it belonged to.
“Two Ross brothers were killed in an explosion. Somebody put homemade bombs in their fuel tanks, can you believe that?”
I shrug. “Sounds like they must have had it coming.”
Dunn points to the final photos, and a cloying heat bleeds up my chest and neck as I remember those three months of horror and torture I endured at Dornan’s hands before I was broken out. The way Dornan’s father Emilio flew backwards with a meaty thump as the top of his head was blown clean off, blood and brains flying everywhere. Mickey’s look of horror that didn’t fade after the bullet entered his face, such a satisfying end for men whose only fault in death was that their ends were much too swift. I imagine how much more satisfying it would have been to hang them by their feet and burn their eyes out with cigarettes and blowtorches, or pull their teeth out with rusty pliers, one by one.
That would have been much more fitting for the men who tried to destroy me, the same men who murdered my father.
Still… they’re dead, and that’s better than them being alive.
“That’s got to give you a headache,” I joke, referring to the last two pictures. The blood and gore have no effect on me. My stomach is made of iron after the atrocities I’ve seen, after all that I’ve endured. If this bitch wants to rattle my cage, she’s going to have to try harder.
“And then we have Jimmy,” she says, sticking one last photograph to the wall. Jimmy’s face, still frozen in shock, the trail of blood from his temple where Jase shot him barely noticeable in the extreme close-up.
“He looks unwell,” I comment. “Thing is, I’m still not sure why you’re showing me all of this.”
Dunn frowns so hard it looks like she’s about to burst a blood vessel.
“Here’s the thing,” she says, throwing a stack of photographs in front of me. “We’ve got you. We have your DNA on the first two victims, and motive. We’ve got probable cause to take you to trial.”
I sift through them, suppressing a twisted smile as I see what happened to Jazz and Ant after they bit the big one when bombs in their motorcycle fuel tanks exploded, ripping them to pieces. It isn’t pretty, what became of them. But to me, it’s beautiful.
I drop the photographs on the table and lean back in the hard metal chair I’ve been sitting on for the past five hours.
“These people are — were — like family to me. Don’t you think it’s a little tacky showing me all of this? I’m still grieving for these boys. They were like brothers to me.”
Agent Dunn actually rolls her eyes at me. At least she’s got some spunk somewhere in there. “Give it a rest, Miss Portland,” she says impatiently. “You’ve got more motive than anyone else, and no alibi for any of these murders.”
“Motive?” I ask sweetly. “And what might that be?”
Agent Dunn hesitates. Go on, I think. Say it. They raped me until they thought I was dead. The murdered my father, and you want to arrest me? Say it.
“I’m not authorized to talk with you about an active investigation,” Dunn says finally. “But I really think you should start talking, Miss Portland.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay,” I say finally. “I give up. You got me. I’ll tell you something. Let me write it down.”
Dunn’s beady eyes practically wig out of her head. She studies me for a moment, probably to see if I’m telling the truth, and I stare right back at her. If she wanted a wallflower who’d stare at the floor, she arrested the wrong girl.
After a beat, she stands up, turns and bustles out of the room. I divert my attention to Agent Dumbass, who looks like he’s about to fall asleep in his chair.
“I’ll make a full confession,” I say, “if you give me that.” I point to the coke can and he eyes it dubiously. After a pause, he slides the can over to me with one finger. With a smile, I pick up the can between my cuffed hands and take a long drink.
The fizzy liquid burns on the way down my throat, but it’s delicious. I drink as much as I can before Agent Bitch returns, setting it back down on the table and smiling at Dumbass. I slide the can back towards him with a wink. Let him think we’re friends. Let him think I’m just a silly young girl who couldn’t possibly hurt anyone. He looks surprised, taking the can back as Agent Bitch walks back into the room.
She looks between me, the can and the goofy look on Agent Dumbass’s face and shakes her head.
Sliding into her seat, she drops a yellow legal pad on the table between us as she addresses Dumbass.
“She killed a man by poisoning his drink with pure meth,” she says to her partner. “You sure you want that back?”
“Allegedly,” I add.
The oaf stares at the can for a few seconds. Finally, he pushes it back in my direction with an embarrassed look.
In the past five hours or so since I was unceremoniously dumped in this interrogation room, I’ve gone through the whole gamut of emotions. Fear. Shock. Despair. Now, I’m at anger. Anger that bubbles within me. Anger that is thinly disguised as apathy to these two morons.
Dunn drops a blue Bic pen on the legal pad and pushes it over to me. I hold up my cuffed wrists helplessly.
“I can’t write with these things on,” I say.
Dunn gives me the filthiest look before nodding at Dumbass. He stands and circles around to me, removing my cuffs before returning to his spot.
I WANT A LAWYER. I write it as obnoxiously large as I can, underlining the word LAWYER three times.
Agent Bitch’s smile disappears, replaced by a thin line of contempt at her mouth. I grin. Good luck getting those cuffs back on me, motherfucker. I sit back in my seat and snatch up the Coke, draining the rest of the can before they think to take it from me.
“We can play this game for however long you want, Miss Portland,” she says curtly, fiddling with the stack of crime scene photographs in front of her. I smile.
“I’ve got all day,” I say sweetly, even though I really, really don’t. Dornan has Elliot’s daughter and ex-girlfriend, and possibly Elliot himself, and Jase and I have twenty-four hours to meet him and get the girls out of danger before he kills them. At least, that’s what I’m assuming he plans to do to them. I can’t even comprehend what else he might be planning to do to those poor girls to get back at us.
Agent Dunn shakes her head one last time, gathering up the files and stalking towards the door. “I’ll give you some time to think about your position,” she says.
“Isn’t this illegal?” I call out to her. “I’m an American citizen. I have the right to an attorney. Get me a goddamn lawyer!”
Really, I just need a lawyer to post bail so I can get the hell out of here. Not that I’m sure I’d actually be bailed out, but I need something, and talking to these two is proving fruitless. A cold panic is building up inside my stomach, in the hollow space where my baby once lived and died.
God, it’s still so raw, so vicious when the memory of our tiny little baby takes hold and squeezes me. Sometimes, selfishly, I wish I could forget about her, because losing her has cursed me with more pain than I could ever imagine.
If I had any remnants of doubt about killing Dornan before? They’re gone, bled from me in the moments after our daughter was born, still and dead, in the early hours of the morning when the world was still dark.
He took her from me. From us. And I cannot rest until he’s dead and buried, a rotting corpse in the cold ground, a memory and nothing more.
Dornan Ross needs to burn for the things he’s done.
Agent Dumbass follows his partner out of the room and pulls the door shut. I immediately stand up and go to the door, testing the handle. Locked from the outside. Of course. I go back to my chair, collecting the pen someone so thoughtfully left for me and shoving it into my pocket. You know, just in case I need to stab somebody sometime soon.
Which, as it turns out, is sooner than I’d anticipated.
About an hour later, Agent Bitch sticks her head back into the room. “Your lawyer’s on the way,” she says, closing the door behind her again.
This could be anyone. A cop posing as a lawyer to get a confession on tape. A hit man, sent by the Gypsy Brothers or the Cartel. I’m like a sitting duck in here, and I don’t like it one tiny bit.
But what greets me isn’t any of those things.
It’s so much worse.
I don’t move an inch as the door swings open and he walks into the room. Dressed in a suit I’ve seen before, clutching a black leather briefcase by his side. He looks positively fucking amused.
“Well,” I say bitterly, “They’ll let any motherfucker take the bar these days, won’t they?”
Review
5 stars
The saddest thing about betrayal
is that it never comes
from your enemies

Months, I’ve been invested in this series. Reading the installments one by one as they come out while practically salivating for the next one each time because Lili St Germain is the queen of cliffhangers. All those months, all those books, all that build up…it all lead up to this moment…to this incredible, make your heart beat out of your chest and absolutely fucking EPIC conclusion.
Was it everything I had hoped it would be. Fuck no! IT WAS BETTER.
Six brothers down and Julz is that much closer to her ultimate revenge against a man that took everything from her. A man that brutalized her, terrorized her, scarred her, and systematically took everything that mattered to her.
The thing about bargaining with a madman is that you never know just how far he’ll go.
And now he wants one final thing; an exchange. Her life for the lives of Elliot’s daughter and ex.
But much like everything is with this series, nothing is ever what you believe or think it will be.
I really don’t want to give you much more than that because this is something that you truly need to experience absolutely blind.
What I can tell you is that Lili St. Germain is an evil genius. The woman built up this series book by book and any questions you may have had all get answered eventually. It’s a brutal, dark, gritty and unapologetic story of revenge and loss. Betrayal and redemption. It’s not a love story, but the love between Jase and Julz is most definitely there.
So you’re probably wondering now if the ending was satisfactory. And the answer to that is an unequivocal and resounding YES. It truly was. It was exactly the type of ending this story needed and I can understand why Lili choose to go this route. I couldn’t see it ending any other way. If you’ve been waiting to read this series until all the installments were out, I have a warning for you; be prepared to binge on them all at once. You will not be able to stop once you get going. What a truly dark and bloody web this author has woven. It was fucking fantastic!

I can’t wait what else she has in store for us next and judging by her note to the readers at the end, it’s sure to be one hell of a doozy.

Seven Sons (Gypsy Brothers, Book One) FREE
iTunes: http://bit.ly/11pgwyd
Six Brothers (Gypsy Brother, Book Two) 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/11pgx5o
Five Miles (Gypsy Brothers, Book Three) 
Four Score (Gypsy Brothers, Book Four) 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1tdx7wd
Three Years (Gypsy Brothers, Book Five) 
Two Roads (Gypsy Brothers, Book Six) 
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1ut2OBi
One Love (Gypsy Brothers, Book Seven) RELEASING December 2014
Amazon: TBA



About the Author

Lili writes dark romance, suspense and paranormal stories. Her serial novel, Seven Sons, was released in early 2014, with the following books in the series to be released in quick succession. Lili quit corporate life to focus on writing and so far is loving every minute of it. Her other loves in life include her gorgeous husband and beautiful daughter, good coffee, Tarantino movies and spending hours on Pinterest.

She loves to read almost as much as she loves to write.

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Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ✩Perfect Chaos✩ by @nashodarose

December 2, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

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Perfect Chaos
Unyielding (book 1)
Author: Nashoda Rose
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: November 24, 2014

I lie to survive.

Have since I was sixteen and my world fell into chaos. But I found a way to endure, or rather it found me. Now I’m a prisoner of my own doing, hiding behind a false mask so no one sees the truth. Not even the man I want but can’t have—Deck. But I messed up and the lies are spilling over, out of control.

Deck is unrelenting and will settle for nothing less than the truth. He demands everything from me—EVERYTHING—even if it rips me apart.

DECK
I kill for a living.

Unyielding—It’s how I survive in my line of work. I bend people to my will…except Georgie.

But that ends now.

I’ve played her game for far too long, but not anymore. Now I think it’s time we play mine.

*18+ due to sexual content, strong language and violence.

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N / iTunes / Kobo

5 Deck was worth the wait Stars

Another year gone. Another year filled with lies.
This was who I needed to be.
The perfect chaos.
My perfect world had just been thrown into destructive chaos.

It’s official. Nashoda Rose is incapable of writing a book that I won’t obsessively devour in a sitting and love the absolute fuck out of. I have been practically salivating for Deck’s book since finishing Overwhelmed by You, but Georgie was a wildcard. As much as I knew I would love Deck in all his brooding glory, I was afraid that Georgie would annoy me. After all, ever since she’s first been introduced in the Tear Asunder series, she’s always come across as a little vapid, overly flirty, and just too OTT for my tastes.


This man…I would never have him, but I also knew I’d never deserve him. Deck was everything I wasn’t and more.

I should have known better than to doubt the awesome that is this author, because Georgie was not at all how she came across in the other series. Not even close. This was a woman with some deep and dark secrets. Secrets that she keeps from everyone, even Deck, her deceased brother’s best friend and the man she’s been in love with for as long as she’s known him.

Deck has been keeping a close eye on Georgie ever since her brother Conner was killed on deployment. He’s also been the person to watch her slowly spiral into her own her own brand of grieving in a haze of alcohol, partying, and empty flirting. But not everything is as it seems… 

We were a lot alike. I hid behind a false persona, and he blocked his out.

The author managed to completely redeem Georgie in my eyes. She took someone that has always came off as mostly two-dimensional to me before, and give the character incredible depth. And the amazing part is that she managed to do this in such a realistic way that it made me not only like Georgie, but completely endear her to the reader. As much as I loved Deck, I loved Georgie’s character just as much. And the two of them together? Perfection.

Nashoda Rose has this signature writing style that delivers a gritty, dark, and action packed plot with a scorching hot romance that all together adds up to an unputdownable read.

I was the girl who fell in love with him. I was the woman who still loved him and one day it would be my destruction.

While the romance between Georgie and Deck does take center stage, there is also plenty of action and suspense that will leave you in nail biting anticipation, absolutely dying to see how it all resolves.

If you’ve read the other series, then you know that (view spoiler)[Connor (Georgie’s brother) is suspected to be alive (hide spoiler)] and Deck has been searching for him since. This book really focuses on that and all the secrets that are unearthed surrounding the mystery of his disappearance. I won’t tell you much about it, but I will tell you to brace yourself because it will keep you at the edge of your seat with twists and turns that you will never see coming.

You get better acquainted with the men on Deck’s team as well as a whole lot more on the mysterious Kai. And Oh My GAWD, with everything that gets revealed here, I already know that his book will absolutely GUT ME. And my inner masochist cannot freaking wait. There is also another character that gets introduced here that’s a complete enigma (highlight to view spoiler)TRISTAN (end spoiler). I have already been hounding Nashoda and begging for him to get a book, and I sincerely hope she’ll eventually give him one too.

And of course at the center of everything else that is going on here is the romance.

If you had imagined Deck to be the demanding and sexy before, be prepared, because he’s even BETTER. I couldn’t get enough of these two. Deck and Georgie finally together? It was erotic, and sweet, and swoonworthy. God but I loved it.

You’re my rainbow. The brilliant colors of you make me whole. Without your colors, I’m just a man living in the dark.

As much as I tried to stretch out this book because I never wanted it to end, here I am again, absolutely dying in anticipation of the next one.

If you haven’t read the Tear Asunder series, you can still read this book as a standalone, as it is a spin off of that series. However, I would recommend you read the Tear Asunder series first just to get a better introduction to these characters. Deck and Georgie were both first introduced in Torn from You and there were some events that happen in Overwhelmed by You that carry over into this book. The author does sum everything up so you won’t be lost if you haven’t read it. But trust me when I say, that you won’t want to miss the other books because they’re just as addictingly good as this one. 

brimNashoda Rose lives in Toronto with her assortment of pets. She writes contemporary (NA) romance with a splash of darkness, or maybe it’s a tidal wave. Her novella “”With You”” is the first in the Tear Asunder series, followed by the novel “”Torn from You””.
When she isn’t writing, she can be found sitting in a field reading with her dog at her side while her horses graze nearby. She loves interacting with her readers on Facebook and chatting about her addiction—books.

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Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ✩First Debt✩ by @PepperWinters

November 20, 2014 by · Leave a Comment
Read the dark & sexy continuation to Jethro & Nila’s Story!

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First Debt (Book Two) Indebted Series

“You say I’ll never own you. If I win—you willingly give me that right. You sign not only the debt agreement, but another—one that makes me your master until your last breath is taken. You do that, and I’ll give you this.”

Nila Weaver’s family is indebted. Stolen, taken, and bound not by monsters but by an agreement written over six hundred years ago, she has no way out.

She belongs to Jethro as much as she denies it.

Jethro Hawk’s patience is running out. His inheritance gift tests, challenges, and surprises him—and not in good ways. He hasn’t leashed her but he thinks he might’ve found a way to bind her forever.

Debts are mounting. Payment waiting.

 

            TRAILER

              

5 It Just Keeps Getting Better Stars

The only way I had a chance at surviving long enough to reap vengeance on the men who ruined my ancestors was to fight his ice with fire.
I had to burn.
I had to blaze.
I had to cinder his beliefs and control to the ground. And smear his soul with the ashes of his sins.

If you’ve read the first book and found yourself unsure about where this series is going, READ THIS BOOK. First Debt just goes to further proof the genius that is the evil mind of Pepper Winters. I say evil because when you get to the cliffy at the end, you’ll be convinced that the woman is fucking with you. She flawlessly and seamlessly weaves a twisted and dark tale that will leave you with more questions than answers and only leave you begging for more. If you haven’t read the first book, DO NOT read my review as it will contain minor spoilers. I will keep it spoiler free for this book though.

First Debt takes off immediately where Debt Inheritance left off. Nila Weaver is given a choice; run and if she escapes then she’s released from the Debt, but if she’s caught she fully gives herself over to Jethro Hawk. Mind, body, and soul.

Everything I’d been prepared for- every argument, every hardship I’d been drilled to expect- hadn’t prepared me for the complication that was Nila Weaver.

Pepper Winters manages to do the seemingly impossible in this book. She gives a naive and sheltered virgin a backbone of steel and she makes you BELIEVE it. She also humanizes a cold and brutal man and gives you a peak inside his cracked armor without ruining the effect of his control.

This woman had the power to ruin me. That would never be permitted. I had to ruin her first.

Both these characters are so deeply in my brain right now, I still can’t stop thinking about them even a day after I finished. You really get to see both sides of the coin in their personalities. While Nila continues to develop more and more strength and truly come into her own, you also get glimpses of the vulnerable woman that has no control over her own fate. On the other hand you have a cold and ruthless Jethro, but then you get a glimpse of how he came to be the way he is and his…shall we say, motivation?

While book one was more of a build and set up for the story, this one really gives you an undercurrent of romance. Don’t get me wrong, since it is a Pepper Winters book after all, it’s certainly not sunshine and butterflies. No. But you do have a passion that so clearly burns between two people that couldn’t be more dangerous to each other.

Kiss me,” I murmured…
“I don’t kiss my enemies.”
“You just fuck them?”
His mouth twitched into a roguish smile. “Only if they beg.”

Every kiss, every touch- I was sentencing her to worse than any debt she could ever repay.

This author really knows how to build up a story that will keep you gripped to the pages from beginning to end. You’ll be left with more questions with answers, but little by little you start getting more puzzle pieces…they’re just not yet fitting together.

We locked eyes.

I shouted at her silently.
Cursed her wordlessly.

You feel me inside you?

You feel me claiming you?
You feel me destroying you?
You feel me around you?
You feel me undermining you?
You feel me making you care?

With the First Debt taking place you get to find out more about the Weaver/Hawke ancestor history that has all led to this. You get a pretty big chunk of it here, and yet there’s obviously still plenty left to be answered.

You also really get that first semblance of the romance here. It may not be perfect but the foundation is being intricately laid out.

Prepare yourself for the mother of all cliffhangers too. If you thought it was bad before, you’ll probably want to rip your hair out after this one. If I don’t get the next book sometime soon, I’m pretty sure I’ll cut a bitch LOL.


Debt Inheritance (Book One) Indebted Series


“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

ONLY $0.99

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: 

Signed Swag Packs (2 Winners)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Review: ✩Soul Resurrected✩ by @KeriLake

November 12, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

As Wrath’s fiercest son, Logan carries the scars of fifty years spent in the most dreaded prison of the underworld, for a sin he’d kill to keep secret. Enduring decades of gruesome torture has left Logan feared by and detached from others, until a female Alexi’s blood resurrects his soul from death and, with it, the pleasures he’s been denied for so long.Plagued by shame of her own, Calla is drawn to the ruthless demon, Logan, whose insatiable craving for her touch rouses buried passions and, for once, leaves her feeling desired.

A dark and dangerous evil has been reawakened, however, and when Calla is drawn too close to its breeding grounds, Logan vows to summon the violence of Wrath in order to keep her safe. First, though, Calla must save him from a past riddled with deceit and corruption … but only if she can accept the chilling consequences of unearthing his vilest skeleton.

Sons of Wrath
Never gamble with vengeance …

Warning: This book contains explicit language, sex, and violence. Not suitable for readers under 18 years of age.

Title: Soul Resurrected
Series: Sons of Wrath (book 2)
Author: Keri Lake
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: October 31st 2013
Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Kobo

 

I never believed in love. Mostly because love never believed in me enough to break through my shield. Why believe in something that’s never touched you?

Holy, sweet mother of AWESOME. Where has this series been all my life? It was 500+ pages of action packed, gritty, sexy, unputdownable awesome that I absolutely devoured. My nails are bit to shit, I’m running on about 2 hrs of sleep, and you know what? So. Totally. Worth. It. If you haven’t started this series yet, I’m not sure what you’re doing with your life.
After the set up for Logan’s book in Soul Avenged I knew I couldn’t wait any longer before diving straight into his book. I read them back to back. I was incredibly curious how things would play out with him and Calla. I’m not a reader that likes weak and sniveling heroines, and Calla gave me those vibes in the previous book. Boy was I wrong!

Vulnerability and weakness are two separate entities, Miss Calla. Where one exposes you to pain, the other allows you to be consumed by it.

Calla really comes into her own in this book and proves herself to be a force to be reckoned with. She does make a few questionable decisions here and there, but none of that made me like her any less. She was the perfect match for Logan.
It’s clear from just the first few pages that Logan is a very broken character. He’s already survived unspeakable horrors in his life, and his recent death and resurrection is just another notch to add to it. In the midst of all the turmoil that is already ever present in his head there is also the woman that got him killed in the first place; Calla, the Alexi warrior.
This was no insta-love or insta-lust case. Not even fucking close. Logan hates Calla and makes no bones about it. He also makes it pretty evident that he blames her for what happened. He’s cold, and callous, and utterly brutal to her. It was delicious. Because underneath all of that loathing is a undercurrent of unwanted lust. Keri Lake did a phenominal job working that in without making it too obvious. It truly makes the reader burn for this couple to finally figure that out themselves.

While I felt that the romance was secondary in the first book, it was definitely front and center here. While it is a slow but sizzling hot build, it is clearly prevalent in the story. Once Logan realizes how Calla really effects him, all bets are off…
You want a tortured, dirty talking, and yet somehow endearingly vulnerable hero? Logan is all that and more. I love PNR, but as much of it as I’ve read through the years, some heroes tend to blend into one another. Not Logan or ANY of the Wrath brothers. Nope. These are alphas that I’ll be comparing all other alphas to.
In the midst of the romance you also have an incredibly action packed and fast paced story. The author has woven together an intricate world with unique characters and twists and turns that will leave you biting your nails and turning the pages well into the night. Holy shit it was awesome! The whole thing unfolded before me like a movie playing through my mind.

She’d broken him. Punched right through him and found the soft, dark place that he’d sworn off to everyone. Little Calla, the seemingly meek and fragile human female, had somehow fought her way through his defenses with every intention of conquering his heart.

If you’re a fan of sizzling hot and action packed PNR, this is a series that is a MUST read. Trust me. I’m seriously kicking myself for not discovering it sooner. And now I’m left practically panting for Gavin’s book next. Keri is the queen of a twisty set up that will leave the reader begging for the next book. I can’t freaking wait!

I do not recommend reading these books out of order as each one builds off of the other. The story will be that much more enjoyable if read in order.

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Review: ✩Prisoner✩ by @Annika_Martin & @skye_warren

November 8, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

He seethes with raw power the first time I see him—pure menace and rippling muscles in shackles. He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in his cell.

But that’s the thing about an animal in a cage—you never know when he’ll bite. He might use you to escape. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard, you can’t think.

And you might crave him more than your next breath.

Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Kobo


Some people have a relationship that’s sunshine and roses. Our is darkness and vengeance.

If you’ve read the blurb, then you probably picked up on the fact that it pretty much tells you nothing. As far as descriptions go, it’s very vague…AND THAT’S IMPORTANT. I’d advise you to read as little reviews about this book if not any before diving in. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it that much more. What are some things I can tell you about it?

1. Prepare to read it in one sitting.
I’m not even kidding. This story sucked me in from the very first page and I was utterly incapable of setting it down until the last one.

2. I wouldn’t classify it as dark, per say. Sure it has a darker undercurrent, it’s definitely on the grittier end, and there are scenes that are violent and even some that border on non-consent. BUT, all that being said, I didn’t find it that dark. I’ve read darker. That doesn’t make it any less good.


See, here’s something for you to ponder. You’re smart, so you need to be thinking what you are to me right now. Do you know what you are to me, Ms. Winslow?”

Abigail hides behind her books and her glasses. She’s not meek, but she’s not exactly “noticeable”. Her childhood hasn’t exactly been sunshine and butterflies, and she’s not looking to go back. When she accepts an assignment from the English Department where she studies to teach a class in prison, she questions her ability. But nothing shakes her more than her very first meeting with him.

Grayson.
Sweet baby jebus, their first meeting was one of the most intense ones I’ve read in a while. I knew right then that this was going to be good, and I was not disappointed in the least. Holy shit.


Pain is a funny thing. We fight so hard to avoid it, almost more than death. But it’s the only thing that binds us. Going through pain together, and coming out on the other side, is the only form of friendship I’ve ever known.

He was such a tortured character, but he also had a very endearing vulnerability to him as well. Maybe that’s also why I wasn’t as bothered by the couple’s almost instantaneous connection. It somehow fit the both of them. Don’t get me wrong, Grayson was not a soft man. Fuck no. He was intense with an undercurrent of brutality, and yet there was always something about him that no matter what fucked up thing he does, you can’t help but love him.

This isn’t a fucking fairy tale. I’m not going to turn into a good guy because her cunt is made of velvet and rainbows.

Abigail was a force to be reckoned with herself. I loved that she wasn’t the meek little kitten that she comes off as in the very beginning. She certainly had a fierceness to her, though she does make some stupid decisions along the way. I never quite understood why she was the way she was though. Sure we get her childhood history and that puts some pieces together, just not all.

I want to hurt her and I want to protect her. Break her and shield her.

Grayson was my favorite part of the story. As intimidating and fucked up as he is, he’s also fiercely protective. This is not a man that enjoys sweet and easy in bed. This is a man that fucks and fucks hard. And this girl is NOT complaining.

I absolutely loved the dynamic between the side characters that are introduced. The subject matter is not a light one of how they all came together and I can already tell we’re in for some amazing books in this series. I’m especially intrigued by Stone. I love me a good asshole and that was one giant, violent, walking asshole. But oh man do I get the feeling his book is going to be fantastic. I can’t wait to read about the woman that will bring him to his knees. The bigger they are…

But that is all you will be getting from me. Only thing I can tell you here is READ THIS BOOK. Do it. It’s a gritty, suspenseful, erotic, and completely unputdownable romance that you will never want to end. It’s not entirely dark and yet it’s definitely not rainbows and unicorns. What it is, is addictingly good. So good in fact, that you’ll be dying for the next book as soon as you finish. But you won’t get any pity from me, since I’m in that fucking boat right now LOL 😉

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Pre-Oder Tour, Excerpt & Review: ✩The Darkest Touch ✩ by @genashowalter

October 24, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter comes the long-awaited story of Torin, the most dangerous Lord of the Underworld yet…

Fierce immortal warrior. Host to the demon of Disease.

Torin’s every touch causes sickness and death—and a worldwide plague. Carnal pleasure is utterly forbidden, and though he has always overcome temptation with an iron will, his control is about to shatter.

She is Keeley Cael. The Red Queen.

When the powerful beauty with shocking vulnerabilities escapes from a centuries-long imprisonment, the desire that simmers between her and Torin is scorching. His touch could mean the end for her, but resisting her is the hardest battle he’s ever fought—and the only battle he fears he can’t win.

Amazon / B&N / iTunes / Kobo

Did you know?

If we reach 15,000 pre-orders for The Darkest Touch before the November 25th release date, Gena Showalter will:
  • Post a never before seen excerpt from The Darkest Touch 
  • Select one winner for a Swarovksi Two-Tone Crystal Butterfly Pendant Necklace
  • Select winners for 1 of 10 signed posters of the Darkest Touch cover, just in time for Christmas.

To enter The Darkest Touch Pre-Order Campaign, visit http://members. genashowalter.com/page/the- darkest-touch for details.

They would be a couple, she decided. Touch— pleasure—had been denied her for far too long. A fact his presence had never allowed her to forget. He’d had other girlfriends so he knew how to handle a romantic relationship. They could do this, could make this work. And they would be vigilant, cautious, never courting danger.

All she had to do was get him to agree.

There was no better time to try. “I’m dirty,” she announced. “Absolutely filthy, and I’m going to take a bath.”

“Good for you.” So mocking.

So unaware of his coming fall.

“Be a dear and help me remove my dress,” she said.

A strangled sound left him. “It has no ties, no zipper. You tug it on and off.”“Well, good news, then. As strong as you are, you  shouldn’t  have any problems.”

His gaze swept over her and heated. He licked his lips, as if he could already taste her. “What game are you playing, princess?”“Does it matter?”“Yes. And why the hell are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m a hero. I’m not a hero. I ’m a villain.”

Did he not realize that only made her want him more? “Well, be a good little villain and help me out of my dress.”

“No.” His tone dovetailed into guttural as he added, “I’m not going near you.”

He’s definitely tempted. How thin was his control? “Very well. I’ll near you.” Hips swaying, she closed

The distance between them. She reached out.

He jerked away only to return—closer.

She wrapped her fingers around his wrists and guided his hands to her hips.

He resisted. At first.

“Relax, warrior. We’re protected by our clothes.”

His fingers clenched around her and held on tight. Did he think she would float away like a forgotten balloon?

“What’s…next?” he gritted.

Not exactly surrender, but close enough.

She leaned forward, careful as her breath fanned over his ear. “All you need to do is feel good.”

“I can do that.” He tugged her against him. Suddenly they were flush, the softest parts of her cradling the hardest parts of him. A growl rose from low in his chest as if, in this stolen moment, he’d regressed into little more than an animal.“I’m doing it right now.”

The pleasure…thoughts of being careful evaporated like mist. “Would you like to do more?”“More. Yes.” His lips parted as he fought for breath. Eyes glazing with a wildness he’d never seen from any- one other than condemned prisoners, he squeezed her hard enough to bruise. “I’m going to take more, and you’re going to like it.”
To be denied forever what I crave most…

YEARS. Years, I’ve been waiting for Torin’s book. I’ve been sitting in anxious anticipation from book one just waiting to get his story. But see, here’s the thing…in the past year, I’ve also been dreading it a little too. Why? Because the last few releases from this author have left something to be desired for me. They just haven’t quite been the same, with that signature Gena spark missing. So I was extremely nervous that one of my most anticipated books EVER just may turn out to be the biggest disappointment. And you know what? I shouldn’t have been worried. Gena has officially got her awesome back with this book. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING that I have loved about her books in the past; the snark, the humor, the sexy romance, all of it is back here.

Just so you know, I’ve eaten warriors like you for breakfast.”
“Well, did you spit or swallow? Never mind. Don’t answer. Your sexual kinkiness has no bearing on this situation. I’d appreciate it if you focus.”

After escaping Cronus’s prison, Torin is attempting to find his way back…but he’s not alone. Following him and intent on exacting her revenge for her fallen friend is his previous prison neighbor, Keeley Cael. The Red Queen.

Now let’s stop for a minute here and talk about Keeley. I think I just may have found my favorite heroine in the series after Anya. Spoiler alert: she’s freaking AWESOME! Wow. I just knew that the woman to bring down the big, bad and reclusive warrior will have to be fierce, and holy hell but she was.

She also just happens to be possibly the most powerful heroine in the series. Period. But that wasn’t even my favorite part of the book. Nope. My favorite part was the banter between her and Torin. Keeley is determined to get vengeance. Having been betrayed by pretty much every man in her life, including her father, she doesn’t exactly trust easily. But yet…something about Torin calls to her, almost soothes her. Or maybe it’s just his fabulous ass?

I’m going to do it. I’m going to hit you with a blast of power, and you’re going to writhe in the worst pain of your life. Nothing will ease you.”
“Great.” Then, when she hesitated, he had the gall to add, “I’m waiting.”
“You should be running.”
“Why? Do you want to stare at my ass?”

Torin was everything I thought he would be and then more, in his own book. Throughout the series, you don’t get to see Torin in action too much. Due to the demon he carries, he limits his exposure to others as much as possible, and you’d typically find him behind a computer screen. So I was so happy to get that fierce side of Torin the warrior in this book. Well that and his humor and snark, because let’s be honest, what’s a Gena Showalter book without that, right?

Now I bet you’re all sitting there and wondering the same thing I have been wondering; how in the hell is Gena going to give Torin his HEA if he can’t touch anyone without his demon infecting them with a fatal disease? Is the book going to be completely sexless? Are they going to dream-diddle each other? Do they talkthrough masturbate? WHAT?

What? Was it just me then? Right. Carrying on. Well worry not, because this book was definitely sexy in its own right. The sexual chemistry between Torin and Keeley alone burned up the pages. But Gena definitely throws plenty of satisfying scenes your way too… of the sexy-time variety 😉

How does that happen without Torin making Keeley sick and killing her? Guess you’ll just have to read and find out.

I promise that between the seriously laugh out loud banter

My inability to rile you is maddening.”
“I’ll yell at you if it’ll make you feel better.”
That perked her up, saying, “That would be extremely helpful, thank you.”
“How dare you bare your arms in public! You’re damn right it makes you a tease. It gives a man ideas. Makes him think you’re good at carrying heavy boxes- which just happens to be HIS job! It’s humiliating is what it is.”

And all the side characters; you will not be bored for a minute of the book. The secondary story here was absolutely amazing. (I won’t tell you who it was, but I can tell you that I am now utterly DYING for their book because OMG that plot twist)

Did I happen to mention that we get a lot more of Baden here too? YES

So in short, was this book everything I had hoped it would be? Hell no! It was better! What used to be one of my favorite PNR series is now right back to my auto-buy list and I cannot wait for the next installment.

ARC courtesy of publisher in exchange for an honest review

Gena Showalter is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author whose books have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazines, as well as Entertainment Weekly. Her novel Red Handed has been optioned by Sony Television. Critics have called her books “sizzling page-turners” and “utterly spellbinding stories,” while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise.” Her mix of humor, danger and wickedly hot sex provides wildly sensual page-turners sure to enthrall.
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Review: ☆Unforgiven☆ by @ElizabethFinn77

October 12, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

A mistake made long ago . . .


Pain buried so deep . . .


When Bailey Trent returns home to her small Ozark mountain town after being away for nearly six years, she is prepared to face the ghosts of her past. It does not mean she’s prepared to come face to face with the cruelest of those memories.


Darren Cory’s life is a shell of what it once was, and when he’s forced to look at the cause of his agony over and over, hatred rises to further blacken his days. But hating Bailey also destroys him, forcing him to become someone he doesn’t recognize or want to be.


Can Darren find a way to move past the pain and forgive the woman he once cared so much for before his anger consumes them both? Or will he drag them both into the hell of an unforgiven past?

Amazon / Barnes & Noble


5 Forgiveness Starts


You don’t fall in love with the person responsible for your greatest loss. And God help you if you do.

Emotional. Gripping. Captivating. Heartbreaking. Unforgettable.
This book gutted me. It absolutely devastated me. Broke me into a million pieces only to put them back together in the end. If you’re looking for an emotionally gripping, erotic, and absolutely unforgettable read…THIS. BOOK. READ IT

This is, hands down, bar none, my absolute favorite book by Elizabeth Finn. And considering I’ve pretty much loved all her books, that’s really saying something.


Hatred was a one-way street with them, and it flowed directly from him to her.

It’s not often where I read a book that in just a few short paragraphs manages to enrapture me, twist itself around my heart, and leave me turning the pages all night completely incapable of putting it down. That’s what Darren and Bailey’s story did to me.

Was it an easy, light read? FUCK NO. Prepare for a book that will reach inside and rip your heart out through your throat. Good lord. It will make you rage, it will make you cry, it will make you scream, and it will do all that through a story of forgiveness and second chances unlike you’ve ever read before.


This was her hell. Being trapped in a room with a reminder of who she used to be, a reminder of everything she lost, a reminder of everything she destroyed.

Once decision. One choice. That’s all it takes to change everything. And that’s what happened to Bailey six years ago. A decision with a devastating result that she continues paying for to this day. Now six years later, she’s back in the town that houses her darkest demons and memories to help her mother after the death of her father, and comes face to face with the flesh and blood reminder her of her greatest mistake.


It was as if his need to hurt her was an addiction he couldn’t deny. But his need to see her and be near her in some way was becoming just as compelling as his anger.

Darren. Wow. Talk about your love/hate emotions towards a character.

I wanted to hate him so much for everything that he puts Bailey through…and yet…I was utterly incapable of it. My heart broke for him, I couldn’t help but feel his inner struggle to hate the woman that he once loved. The story is told in four parts with dual POVs. It’s poignantly written with flashbacks from past to present in the first part that allows the reader to really understand the choices and decisions that led to that one fateful night when everything broke.


I never wanted to hate you. Not ever. You did this.

I appreciated that the author did not stretch out the truth of what happened 6 years ago throughout the entire book. Everything gets revealed in the first part, leaving the rest of the book for the reader to really get invested in Darren and Bailey’s struggle for forgiveness and love.

I won’t lie, there will be parts where you’ll want to reach through your kindle and choke the ever loving sanity out of Darren for some of the things that he does and says to Bailey. He really struggles with his feelings for her, this delicate dance he has between love and hate; something he struggles with for the majority of the book.


I want…I want so much to hate you. Do you know what that’s like? Do you have any idea what it’s like to see you, smell you, be near you again, feel your skin? Can you imagine what it is to hate someone so much, and yet…You destroyed everything.”

But he will also give you glimpses inside the broken soul of a man that is still recovering from a devastating loss and WANTS to forgive…he’s just unable to.


He closed his eyes again, settling in beside her warm body, and he imagined it. Loving her.

I also absolutely loved Bailey’s quiet and understated strength. While she had every reason to be an emotional damsel in distress, she never was. She was such an amazing and endearing heroines. Her struggle with the past and present and loving the one man that she can never have was heartbreaking. My favorite heroine of Elizabeth Finn’s. Period.

The wringer of emotion that this book put me through was exhausting. I don’t think I’d be capable of ever reading it again…and yet…it’s also a story that will forever stay with me.

Darren and Bailey’s road to forgiveness was not a smooth or an easy one. Nor was it a quick one.


Forgiveness isn’t an emotion. It’s an action, and it’s a choice. It’s the choice to no let the past affect how you feel.

God but I loved it. It may have left me an ugly crying mess at times, but it was worth it. If you’re worried about a HEA, don’t be. You’ll get one here. An amazingly emotional one.


You don’t love me.’
“I. Love. You.’
“No! You used to love me.’
“I love you still. I love you again. I just love you. I’ve always loved you.”

(hide spoiler)]
But I can also understand how a second book is needed here, so I am so excited that we’ll be getting one next month. I can’t recommend this story enough, but just prepare yourself. This book will grab your heart, run it over with a Mack truck, back up and run it over again. But it will heal it in the end. Just make sure you have tissues and booze on standby for the ride.

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@alleskelle Reviews: ✩Beauty and the Mustache✩ by @ReidRomance

October 4, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

There are three things you need to know about Ashley Winston: 1) She has six brothers and they all have beards, 2) She is a reader, and 3) She knows how to knit.

Former beauty queen, Ashley Winston’s preferred coping strategy is escapism. She escaped her Tennessee small town, loathsome father, and six brothers eight years ago. Now she escapes life daily via her Amazon kindle one-click addiction. However, when a family tragedy forces her to return home, Ashley can’t escape the notice of Drew Runous— local Game Warden, reclusive mountain man, bear wrestler, philosopher, and everyone’s favorite guy. Drew’s irksome philosophizing in particular makes Ashley want to run for the skyscrapers, especially since he can’t seem to keep his exasperating opinions— or his soulful poetry, steadfast support, and delightful hands— to himself. Pretty soon the girl who wanted nothing more than the escape of the big city finds she’s lost her heart in small town Tennessee.

This is a full-length novel, can be read as a standalone, and is the fourth book in the ‘Knitting in the City’ series.

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Alleskelle’s Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I must begin this review by apologizing to Penny Reid.
For I received this arc in august and I read it not too long after it landed on my kindle app. Unfortunately, or quite the contrary actually, this book struck me deeply emotionally and I wasn’t expecting it. I was in a fragile space at the time, personally, due to family matters and the subject treated in your book was both linked to this and my personal situation in regard of (highlight to view spoiler)[cancer. (hide spoiler)]cancer(end Spoiler)
So I read the book, I inhaled it, voraciously consumed it in a few hours. I was so enthralled by it all, I felt a vast array of feelings, good, bad, but when it was over I felt dumbstruck by it all. I cried a lot at certain times, but I laughed ten times more.
Now thinking about it, I realize I felt overwhelmed by this story, both the romance and the Winston family. So overpowered that I needed to distance myself from it.

Not to discourage or scare any potential reader, Penny Reid writes quirky romances, and Beauty and The Mustache doesn’t waive to the rule. It was sweet, lively, fun, goofy, entertaining, endearingly so.

“Why are heroines in romantic novels—despite their cleanliness and enviable lifestyles—so unlikeable? It’s like they’ve been hit with a vanilla ninny stick, devoid of personality and blind to the gift before them. They’re doomed to wander in ignorance until the last thirty pages of the book. By then I’m usually actively rooting against a happy ending, because the fantastical fictional men deserve better.”

But it wasn’t just a romantic comedy, no this was even better, I think it was just the perfect romance novel. A story about family, friends, regrets, love, with just the right amount of heartache, grief and pain.

If you are a fan of romances, look no further, you have your next read right here.

Looking for some bossy no nonsense alpha male? Meet Drew Runous, ladies.

An alpha male is not quite what you are looking for? I can’t hear you… A romantic and caring lover you say? Then meet… Drew Runous!

Oh, you’re an historical romance fan? No, I’m sorry I don’t have any Jamie Fraser right now, I heard the lad is spoken for by millions of women anyway. But in the same category, may I interest you in… Drew Runous?

Oh I’m sorry, you were saying you want to swoon over a man every words? Ladies, I present you… Drew Runous!

Yes, Drew Runous is all that an even more. Penny Reid might have created the man of all my dreams here. ( sorry, Swissman if you come to read this, mon ange. Or please take lessons in poetry.) Can you imagine all that in one package? Penny did! And she is just that awesome that she decided to share that with us!


“I finally figured out what kind of handsome he was. He was fiction-handsome. Like, romance novel handsome. But not the clean cut (billionaire) alpha male or even the tattooed (billionaire) bad boy archetype.
He was the bodice ripper, Scottish highlander or Viking conqueror, historical romance kind; an unshaven, lion wrestling, mountain man recluse, toss you over his shoulder and plunder your goodies kind of handsome. He was both scary and swoony. I wanted to braid his beard. I also wanted to run away.”

Once again, she delivered a superb heroine! Ashley Winston, is just everything I wish for a lead female character to be. She was kind, passionate, feisty, caring, strong, independent, assertive, smart, fun. I kid you not, she was all this in that cute little package that is Ashley Winston.

Beauty And The Mustache is undoubtedly my favorite of the Knitting in the City series. I loved all the previous couples, their stories, they were all unique characters and I never felt like I was reading the same story twice. What made Beauty And The Mustache particular is how close to home it hit me. I could relate to some things, to Ashley relationship with her family, and maybe that’s what made this book so much more than just a romance comedy to me. You get to experience a large display of feelings and love of all forms.
I positively think that any reader will find a personal connection to Ashley and Drew’ story.

About the story…

After 8 years of leaving her own life in Chicago where she is working as a pediatric nurse, Ashley is coming back to Tennessee, due to a disturbing phone call. She needs to check on her family.

Although she kept a permanent contact with her Mom over the phone all these years, circumstances made her estranged to her 6 brothers for a long period.
Her decision to leave home in part due to her brothers behavior, she expects to find back 6 obnoxious bearded men.

“I don’t care which of you hillbilly, disease infested, flea bitten, cattywampus-heads are in here making this ruckus, but you will stop right this instant!”

On her first day back in her childhood home, Ashley is woken up by an irritating and loud noise, reckoning one of her brothers to be the origin of the morning racket. But she’s unexpectedly confronted to a wall of a man, the reason of her rude awakening. (Yes, I wouldn’t mind being woken up by this sight either. Come on over my house with your morning racket, Drew Runous. A.N.Y.T.I.M.E.)

“Gray-blue eyes, almost silver, held mine in a vice grip of anger and surprise. I felt an electric bolt, like I’d been tazered in the stomach. Other than a very slight shadow of wonder, he wore an expression that would have made a thunderstorm proud.


As well, he was so ruggedly sexy I’m sure my mouth fell open to protest the unfairness of his existence. Luckily, no sound emerged. I was too busy oscillating between stunned, mortified, and turned on.
This man was definitely not one of my brothers.”

Left flabbergasted by the news about her mom’s condition, she is bewildered to observe her brothers acting like grown, caring and mature adults. They all changed for the best, and the sad purpose of her presence back home is the perfect opportunity to reacquaint with her brothers.

I screamed.
He screamed.
My hands flew to my face.
He cursed.
I heard a thud and I turned away. I was now fully, and mortifyingly, awake.
“Shit, Ash. What the hell are you doing here?”
“Sorry, sorry, sorry—I should have knocked.”
“Nah… I should have locked the door. It’s just that everyone knows Tuesday mornings are my slot.”
I shook my head, my hands over my face, my back to my younger brother. “Your slot? What do you mean, your slot?”
“It’s my private time in the tub, you know, to get my rub on

The dynamic of the Winston’s family was caring a good part of the entertaining factor in BaTM! The banter issued by living in a house full of bearded men was to die for! Hilarious situations, dialogues as well as lovely demonstration of feelings. I wish I had my own Winston brothers.
Their mom was a hoot, too! I wouldn’t expect less from the woman who gave birth to Billy, Cletus, Jethro, Duane and Beauford and Roscoe.

“What I wanted to do was hide in my room with my latest novel and escape into a world without bearded, masturbating hillbillies.”

As it was the case in every Knitting in the series novels, you’ll get to experience the awesome that is Ashley’s support group. Her close friends, her knitting group, they are crazy. The good kind of crazy, occasioning more than one uncontrollable fit of laughter. So if Beauty And The Mustache is your first book in the series, you’ll be introduced with her woman posse, and have enough time to familiarize with Janie, Elizabeth, Sandra and their men, Quinn, Nico and Alex.

“You’re off your rocker and Janie is nuts. You’re both cracked nuts.”
“I would have brought a life-sized cut-out of Charlie Hunnam, but this one,” Sandra indicated to Elizabeth with her head, “thought it would be awkward.”

And then there’s Drew. Drew, quiet, caring, helping, supporting, admiring, giving, longing, staring, writing.


I could try to describe how wonderful, fascinating and appealing Drew Runous was, but I would fail, miserably.
My words would fail to do his character justice. The only and appropriate way to appreciate Drew’s qualities would be to read HIM. Penny Reid did here what very few authors can do, she created a man, not a dream man really, but someone tangible, someone who can be just for you to reach, a man whom even in a book commands the atmosphere in a room just by his presence. A man whose stare is as compelling as his words. A man whose words I can guarantee you, will be your undoing. Be very scared of Drew Runous, for he might become your absolute fantasy.

Ash,
Your sheets, still a white pile on the table, know that envy keeps me from washing them. You left an impression, deep creases where you lay your head, where they cradled your body. It was only three days, but they memorized your scent, they carry it even in their stillness.
Were they too gentle? Was their touch too light? Do you remember how it felt when they held you? Or did you never commit it to memory?
Was I too gentle? Was my touch too light? Do you remember how it felt when I held you? Or did you never commit it to memory?
– Drew

I’m not going to say much more about the story, as usual I don’t want to spoil all the fun, but I would HIGHLY recommend you to check Penny’s bright and wonderful world, she is a singular being, Miss Reid.

Wonder Woman, over.

`*•. ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. .•*

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Review: ✩Crossing the Line✩ by @Kele_Moon

October 3, 2014 by · Leave a Comment


Wyatt Conner is a hard man. A sixth generation sheriff in his hometown of Garnet. A former MMA fighter. His life is about following the rules and making sure everyone else in Garnet follows them too.Before life hurt him, Wyatt was different. Love had once blinded him to his upbringing and made him defiant against anyone who tried to separate him from the girl he loved. He easily broke laws to ensure her safety.

When she left it destroyed him.

Now she’s back.

Tabitha knew coming home was a mistake, but family obligation demanded it. She wasn’t expecting to run smack into the love of her life the same day she returned.

Despite the danger, Tabitha is powerless against the wild rush of desire that explodes between them the moment she finds herself in Wyatt’s arms again. She needs a second chance too, but she can’t risk Wyatt finally discovering the real reason she left.

Even for another taste of true love.

Tabitha knows her haunted past will destroy both of them if Wyatt finds out. What she suffered through was too terrible and it’s the one thing that will have him crossing the line for revenge.

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Review5 stars

Every story had an innocent beginning, even theirs, and Tabitha found herself wishing she had a chance to go back and relive it one more time, because she didn’t want to let go any more than Wyatt did.

Oh dear GAWD, this book! This wonderful, emotional, heart breaking and heart warming book. I can’t tell you why I waited this long to read it considering that I read the first two when they first came out. But all I know is that I absolutely loved it. It broke my heart at times, but then it mended it in the most beautiful way possible.

Wyatt Conner has loved Tabitha since 3rd grade. What started innocent and pure, soon grew into a more intense love over time as they both grew into young adults

Wyatt made everything golden. Life was beautiful around him, and she loved him for it. 

Tabitha has not had an easy life. Between her alcoholic mother and drug addict and abusive brother, she hasn’t been a stranger to hunger, fear, and tears. But through all this, she has one light at the end of the tunnel, her protector and the boy that’s always stood by her, Wyatt.

Their growing romance through the years was one of my favorite things about this book. It was absolutely beautiful. There was no internal drama or angst (though plenty of it from outside forces). Wyatt was absolutely perfect. He was protective and sweet, and yet he also had an undercurrent of finely leashed violence when it came to protecting Tabitha. It truly added to his appeal, since it was just that added element that kept him from being too perfect.

Tabitha was an incredible heroine as well. She was protective and loyal in her own right. Growing up the way that she did, she still managed to hang on to her sanity and have a meaningful relationship. She always had this understated layer of strength that I absolutely loved. Some of the things that she was forced to endure gutted me, and yet she always came out on the other end without the ‘woe is me’ mentality. And her love for Wyatt always persevered above anything else…until the very end

Somewhere along the way, Wyatt Conner had been imprinted on her soul. The threads that tied them together were unbreakable and bone deep. No matter how desperately she tried to untangle herself from him, somehow it just ended up pulling them tighter together.

She knows that her mother and wrong-side-of-the-law brother will never allow her to date the infamous son of the sheriff, but try as she might, she can only avoid Wyatt’s sweet yet persistent advances for so long. She knows she may not be good for him, but she’ll at least be good to him.

I love you, Tab.”
“I know.” She leaned down and kissed the place directly over his heart that was beating hard and fast. “But you shouldn’t.”

The story begins in the present, and then takes you back to the beginning to show the reader where and how everything began for Wyatt and Tabitha. It was an absolutely perfect progression, even though the story primarily is told in the past (It was a little over 60%).

Kele Moon painted such a beautiful and yet heartbreaking story of love that only grew through the years and even though it had every reason to, never fizzled out.

The odds were clearly stacked against them from the beginning, and you spend the entire time reading about their past just waiting for that other shoe to drop. I was equal parts anticipating it to see how it all plays out, and dreading it because I loved them together so much. Neither of these characters were perfect and yet they were absolutely perfect together.

Prepare yourself for an overload of feels, because their story will hit you right in the feelers

I love Kele Moon’s writing, and this book does an incredible job showing how talented of an author she is. It was perfect. It was emotional, it was beautiful, and it was erotic

He wanted to claim her. Own her, Leave his mark on her. He’d always known he loved her, but until now he hadn’t understood just how desperately he wanted to push her down on the bed and fuck her until he went blind from the pleasure of it.

The one minor quibble for me was at times the dialogue really grated on my nerves. The ‘ya’s’, ‘aint’s’, and constant use of ‘fella’ didn’t work for me. But luckily everything else was so fantastic, that it overshadowed the one small quible that I had.

If you haven’t yet read this author, this is a must read. The entire series is. And having read The Viper before this book, I appreciated the ending even more. You clever, clever girl, Kele.


Don’t miss the first 2 books in the Battered Hearts series!

    

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