BELOW THE SURFACE
Series: On The Gold #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Elizabeth Lee
Release Date: May 12, 2016

Daniella Alvarez and Dylan McKendrie used to be in love. They used to be a team. An inseparable force to be reckoned with. But, when tragedy struck, their relationship sank faster than the ships they used to scour the ocean floor for. Now all that’s left are scattered remains of what used to be.
Dylan, no longer seeking the mysteries on the ocean floor, now goes for the sure things and the guaranteed paychecks. When a longtime friend suggests he has hard proof that one of those legends that used to keep Dylan up at night could be real, he’s torn between going after the gold and maintaining the life he’d built since leaving The Florida Keys.

Daniella was always a dreamer. She’s always been chasing what would most deem unattainable—professionally and personally. Everything she’d ever wanted seemed to slip through her fingers the day he left, which is exactly why his return has her seeing red.

Can the two of them put their past aside long enough to figure out a mystery that has plagued them both for years? Can they work together to see what lies below the surface?

AMAZON 

There were two things I absolutely knew for sure: finding treasure on the bottom or the ocean was every bit as exhilarating as my father had said it was, and Danielle Alvarez was the love of my life.

This was my first book by Elizabeth Grace and I doubt it’ll be the last. Below The Surface marks book one in what will be a series based on treasure hunters and it’s certainly different from anything I’ve ever read.

I’m a sucker for a second-chance romance, and the story here gave me serious Into The Blue vibes, which certainly didn’t hurt my metal visual…uhem.
It’s been five years since Daniella ‘Dani’ and Dylan have seen each other. Their relationship didn’t end on the best of terms and both still hold on to the resentment and anger of the past. But when a mutual friend claims that he has proof of the existence of sunken Spanish ship that many believed to be just a legend and had been a borderline obsession of Dani’s to find, it brings them back together again.

Dani stayed on the little Florida Keys island and barely making ends meet as a diver on boat tours. Dylan left her five years ago to make a different life for himself in Boston. If they find the ship, it can make all their dreams come true…or shatter them altogether if it proves to be just a legend.

As interesting as it was to read about underwater treasure hunters, I got a little bored with a lot of the details. I wanted a deeper look into the characters and their past. As it was, I felt like it barely grazed the surface. The reader gets bits and pieces of what happened to Dani and Dylan’s relationship five years ago, but it wasn’t nearly enough to make me truly understand why each made the decision they did. I wanted more development on the characters individually and wouldn’t have minded more focus on them as a couple. As it was, it felt like the romance came secondary to the treasure hunting and the rest of the story. I just never connected to the characters or their relationship to really get invested in the story and so I found myself skimming quite a bit.

That’s not to say it still wasn’t a fun read, because it was. The deep sea diving, the history of the sunken ship, the found diary, all of it made for an adventurous little read. I just wish the romance itself was a touch more developed. If you’re looking for something different, definitely give this book a go. It’s well written and the romance is quite steamy. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series, especially after that tease in the synopsis.

Heartbreaker
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Melody Grace
Release Date: March 28, 2016

The new stand-alone HEA from New York Times bestselling author, Melody Grace!

They say that time heals a broken heart, but you try moving on when your ex is the most famous man on the planet.

Every time I walk down the street, there’s a billboard plastered with his gorgeous face: Finn McKay. Now he’s a drop-dead sexy rock star, but when I first knew him, he was just the boy from the wrong side of the tracks – and the first guy I ever loved. He broke my heart into a hundred pieces when he skipped town without saying goodbye – but now he’s back.

And he wants me.

I’m determined not to make the same mistakes twice, but the chemistry with Finn was always way too hot to ignore. He was the guy who had me sneaking out my bedroom window for just one more kiss, and breaking curfew parked by the riverbanks, steaming up his windows in the backseat of his car. The past five years have been good to him, real good, and between his dirty mind and that ‘I know how to make you scream’ smile, he’s breaking through my defenses all over again.

Maybe one last wild fling for old time’s sake is what I need to finally move on. But what happens when Finn wants more than my body?

This time he wants everything.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

They say time heals a broken heart, but you just try and get over the love of your life when he’s the most famous man on the planet.

Having never read a Melody Grace book before, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this. All I knew is after reading that blurb and seeing that cover, I couldn’t not read it. Also, have you ever known me to turn down a chance to read a second chance romance? I think not. That’s a damn sin is what it is, because let’s be honest, I do love me some second chance romance. All that angst, it just speaks to me. Heartbreaker was actually quite low on the angst, but it did pack a punch to the feels. It was a wonderful, sweet and sexy story of two characters I fell in love with right away. The pace was steady, the writing was great, the characters endearing, and the romance super steamy. It may have been almost too sweet for my particular tastes, but it just worked for me here. It fit these two characters perfectly. There wasn’t a need for any crazy drama or angst. It worked the way it was and I appreciated it for that.

Finn may have left a boy of nineteen, but he’s come back all man.

Five years ago sixteen year old Eva fell in love with the town’s bad boy. Their love was secret but no less potent, until the day Finn left and took her heart right along with him. Five years without a word and Eva still has never gotten over the hurt or anger of his betrayal. But now Finn is back in their small town and he’s determined to right the wrongs of the past; starting with her.

He was inevitable. My temptation.

Eva spiraled after Finn left and spiraled into rock bottom that she’s determined never to repeat. She lost herself along the way, but now she wants to find that girl again. Finn wants a second chance, but can Eva give him her heart again when he shattered it so completely those years ago?

I’ve never felt so out-of-control as when I’m with him, like my chest is cracked wide open and my heart is beating, open and raw, offered up for him to do as he wants with.

I loved Eva; she was such a real person. She’s still clearly lost but she’s determined to find herself. She’s not about games and she’s weak when it comes to Finn, but she owns that. Were there times where I wished she made him work for it a little harder? Sure. But considering we also get Finn’s POV it was easy to see why she caved. Finn is…potent. The man had quite the mouth on him and he knew just when to use it to his advantage.

You’re going to beg for me, beg for another inch, and when I finally give it you, when I finally let you come, that’s when you’ll know. You belong to me, baby. You’ll always be mine.

Told in alternating POVs, this was a light yet steamy escape. I loved Finn and Eva together, and I loved that there was no flashbacks necessary to make the reader truly connect with their romance, even the one from their past. The author did a wonderful job explaining where they came from and leading them into the now. There’s no crazy drama, no crazy conflict that takes place, or silly miscommunications. Just two people, healing the wounds of their past, together.