Review: Below The Surface by Elizabeth Lee

Review-Below The SurfaceBELOW THE SURFACE
Series: On The Gold #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Elizabeth Lee
Release Date: May 12, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

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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?

Buy-Links10AMAZON 

Review-DGR3 stars

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.

Review: Playing By Her Rules by Amy Andrews

Playing By Her Rules- ReviewPlaying by Her Rules
Series: Sydney Smoke Rugby #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Amy Andrews
Release Date: July 11, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

Rules

In this grudge match, the first to score…

When style columnist Matilda Kent accidentally lets slip that she was once involved with the captain of the Sydney Smoke rugby team, she suddenly finds herself elevated to the position she’s always wanted – feature writer. The catch? She’s stuck doing a six-part series on her ex. Still, there’s no way she can turn down a promotion…or the chance to dish the dirt on the guy who so callously broke her heart.

…could win it all!

Tanner Stone wants to be involved in a feature series about as much as he wants to snap an Achilles. But the thought of seeing Tilly again is a bonus—and has him more worked up than he wants to admit. Only he’s not prepared for how different she is – all cool and professional. His Tilly is still in there, though…and he still wants her, now more than ever. All he has to do is charm her into giving him a rematch. And this time, winner takes all!

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKSReview-DGR4 starsPlaying By Her Rules-DGR Teaser

Everyone had parts of their job they hated. It just so happened that today hers had a name: Tanner Stone.

A swoony second chance romance with a hot Aussie Rugby player? Sign me up! What can I say? I’m an easy sell. But after reading and loving Amy’s No More Mr. Nice Guy, when I saw she was coming out with a brand new series, I was all over it!

Matilda Kent has dreams of being a serious journalist. Writing about crotchless panties for the style column of the newspaper she works for is not exactly where she saw herself after Stanford. So when she gets a chance to be a feature writer at her newspaper she should be thrilled…if the subject of her article didn’t also happen to be her ex and the man that broke her heart eight years ago.

Yes, he’d screwed up. Big time. Yes, he had a lot of making up to do. But he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her. Until now.

Thus begins a slow-burn second chance romance of a woman determined to hold on to old grudges and the man determined to right all his wrongs.

I have to say, while it wasn’t the sort of steam I’m used to in a Brazen title, it really worked for this story. The chemistry between Tilly and Tanner was so hot it sizzled and I loved the build up. While the trope was a bit of been there, read that; especially the reason for their break up, it still had a refreshing enough spin on it that kept me entertained from beginning to end.

I think what really hooked me with this story was Tanner. He was just so freaking swoony. I loved how sweet he was and the way he works to woo Tilly. He knows he screwed up and he needs to get his woman back and man oh man did I appreciate the way he went about it.

That old Tilly was still in there, he was sure of it. She was just hiding, buried beneath a shit-ton of hurt, and he hated knowing he was, at least partially, responsible. The thought needled like prickles on sunburn. He had to try and make amends somehow. If he’d broken her, wasn’t it his responsibility to fix her? To coax her out from behind that wall so she could smile again— could be happy within herself and shine bright for the whole damn world to see?”

This was a fantastic start to what promises to be a great series. I for one can’t wait for Lincoln’s book because, well, manwhore. *Pervy shudder* What? I have a type.

Definitely looking forward to the next installment and can happily report that I have myself a brand new Brazen series to stalk.

Review: ★Steadfast★ by @SarinaBowen

Steadfast-ReviewSTEADFAST
Series: The True North #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Sarina Bowen
Release Date: July 12, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

Steadfast-Amazon

She’s the only one who ever loved him—and the only one he can never have.

Jude lost everything one spring day when he crashed his car into an apple tree on the side of the road. A man is dead, and there’s no way he can ever right that wrong. He’d steer clear of Colebury, Vermont forever if he could. But an ex-con in recovery for his drug addiction can’t find a job just anywhere.

For Sophie Haines, coming face to face with the man who broke her heart is gut-wrenching. Suddenly, he’s everywhere she turns. It’s hard not to stare at how much he’s changed. The bad boy who used to love her didn’t have big biceps and sun-kissed hair. And he’d never turn up volunteer in the church kitchen.

She knows it’s foolish to yearn for the man who returned all the heartsick letters she wrote him in prison. But the looks he sends her now speak volumes.

No one wants to see Sophie and Jude back together, least of all Sophie’s police chief father. But it’s a small town. And forbidden love is a law unto itself.

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKS | B&NReview-DGR4.5 starsSteadfast-DGR teaser

When I was seventeen, I thought Jude was sent to me from heaven. When I was eighteen, I let him take me there. When I was nineteen, he broke both my heart and my family.

From the very second that Jude was introduced in Bittersweet, I knew that I needed his book. There’s just something about the broken and tortured heroes, and it doesn’t get more tortured than the man who let his addiction take away not only his freedom but the love of his life. Three years ago, Jude made a mistake that cost him everything. He’s always been able to hide his drug addiction from his beloved Sophie, but when he crashes into a tree and sent to prison for the death of his car’s passenger, all his darkest secrets tear wide open. Now after serving three years, the last place Jude wants to come back to is the town where everyone knows him as an ex-con, but there’s not much choice for him while he gets back on his feet again. So back to his father’s house he goes to work in his auto-shop and hopefully save up enough to get himself a second chance elsewhere.

My name is Jude Nickel, and I am an addict. Also, I’m a big fucking idiot.

Sophie Haines was the love of his life. Letting her go was the hardest thing he’s ever done, but she was always too good for him and meant for greater things. He expects Sophie to be living her dream on Broadway and not stuck with her life in shambles in their small town with a mother that’s a shell of a person and an abusive, jaded father.

It’s inevitable that they run into each other and the love that neither of them ever forgot or got over soon brews to the surface once more.

We’d ended up exactly where I hadn’t wanted us to land, slotting ourselves right into position in both my bed and my memory.

Steadfast packed quite an emotional punch. I loved the realism with which Sarina wrote Jude. This is not a man that suddenly forgets he’s an addict once he detoxed. His struggle is daily and your heart breaks for him experiencing all of it with him. His love for Sophie was easily one of my favorite things about this book. It’s just so unwavering and pure. His inner struggle of loving her but knowing he can’t be with her was heart-wrenching.

The first time I ever kissed Sophie was in a car in the rain. That kiss had made my blood surge with lust and hope. But this one made me ache with impossible longing.

But reading how supportive Sophie was with everything about him and his past made it that much better. Sophie was an amazing heroine. She’s been through so much herself and her family life leaves something to be desired, but you truly understand what draws her to Jude and why she never really blamed him for what happened three years ago.

An addiction is when you can’t keep away from something that’s bad for you. Maybe Jude was a drug addict, but I was a Jude addict.

I absolutely loved the two of them together. The story is highly emotional, angsty and with a touch of forbidden. It broke my heart and melted it. It shattered me into a million pieces and then slowly put me back together.

You own me. You always have.”
“Even when you’re not perfect, you’re still mine.”

The love between Sophie and Jude was a palpable thing. I couldn’t get enough of them. It was beautiful in a tragic way. My heart was aching reading their road to a second chance together. I’ve been a huge fan of all things Sarina Bowen for a while now, but Steadfast put her on a whole different level to me. It was easily one of my favorite second chance romances I’ve read in a long while and certainly the most memorable. It was beautiful and emotional. It was everything I had hoped it would be and so, SO much more.


TRUE NORTH SERIES

BITTERSWEET (True North #1)
GOODREADS | AMAZON

STEADFAST (True North #2)
GOODREADS | AMAZON

KEEPSAKE (True North #3) – releasing October 2016
GOODREADS 

 

Review: ★Wicked Heart★ by Leisa Rayven

review-WHWICKED HEART
Series: Star Crossed #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Leisa Rayven
Release Date: May 17, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

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The one guy she can’t have is the one she can’t forget.

Liam Quinn is one of the biggest movie stars in the world…and the only man Elissa Holt has ever truly loved.

After being out of her life for six years, he and his gorgeous fiancé are set to star in the new Broadway show Elissa is stage managing. The only trouble is, when late night rehearsals bring Elissa and Liam together, the line between what is and what could have been gets blurred. Now one moment of weakness is about to create a scandal that will echo around the world.

Elissa knows that falling for Liam again would be a tragedy in the making, but as any good romantic knows, love doesn’t always follow the script.

 

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKS | B&NReview4.5 starsWicked Hearts-DGR

Heartache doesn’t teach you to be resilient. It teaches you to protect your fragility. It teaches you to fear love. And it draws a bright red circle around all the ways you’ve failed as a person and laughs while you cry.”

I feel like I’ve been run over by the angst truck. I don’t know whether I want a drink, a hug, or a cigarette. All I know is that I love the absolute hell out of this book and I’m not even a little sorry!

As a self professed angst whore, second chance romance happens to be my favorite catnip. I lurve it. Seriously. If there’s a grovel involved? Putty. Just scrub my completely melted self off of the floor and go about your business because I can’t even! So when I read the blurb to this book, I knew I had to read it.

Confession time: I didn’t love the first two books in this series. (hides) I know, I know. But save your rotten tomatoes because while I didn’t love the characters, I knew this author was gonna be one to watch out for me. The woman writes good angst and the feels she’s able to pack into it, I gobbled right up. So I knew it was just a matter of time before she was going to give me characters to swoon over and luckily for me, Liss and Liam were that.

I’m not saying goodbye,” he says as he shoves his hands in his pockets.
“Because this isn’t over.
One day, fate’s going to fix this.
Bring us back together.
I believe that.”

Liam wasn’t a famous action star when he first met Lissa. But for one day six years ago, he was her everything. That is until he walked away and shattered her heart. Lisa never quite recovered and she’s held herself aloof to all men since. Now a successful stage manager, she gets the shock of a life time when not only is the new star of the show she’s working on the love of her life, Liam. But the co-star is his gorgeous and disgustingly sweet finance, who’s also impossible to hate.

Enter: über angst. Holy mother. You GUYS. I couldn’t get enough of them. The tension was so thick and palpable, you can practically taste it. And. It. Was. Delicious.
Wicked Heart-DGRI didn’t know what I was feeling. I wanted to hate Liam, but it was impossible. I wanted Lissa to make Liam grovel, but I also got why she couldn’t. The connection they share is so obvious, and the chemistry between them was so hot, it made it completely impossible to put the book down for even a second.

I used to think that if I just waited long enough, fate would bring us back together. That our stars would align, or whatever, and you’d come crashing back into my life to stay. But that didn’t happen. So now I say, screw it. I’m done waiting. Sometimes, fate is what you make it.”

The one thing that I need from a second chance romance is a good reason for the separation. I want to understand it, I want to feel it, and I really got that here. When everything is finally revealed, it’s like the puzzle pieces all clicked together. It just made sense. And I loved that we got that. It wasn’t some silly miscommunication or something ridiculous. It just made you connect with the characters that much more.

Wicked Heart is an angsty and emotional roller coaster with enough sexual tension to make even the toughest reader hurt. It was effortless in its execution and beautiful in its delivery. Liam and Lissa together were absolute perfection. If you don’t head over heels for Liam Quinn, we haven’t been reading the same book.

Ask me to give up a limb and I swear, I’ll find a way to do it. But don’t ask me to live without you anymore. I can’t. I’m so goddamn in love with you, it hurts.”

I already can’t wait for the next tale that this talented author has in mind.

I did wish for a little more from the ending, which is what kept this from being a full 5 stars for me. But overall it was still a fantastic read!


THE STAR CROSSED SERIES

BAD ROMEO | BROKEN JULIET

Bad Romeo and Broken Juliet are a duet based on Cassie and Ethan. Wicked Hearts is Ethan’s sister, Elissa, and while she’s first introduced in the previous 2 books, you may also enjoy it as a standalone.

New Release Review: ★Heartbreaker★ by @Melody_Grace_

Review-HeartbreakerHeartbreaker
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Melody Grace
Release Date: March 28, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

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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.

Buy LinksAMAZON | iBOOKSReview4 starsHeartbreaker-DGR

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.
Heartbreaker2-DGR

Review: ★Now and Then★ by Mira Lyn Kelly

Review-Now and ThenNow and Then
Series: Dare to Love #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Mira Lyn Kelly
Release Date: January 19, 2016add-to-goodreads-button-2

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Brynn Ahearn is gorgeous, fun, and not just a sports nut but an NBA camera woman whose work takes her all over the country. In other words, she’s a walking male fantasy—or at least, she would be if she weren’t so busy keeping the guys at bay. The fact is, with Brynn’s con-man father fresh out of jail and back in her life, dating is just too risky. Haunted by memories of her past, she couldn’t ask any man to gamble with his life for love—even one as addictive as Ford Meyers.

Ford can’t believe his luck when he walks into a bar in Chicago’s Wicker Park and gets an eyeful of Brynn, the one that got away. After the gorgeous redhead blew him off in college, Ford got on with his life and made his fortune as a bestselling game designer, but he’s never found a woman who compared to Brynn. No stranger to success, Ford is used to getting what he wants—and after a scorching stolen kiss, what he wants is a second shot with his first love. To get it, he just has to convince her that he’s man enough to take on the past she can’t leave behind.

Buy-Links10AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N

Review4 starsNow and Then-DGR

There was something primal about the way he felt with her. It was unreasonable. Irrational. And he didn’t fucking care, because that feeling was so good, the only thing that mattered was making sure he got more.

Confession time: the only thing I remember from Touch & Go is that it made me fall in love with this author and this series and made me want Ford’s book desperately. But that’s it. Damn my puny brain memory because I couldn’t even tell you what it was about Ford that intrigued me. All I knew is that I needed to have this book. So when I saw the synopsis and realized that not only am I getting his book but it’s a second chance romance?
After the game he designed, Ford’s career blew up. After being burned by people that are interested only in his success and money, Ford is weary about who he lets in. The while out at a bar one night, he spots the girl that’s always held his heart…even though she was also the one that shattered it back in college.

Brynn Ahearn never got over Ford but he’ll never know the truth of why she left if she could help it. One night of passion with the love of her life can’t hurt, right? Something she can store in her memory banks for years to come…too bad Ford is determined on not settling for anything less than her whole heart.

Now and Then was a wonderfully steamy of second chances and forgiveness. You know the secret that Brynn is hiding that’s keeping her from going for it with Ford, but Ford is left in the dark until mainly the end. While I can understand Brynn’s thinking and sympathize with it, I did find myself wishing at times she would at least come clean with Ford. Though Ford was a bit secretive about a few things about himself to be fair.

The story is great and with just enough feeling to it so it’s not fluffy. Yet it’s not quite intense either. It’s one of those light and easy reads that also packs on a little bit of feels and a whole lot of steam and it was exactly what I was looking for. If you haven’t read this series yet, I highly recommend it. You really can’t go wrong. Mira Lyn Kelly knows how to give good romance.

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READ THE SERIES IN ORDER

TRUTH OR DARE | TOUCH & GO

Review: ★Forgetting August★ by JL Berg

Review-Forgetting AugustForgetting August
Series: Lost & Found #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: J.L. Berg
Release Date: December 1, 2015add-to-goodreads-button-2

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She can forgive, but can she forget?

Some days, Everly still thinks she sees him. In the food court at the mall, or in a car speeding past as the light changes. It only lasts a second, but when it happens, she slips back to a time when she was ruled-and nearly ruined-by August Kincaid. And it doesn’t matter that she’s moved on, that she’s about to marry another man. In those moments the only thing she can do to regain control is take a deep breath and remind herself that August can’t hurt her-because he’s in a coma. Except that he’s not anymore.

August is awake. With no memories, he sets out to solve the mystery of his lost life. He unearths a photograph of a beautiful redhead named Everly and knows instinctively that she’s the key. But when he finds her, the August she describes is more monster than man.

Tortured by the thought of having hurt her, August wants only to become the man Everly deserves. As the new August emerges, Everly glimpses the person she first fell in love with. But can she trust that this August is real? When the final secret of their shared past is revealed, one of them will make a choice that changes their future forever

Buy LinksAmazon / iBook / B&N / Kobo

Review4 starsForgetting August-DGR

Because life really didn’t move on from a person such as August Kincaid.
No, you simply learned to adapt and above all, you survived.

When you read about a book a day, they all sort of begin to blend into each other. So when I stumble upon a book that’s as unique as Forgetting August, it’s a treat. This was unlike anything I’ve read in the past and I was immediately drawn into the story. It was just that good; the writing, the mystery, the angst, the romance, all of it wrapped together into one spellbinding unforgettable read.
Everly is happily engaged and planning a wedding to a wonderful man that loves her fiercely. But with one phone call and three little words, her carefully constructed world crumbles into chaos. He is awake.

August Kincaid awakes from a two year coma that no one expected him to wake up from with absolutely no recollection of who he is or who he was.

My former life was an endless tunnel of oblivion, where there was no beginning or end.

When a gorgeous redhead shows up at his hospital bed, he hopes that her clear knowledge of him may help him piece together the memories that he no longer has. But then only thing he sees in her eyes is pure unadulterated hate. Hate for the man that he once was, and hate for the man that clearly hurt this woman beyond repair.
forgetting August teaser2-DGRAugust took everything from her once; her love and her heart, and then he shattered it. Everly wants nothing to do with the man, even if he doesn’t remember who he is. She’s happy in her life now, but his memory continues to haunt her and she just can’t bring herself to look the other way. August is clearly struggling to put the pieces of his life back together, and if she can give him the missing puzzle pieces, she’ll do that. But she will never give him a piece of her heart.

Maybe sometimes love isn’t pure. Maybe sometimes it’s toxic- so toxic it consumes a person until they would do anything to have it.
Like a drug.

The story is told entirely in the present with quick memory lapses into the past. It’s not a past/present type thing. It’s written in such a way that you feel like you’re experiencing those flashes of memory right along Everly.

But the heart is a fickle thing. You can’t help who you fall for and once upon a time August was her everything. Now in the midst of helping him regain his memory by taking him to places he loved and hoping to ignite at least a spark of something, the one thing is manages to do is re-ignite the flame in her heart for August that never quite burned out.

Could the heart remember what the mind couldn’t?

Forgetting August is full of angst and emotion. It’s wonderfully written that left me wondering how I haven’t read anything by this author before. The mystery of the past and what ultimately led to August going into a coma is something that stretches for the entire book.

While I’m not usually one for love triangles, the one here simply worked for me. I think that had a lot to do with Everly and clearly seeing her struggle of moving on from her past and attempting to face her future. She loves her fiancé, but August was something else for her entirely.

Loving me destroyed you…”
“Loving you brought me back to life.”

FA teaser-DGR

If I gave my heart over to a man who then turned into my worst nightmare…?
Who would be there to pick up the broken pieces?
No one, because there would be nothing left to find.

Forgetting August is sexy but without the need for super gratuitous sex scenes, if that makes sense. I absolutely loved this story and the characters. But most of all, I loved the mystery behind everything. I was just as desperate for those flashes of memory as August was. And when one of the biggest puzzle pieces get revealed, the author hits you with the mother of all cliffhangers that had me howling at the ceiling.

They say time heals all wounds. But can it forgive?

If you’re looking for something different, this duet needs to be on your TBR. I usually avoid cliffhangers like a religion, but in the case here I’m glad I read it. Even as I die a little each day in my wait for the conclusion in Spring.


Releasing April 5, 2016

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PRE-ORDER

Review: ★Kaleidoscope Hearts★ by Claire Contreras

Review- KH Kaleidoscope Hearts
Series: Hearts #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Claire Contreras
Release Date: January 20, 2015add-to-goodreads-button3

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He was my older brother’s best friend.
He was never supposed to be mine.
I thought we would get it out of our system and move on.

One of us did.
One of us left.

Now he’s back, looking at me like he wants to devour me. And all those feelings I’d turned into anger are brewing into something else, something that terrifies me.
He broke my heart last time.
This time he’ll obliterate it.

 

 

 


 

Buy-Links9Amazon / iBooks

Review4.5 starsKH- Dirty Girl Romance

Love is beautiful, shattering, moving, haunting. Love is everything.

This beautifully written and emotional book is everything that I love about second chance romance. Everything. I’m not sure where I’ve been that I’m only discovering this fantastic author and this series now, but boy am I glad that it’s finally on my radar. Everything about this book worked for me; the writing, the secondary characters, the story, the romance, and most especially the H/h. Simply put, I adored it.

Does he make your heart race like I do?
Does he make you feel like you can’t breathe sometimes?”

Oliver has always been Estelle’s older brother’s best friend…until a kiss changed everything. They had a few stolen moments together and then everything changed when Oliver walked away. Estelle may have moved on and got engaged to someone else, but she never got over Oliver.
KH teaser- Dirty Girl RomanceA lot has happened with Estelle since that fateful night with Oliver, she met someone else and fell in love…only to lose him to a tragic accident later. After a year of mourning, Estelle is back in the town she grew up in and living with her brother, and Oliver is now determined to right the mistake of their past.

Your simplicity is maddening. Everything about you drives me crazy.

I loved the alternating flashbacks from past to present in both their POVs. It truly allows the reader to be fully engrossed in their story and fall for both them just as hard. The writing is beautiful and flawless and it gripped me from the first chapter alone. I simply couldn’t put this book down.
KH teaser 2- Dirty Girl RomanceI appreciated how the author managed to show the difference between Estelle’s love for Oliver and her deceased fiance without downplaying what she had with him. That’s no easy feat in my opinion. It’s clear that Estelle loved her fiance but Oliver was always her one. Nothing was ever undermined or belittled. It just flowed.

Shattered or not, if you look carefully enough, you’ll find something beautiful in them, and all beautiful things are a little broken.

If you’re looking for a touching and beautiful second chance romance, this series is an absolute must read. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to dive straight into Paper Hearts because after meeting both Jensen and Mia in this one, I’m practically salivating for their story.

Mini Review: ★Paper Hearts★ by Claire Contreras

Review- Paper HeartsPaper Hearts
Series: Hearts #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Claire Contreras
Release Date: September 9, 2015add-to-goodreads-button3

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I lost her.

No, I didn’t lose her. I threw her away.

She was my best friend.

I was never supposed to fall in love with her.

I was careless.

She was heartbroken.

I was doing fine until she came back into my life and reminded me what love was supposed to feel like.

When it’s all said and done, she may not want to stay, but this time I’m going to do everything in my power to not let her go.

Buy LinksAmazon / iBooks

Review5 stars

Look, I’m not going to give you a full review here simply because (1) I’m lazy and (2) there’s already so many great reviews that sum up this amazing book perfectly.

What I can tell you is that this was one of my favorite second chance romances I’ve read all year. It was deliciously angsty, heart-breakingly emotional, sexy, sweet and everything in between. Poignantly written, emotionally charged perfection. Truly. See here’s the thing, I’m not a fan of romances where the hero has a child from the other woman and I have yet to read a book where that’s worked for me…until this one. I adored Jensen. Their journey to a HEA was not easy but filled with so many emotions, it brought tears to my eyes with the sheer beauty of it. Torn Hearts shattered me and Paper Hearts slowly put me back together again. I don’t think I’ve loved a hero so much since…well…ever. The things that this man does and says are so swoon worthy, they’re beyond words.

If you’re a fan of second chance romance, this book is not to be missed. Period. Maybe once I get over my feels I can come back and write it the review it deserves, but for now, this is what you get 🙂

Blog Tour, Review & #Giveaway: ★Fighting To Breathe★ by @auroraroseR

fighting to breathe blog tourFighting ToBreathe
Series: Shooting Stars #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 6, 2015
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fighting to breathe cover

Lea Lamb and Austin Wolf were young when they fell in love. They never imagined the future could hold anything other than together-forever.

When Lea’s father dies in a tragic fishing accident, she’s crushed under the weight of her grief and catches a glimpse of another type of future, one she knows she’s not strong enough to face.

Austin is angry. For the past fifteen years, he’s believed the woman he loved with every ounce of his soul left him without so much as a backwards glance.

When Lea unexpectedly returns to their hometown, all the years of heartache inside Austin bubbles to the surface and presents itself as blinding rage.

Faced with the truth about the past, a newly discovered secret, these former lovers will learn that if they want to have any chance at the future they’d given up on all those years ago, they will have to rescue one another from drowning in pain so debilitating it will leave them both fighting to breathe.

Buy Links

Amazon US / Amazon UK / B&N / Kobo / iBooks

fighting to breathe teaser 1

Excerpt

“CAN WE STOP by the liquor store on the way to dinner?” Mom asks from the passenger seat of my car.

“Should you be drinking?” I frown then turn onto the main road—well, really the only road in town.

“What’s it going to do, kill me?” she jokes, making me inhale a sharp breath. “Honey,” she says quietly, and I look at her briefly, wondering how the hell she can be so casual about this. “I’m dying. When it will happen, only the good Lord knows, but it is happening, and there is nothing you or I can do about it. I have made my peace with it, and I want you to do the same.” She reaches over to pat my thigh.

“Make peace with it?” I repeat, shaking my head in disbelief.

“Yes, make peace with it. If you think about it, I’m lucky. I know I’m going to die. I know that sooner rather than later God is going to come take me home, and when he does, I will be ready. I will have had a chance to say goodbye to the people I care about and right any wrongs I’ve caused. I’m lucky, honey.”

“What about me?” I wring my hands on the steering wheel, feeling my chest get tight as I fight back tears.

“I love you, honey. I loved you before you were even a sparkle in my eye, and I will always be with you. I know this isn’t easy for you. I know there are going to be a lot of tears shed, but we’re lucky, honey.”

I press my lips together to keep from saying something I might regret. I’m not lucky; in fact, I’m unlucky to the tenth power. How many people have I lost, how many people do I have to loose before it’s enough.

“Oh look! Sheryl!” She yells, pulling me from my thoughts as she reaches over, pressing the horn on my steering wheel while her other hand shoots across me so she can wave out my window. Looking to where she’s waving my heart begins to beat wildly

against my ribcage when I see not Sheryl, but Austin walking into one of the many bars that litter Main Street, only it’s not just Austin—it’s him and a woman with her arm wrapped around the back of his waist as he holds the door open for her.

Even from the distance separating us, my lungs compress at the beauty that is him. The years have been good to him. His hair is still shaggy, only now a little lighter; his face is tan and covered in a beard that makes his crystal blue eyes stand out even more. My eyes travel from his face to his torso, which is covered in a dark green thermal that shows off the muscles of his arms, chest, and tapered waist, then down to his denim-covered thighs. When my gaze sweeps back up, his eyes are on me, and I see them crinkle in confusion then realization that soon turns into anger.

“You missed the liquor store,” my mom complains as I speed up.

Review4 starsFtB-DGR

I wanted her fifteen years ago, and I still fucking want her now. There isn’t a single part of me that doesn’t know she’s my future…

What’s better than a second chance romance? A second chance romance with an Aurora Rose Alpha. *swoon* There’s a reason she’s my go-to author for pure guilty pleasure read, and this book was the perfect fix. At just under 200 pages, it’s on the shorter side, and easily read in one sitting (which I did since I couldn’t put it down). Surprisingly in those short pages Aurora managed to give the readers a true heartfelt romance. It made me cry, it made me swoon, it made me pant. It was that perfect weekend afternoon read that will leave a smile on your face.

Fifteen years have gone by, and in that time, I’ve had more women than I care to admit, but none of them even came close to giving me what she did, and I know that no one ever will.

Fifteen years ago Lea and Austin were high school sweethearts that were planning on spending the rest of their lives together. But then the tragic death of her father leaves Lea shattered and she runs; from her life, from her town, and from Austin. Now she’s recently divorced and back to her childhood town to take care of her dying mother, but coming to terms with her past isn’t quite so easy when the boy that stole her heart those years ago is now the man that still makes it pound.

Sometimes in life, you’re only given the shot at something beautiful once, and when you have it in your grasp, you’ll do anything to keep it, even if you end up crushing it in the process.

To say that Austin isn’t happy to see Lea again is definitely an understatement. When she left, she took what was left of his heart along with her. He’s bitter, angry, and the fact that she still draws him in like she did all those years ago doesn’t make it easier.
Fighting To Breathe1-DGRNow if you know me then you know that I love me my angry lust thing, so of course I gobbled this all up like a starved maniac. It was utterly delicious. Underneath Austin’s anger there was always this undercurrent of lust that practice crackled with electricity.

Even though I wanted to hate Lea for the way she walked away from everything those years ago, it was hard to do with the person she grew into. Surprisingly, she was a very endearing character if not a little broken. Though I gotta say, I did love the way that Austin began to build her back up piece by piece.

Fighting to Breathe was just one of those extremely satisfying and swoony second chance romances that I love to read about. While it may not have been that all encompassing 5 star read, it was a solid 4. Aurora introduced several secondary characters that I’m already curious to read about (especially Ben, even if he already got his HEA). This is definitely a series that is going to my auto-buy list and one I highly recommend to all fans of this author.

This is us, baby. This is where we were meant to be..

About the Author

 

aurora new bio

Aurora Rose Reynolds is a navy brat who’s husband served in the United States Navy. She has lived all over the country but now resides in New York City with her Husband and pet fish. She’s married to an alpha male that loves her as much as the men in her books love their women. He gives her over the top inspiration everyday. In her free time she reads, writes and enjoys going to the movies with her husband and cookie. She also enjoys taking mini weekend vacations to nowhere, or spends time at home with friends and family. Last but not least she appreciates everyday and admires it’s beauty.

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