Review….Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire

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Walking

Synopsis:

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

 

My Review:

Walking Disaster is the follow-up to Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster and is in essence the same story, but told in Travis’ point of view.  To say that I had been looking forward to this book would be a ginormous understatement. Beautiful Disaster is one of my all-time favorite stories and after hearing that Jamie was writing it from Travis’ eyes, I couldn’t wait for Walking Disaster to release….*dreamy sigh* it was everything I had hoped for and more.

If you haven’t read Beautiful Disaster, I suggest you do before reading this book.  I don’t think you will truly appreciate the emotional roller coaster if you skip over it and start with this book.

This story was the white knuckled, high emotion, crazy intense read I had hoped it would be coming from Travis.  From the very beginning I was completely hooked and was a sobbing mess from the prologue alone.  Reading about the gut wrenching experience of Travis losing his mother at such a young age, though a child’s eyes, was truly amazing.  It gave the reader such an insight into Travis and how he has become who he is today…intense, all or nothing, fierce and protective.  If it was at all possible, this book made me love him even more.  I cannot even explain how amazing it was to see the world through Travis’ eyes.

And now, let me get to my absolute FAVORITE part….the freaking epilogue.  I have dubbed Jamie the Queen of Epilogues.  This was the most amazing epilogue in the history of all epilogues.  Ever. To be able to see Travis and Abby later on down the road was a gift I will cherish forever.  I think I have probably re-read it twenty times since finishing the book.  It was just perfect.  Truly perfect.

This book will go on my bookshelf next to Beautiful Disaster and will be a book I will go back to time and again, because Abby and Travis are a book couple I truly adore.  I am hoping (and praying and dreaming and begging) for more from Jamie and the Maddox family!  Thank you Jamie, for giving us Travis…cause damn, he’s just too freaking amazing!!

5LovesRLBFive Loves

ARC Review….Thrill Ride by Julie Ann Walker

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thrill ride cover

Synopsis:

He’s Gone Rogue

Ex-Navy SEAL Rock Babineaux’s job is to get information, and he’s one of the best in the business. Until something goes horribly wrong and he’s being hunted by his own government. Even his best friends at the covert special-ops organization Black Knights Inc. aren’t sure they can trust him. He thinks he can outrun them all, but his former partner—a curvy bombshell who knows just how to drive him wild—refuses to cut him loose.

She Won’t Back Down

Vanessa Cordova hasn’t been the team’s communication specialist
very long, but she knows how to read people—no way is Rock guilty of murder. And she’ll go to hell and back to help him prove it. Sure, the sexy Cajun has his secrets, but there’s no one in the world she’d rather have by her side in a tight spot. Which is good, because they’re about to get very tight…

 

My Review:

Thrill Ride is the fourth book in Julie Ann Walker’s Black Knights Incorporated Series and admittedly, the first in the series that I have read.  I’m so glad I came across this title on NetGalley because I am now a big fan of the Black Knights and will be downloading the rest of the series as soon as I finish this review!

Vanessa Cordova is in the middle of the jungle looking for Rock, the now-named rogue operator and member of Black Knights Incorporated.  She, along with the rest of the knights, is convinced that there is no way Rock could have done the things he is accused of.  She knows the delicious Cajun isn’t capable of cold-hearted murder and is determined to clear his name, even if that means sweating her ass of in the God forsaken jungle looking for him.

Rock knows his days are limited and it’s only a matter of time before the powers that be, a.k.a the U.S. Government, comes for him and ends his life.  He’s been hiding out for what seems like forever trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure out why he is taking the fall for murders he never committed.  But, not knowing the head man in charge of the hush-hush operation he’d worked on for years, is coming back to bite him in the ass.  Even if he found out the connection to the murder victims, and figured out why he was being hunted down and held responsible, who would he go to?  Who would he tell?  Now, he’s shocked to find Vanessa, a member of BKI, in his jungle.  She’s here to help clear his name.  But he’s not willing to risk her life, or any of his BKI family…and that’s what the stakes are…life and death.

This story was incredible!  I was on the edge of my seat the entire book.  Julie Ann Walker weaved a who-done-it with a sexy romance that had me loving every minute of this story.  Rock is an amazingly tough, honorable, loyal and sexy Cajun that had me drooling when he spoke his French-Cajun and whose fierce need to protect his brothers and sisters in arms made me love him even more.  Vanessa is amazing.  Her tenacity and fierce determination to prove Rock’s innocence was so admirable.  She knows the kind of man Rock is and won’t allow him to push her help away.  The mystery surrounding Rock and the project that he had worked on in secret for years, had me guessing the entire book.  Julie Ann did such a great job at delivering juicy morsels of clues throughout the book.  I was dying to know what was coming next!  Talk about a thriller! She had me on the edge of my seat up until the very last pages.  Of course, I won’t give you any spoilers, but I will tell you that a project and cover-up of this magnitude took some pretty important people and damn, what a “WHOA” moment it ended up being.  I must say the ending to this suspense is one I didn’t see coming and really enjoyed.

As I said earlier, I will be gobbling up the other books in the BKI series and will surely be keeping tabs on what’s coming next for this amazing group of kick-ass modern day warriors.  Thank you Ms. Walker, for an amazing, suspenseful, exciting and sexy read!

4LovesRLBFour Loves

 

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy for an honest review.

New Review….Lover at Last by J.R. Ward

lover at lastI am honored to have enlisted the help of my dear friend, Selene, for this review. We originally met, years ago, from our mutual love of the Black Dagger Brotherhood and have become closer than I could have ever imagined. I am so lucky to have her in my life as a friend and now, as a guest reviewer. If you, like me, are as big a fan of the Brotherhood, I know you will enjoy this review as much as have. Thank you, Selene….I heart you big time sistermine! *mild spoiler below*

Synopsis:

Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another….
Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: The male has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young—just as Qhuinn has always wanted for himself. It’s hard to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. As he’s learned firsthand.

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions… but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together… finally become one.

 

Selene’s Review:

Amazing.

UH-MAZING!!!!!!!!

It’s been a really long time since I’ve read a book twice in succession and it is no surprise that it was this one. Lover At Last delivered far beyond its promises. Everything a novel requires to make it a complete success was present here – drama, comedy, action, and, above all, romance. It was extremely rare that my attention ever strayed from the story while reading J.R. Ward’s latest and, in my opinion, one of the greatest.

Blaylock and Qhuinn, the main characters, have been tip-toeing around their feelings for each other for some years now. This has led the audience to much heartbreak and an overwhelming feeling of frustration, something that’s all too familiar to this pair… up until now.

The scorch factor between these two was off the charts! And that was before they started their physical relationship. Their history of repressed feelings created such a thick atmosphere around them – a feeling that the reader will unequivocally share. But that first time when they came together… WOW. Ward did such a good job with their first love scene. It was exactly how you would expect two very male characters with a long history, tremendous attraction, and even stronger love for each other to come together; it was hot, sweet, and incredibly touching. It became very clear towards the end of this book that the only thing keeping them apart was Qhuinn’s dishonesty and shame with himself. It took Blay to show him that in order for them to finally come together. As far as the proposal scene goes, I simply have no words. There was crying involved. Very ugly, went through a whole box of Kleenex, swelling of the eyes for days kind of crying. But they were definitely happy tears! The ending could not have been more perfect for the couple. And the feeding scene with Selena? FORGET IT. That sequence has been bookmarked many times over by yours truly.

Other stories were continued and new characters introduced in Lover At Last. And in traditional J.R. Ward-style, they raised many more questions and peaked quite a bit of interest. The Shadow brothers Trez and iAm are now living at the Brotherhood compound. And with Trez’s growing attraction to the Chosen Selena and the little problem of him already being promised to another, it should provide a great story in the future. Xcor and Layla’s story continues and it makes me wonder how and if these two will ever be together. Such a sad situation for them. And lastly, there is Assail and his love interest Sola (Marisol). These two are already lighting up the pages with their heat and I’m very much looking forward to their story.

Overall, the book was everything I wanted. The only thing I thought was missing was the interaction between Blay and Qhuinn and John Matthew. I may be a little biased as John is my favorite character of the series, but these three have been as tight as friends get since they were all introduced and I would have like to see his reaction to his two best friends finally getting together and Qhuinn being inducted into the Brotherhood (which was also a scene that caused some ugly crying). Perhaps the author will have more of this in the future. One can only hope!

5LovesRLB

Five Loves

Release Tour & Review…Surrender Your Love by J.C. Reed

I’m honored to be a part of the Release Tour for Surrender Your Love by J.C. Reed!  This is the steamy debut from J.C. and in honor of that excitement, she is giving away a $50 gift card and eCopy of Surrender Your Love! So, check out the book blurb and review and don’t forget to enter to win in the RaffleCopter below….. (How bout that cover!? YUM!)

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Surrender Your Love Cover

Synopsis:

Meeting Jett was like lightning. Dangerous. Better left untouched. And better forgotten. But lightning always strikes twice.

Brooke Stewart, a realtor in New York, doesn’t do relationships. When she’s sent to a remote estate to finalize a real estate deal, she discovers her new boss is no other than the guy she left naked in bed.

Sexy, dangerously handsome, and arrogant Jett Mayfield attracts trouble, and women, like a lightning rod. But the night he meets Brooke he gets more than he bargained for. The green-eyed millionaire playboy isn’t used to taking no for an answer, and he isn’t about to start now.

When he proposes two months of no strings sex, Brooke is intrigued and accepts his proposal. Little does she know Jett’s determined to claim the one woman he can’t have, pulling her deeper into his dangerous world.

A man who doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

A woman afraid to surrender to love.

Two lives that are about to cross…and secrets laid bare.

 

My review:

Surrender Your Love is the first in a new series by newbie author by J. C. Reed. I enjoy finding new authors and am really happy J.C. asked me to read Surrender Your Love….it was a great story with a twist at the end that has me needing to read the next book!

Brooke Stewart is a realtor in New York City enjoying her career with a smaller firm while dreaming of a position with one if the big dogs.  So, when her boss asks her to meet with Jett Mayfield, the head of one of the largest and most successful real estate companies in the U.S., she can’t refuse.  But Mr. Mayfield ends up being anything like she had expected…..and he also ends up in her bed.

Jett Mayfield is used to getting what he wants.  Brooke Stewart is one of those things.  He knows it the minute he meets her.  So, like any acquisition, he does what it takes.  Making her an offer she can’t refuse, she is now employed by his company, as his personal assistant.  Lucky for her, one of the perks for that position includes a trip to Italy to work on a real estate deal….alone, with him.

I will admit this story started out a little slow for me and I had a hard time figuring out what Jett’s motives were with Brooke.  Sure, I’ve read many books where the attraction between two people is sudden and intense and as a reader, we kind of just accept that, but with this story, it felt a little off.  Well, after getting through the whole story, and realizing there was a definite reason for my suspicions of Jett’s motives, all I can say is: well done, J.C.!  Not only did it all come together at the end, but it came together with a huge “NO WAY!” and it was pretty awesome to realize things were not what they seemed.   Add the super hot and sexy love scenes and this book has it all.  I will warn you, it ends with a cliff hanger that left me gaping, open-mouthed at my eReader but it also left me dying for the next installment so I can see what comes next!

Amazing dramatic twist at the end, a hot and sexy man, delicious love scenes and a kick ass heroine makes this book worthy of a spot on your to-read list.  Thank you, J.C., for a great story and I look forward to see what you have up your sleeve for the next one!

3andaHalfLovesRLBThree-and-a-Half Loves

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

To find out more about J.C. Reed and her work,  you can follow these author links:

ARC Review….Shades of Passion by Virna DePaul

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Shades of Passion Cover

Synopsis:

Shades of the past

Detective Simon Granger has devoted his life to solving high-risk cases, and he’s vowed never again to get involved with a woman whose work is equally as dangerous. But when the Special Investigations Group teams him with a beautiful psychiatrist, his resolve is shattered by the tense and emotionally charged partnership….

Shades of intrigue

Determined to outrun the grief over her sister’s death, Dr. Nina Whitaker reluctantly agrees to use her training to help the police. Despite Detective Granger’s disdain for her profession, she believes she can change his mind. But then a grieving father begins a deadly game of revenge, threatening Nina’s life, challenging her beliefs, and drawing Nina and Simon together in an explosive endgame of intrigue…and unstoppable passion.

Shades of passion…

 

My Review:

This is the third book in Virna DePaul’s SIG (Special Investigations Group) series and the very first one I have read.  I am happy to say that not reading the first two in the series didn’t take away from my enjoyment in reading this third installment.

Dr. Nina Whitaker is a psychiatrist who relocated to San Francisco to rebuild her life after leaving her hometown, and tragedy, behind.  She had been responsible for implementing a successful program with law enforcement in South Carolina educating the police on better ways of handling situations when mental illness was involved.  Unfortunately, even that success couldn’t outweigh the grief she carries over her sister’s death.  The distance also won’t allow her to outrun the blame of the father of a former patient whose suicide he blames her for.  Now, her current supervisor wants her working her magic with the San Francisco P.D.  It’s the last job she wants to do but, when she starts to receive death threats from the dead patient’s father, it just may be the very job that saves her life.

Detective Simon Granger has been dealing with the grief over his ex-girlfriend’s murder for a little while now and is dealing just fine, if you ask him.  She was a psychiatrist who was murdered by a serial killer.  A serial killer he had warned her about….and she hadn’t listened.  He’s ready to put it all behind him and start over as a captain in SIG.  So, to say he was less than thrilled to hear he was being asked yet again to seek the help of a therapist before even being considered for a management position would be an understatement.  Fortunately, a beautiful doctor catches his eye on the way to his appointment.  Unfortunately, she will end up working alongside him while making a bid to the city to start a new program training the police on mental health issues…. something he has no interest in learning about.  Even the beautiful doctor couldn’t change his mind on his feelings about the mentally ill, not after the violent way his ex was murdered…or can she?

I really enjoyed this story.  I found the mystery surrounding Nina and her past intriguing and thought it was developed well throughout the story.  I also thought questions were answered at the perfect points through the book.  The buildup of the facts lead you in one direction, but you knew there had to be a twist, and there was a terrific one! (my lips are sealed!) The chemistry between Nina and Simon was really well-developed as well.  They went into things knowing they didn’t see eye to eye on the whole mental health issue.  However, they both were willing to see things through the other person’s eyes and were ready, even if reluctantly, to learn.  Ultimately, they were willing to give other ideas a chance, and it made both of them better people in the end.

I will definitely be looking in to the first two books in the SIG series and will be keeping up with it in the future.  Thank you, Ms. DePaul, for a fast paced and captivating read!

4LovesRLBFour Loves

 

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy for an honest review.

Review…Wait Until Dark by M. L. Buchman

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15942606

 

Synopsis:

Name: Big John Wallace

Rank: Staff Sergeant, Chief Mechanic and Gunner

Mission: To serve and protect his crew and country.

 

Name: Connie Davis

Rank: Sergeant, Flight Engineer, Mechanical Wizard

Mission: To be the best…and survive.

Two Crack Mechanics, One Impossible Mission

Being in The Night Stalkers is Connie Davis’s way of facing her demons head-on, but mountain-strong John Wallace is a threat on all fronts. Their passion is explosive, but their conflicts are insurmountable. When duty calls them to a mission no one else could survive, they’ll fly into the night together—ready or not.

 

My Review:

This is the third book in the Night Stalkers Series by M.L. Buchman and after falling in love with the first two books I was so excited when release day for Wait Until Dark came. This book was fantastic and a great addition to the series!

Sergeant Connie Davis is one of the few female members of SOAR, and damn good at what she does.  She’s known since she was a child, and being the daughter of a military pilot, that she was born for mechanics.  Her gift for remembering schematics and instructional manuals word for word has gotten her to where she is today.  She can fix anything…..except her broken and battered heart.  She’s been alone since she was a teen.  Losing her mother at the age of 3 was tough, sure, but losing her father when she was 13 was devastating.  She had idolized him, admired him, and loved him with all she had.  He was the only one who truly understood her love of all things mechanical, and the only one who encouraged her gift.  He was all she had.  When he was killed in action, she knew she would never be the same.  So she lived her life as an outsider who no one understood.  She really never fit in anywhere…until now, on her current assignment.  She’s on a crew with Big John Wallace and right off the bat she knows there’s something about him.  He just may turn out to be the only one besides her father who ever really understood the constantly misunderstood Connie.

Big John Wallace has always had a love for life.  He’s flying with the best crew there is, is a mechanic second to none, has some great friends and a family he adores. He grew up in farm country with a big, close-knit family in an equally close-knit community and flies and serves to protect those very people.  He’s always confident and has a way with people….he’s always watching and observing them and their true nature and can always figure a person out.  He’s always been able to assess problems and fix them.  Ever since Connie entered their crew, he’s determined to fix what he can see is definitely broken.

Together, John and Connie will venture on what I can assume is the toughest mission for them both.  John’s determination and Connie’s reluctance to let anyone in prove to be a battle neither one are prepared for….but one that will ultimately put the separate pieces of Connie and John together to make a perfectly working whole.

This was an awesome book.  Some say this series is overly heavy on the military lingo but I don’t feel that way.  This is one of the only series I read written by a male author and I really appreciate the tough heroes and heroines he creates.  Connie is a no-nonsense, straightforward woman in a man’s world.  She has worked hard at getting to where she is and in doing so, has had to learn to shut down her emotions and move forward from her personal loss.  Unfortunately, in doing so, she never truly dealt with that loss.  John proves to be the balm her broken heart and soul need.  He is everything a woman could want.  Warm, kind-hearted, fun loving, focused, determined, brilliant, loyal and tough wrapped up in a big, handsome package. Connie and John paired together were simple, opposites attract perfection!

Meanwhile, there’s action packed flying sequences that had me white-knuckling my e-reader and reading wide eyed.  Add a whole top-secret mission weaved into the romance between Connie and John and this book was a win for me.  We also got to see more of our favorite Majors, Mark and Emily, from the first book, The Night is Mine.

I truly enjoyed this installment of The Night Stalkers and definitely look forward to continuing on with the series! Thank you, Mr. Buchman, for yet another pulse pounding, action packed romance!

4LovesRLB

Four Loves

ARC Review….Always On My Mind by Bella Andre

Releases March 5, 2013 

Pre-order from Amazon

Always on my mind cover

Synopsis:

Lori “Naughty” Sullivan finally falls in love in ALWAYS ON MY MIND, the new book in Bella Andre’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling series about the Sullivan family.

After a tragic loss three years ago, Grayson Tyler left his life in New York City behind and started over in the rolling hills of the California coast. He’s convinced himself that all he’ll ever need again is the blue sky, a thousand acres of pasture, and the crashing waves of the ocean. Until one day, Lori Sullivan barges into his life and promptly blows his emotionless and solitary world to shreds, driving him crazy as only a woman nicknamed “Naughty” can. But will Lori be able to convince him that it’s safe to love her…and that forever isn’t actually out of reach?

 

My Review:

Always On My Mind is the 8th book in The Sullivans, a series by Bella Andre. I have read a few of the others, and really enjoyed them…this book, however is my absolute FAVORITE of all of the Sullivan family books I’ve read.

Lori Sullivan has been dating a total ass for the past two years that her family despises, and were never afraid to tell her just how much they hated him.  He was never good enough for her.  Now, she finally sees what her family has been harping her about for those two years.  After walking in on Victor and her lead dancer getting hot and heavy, she calls it quits, on everything.  She leaves Chicago, Victor and her show behind and blindly heads back to California.  She knows she can’t go home yet, though.  She’s not ready to face her family.  She needs time…and a change of scenery.  What better chance of her every day norm then deciding to answer an ad she found at a general’s store for a farm hand?  Sounds like just the distraction and adventure she needs right now.  What Lori wasn’t planning on finding, however, was a kindred spirit with a broken and hurt soul….

Grayson Tyler has been living on his farm for the past year and is doing just fine…if you count being alone with only his animals as “living”.  Three years ago, he lost his wife and left his old life behind in New York in exchange for the solitude of this farm.  He doesn’t need more than that.  But when a saucy spitfire of a woman answers his ad for a farm hand, and refuses to take his immediate “no way” for an answer, he knows this is a recipe for disaster.  He recognizes from the minute she steps out of her car, that she is going to make him realize just what kind of dismal existence he’s been leading.  The question is, is he ready to face the truth of his miserable, unhappy life?

I literally just finished reading this book and am so sad……so sad that it’s over!  This story had me from the very first minute I realized Lori Sullivan, the dancer/choreographer, dressed in glitter and high heels, would be working on a freaking farm.  I mean, you just KNOW this is going to be good!  Add to the mix a rugged and handsome farmer, and I was hooked!

Lori is one of my favorite Sullivan’s.  She has a personality that pirouettes off of the pages with such a love of life that you can’t help but adore her.  I was so happy she left that ass, Victor, behind and wanted her to find happiness.  Boy, did she finally hit the happiness jackpot at that farm, but not without a whole lot of anguish before finding it.

Grayson broke my freaking heart, and at the same time, pissed me off to no end.  He is so emotionally broken and miserable but isn’t ready to admit it.  He was such a jerk to Lori in the beginning that I thought there was no way she’d get through to him.  I wasn’t even sure he deserved her efforts.  Damn, I am so glad Lori is stubborn and kept at him because he is a hero who deserved a rescue.  Once he opens up, I fell in love with him.  I can’t even tell you how many tissues I went through reading the parts Grayson shows us his emotions and how amazing he really is.

Together, Lori and Grayson are the ultimate example of opposites attracting.  Their personalities play so well off of one another.  She pushes every one of his buttons and he secretly loves it, even if he gets cranky about it.  The ending of this story goes down as one of my favorite book endings ever.  It was so blissfully romantic, well written and just so damn perfect I was crying big fat happy tears.  The icing on the cake was we got to see all of the Sullivan crew and got to spend a little time with the matriarch, Mary.  That was such a special touch and I truly enjoyed it.

Ultimately, this is a delicious, romantic, emotional read that has reminded me just how much I love this genre and how great it is to find authors like Ms. Andre. Thank you, Bella, for Lori and Grayson and for giving us a book I will be enjoying many more times….most likely I’ll have my first re-read after I finish typing this!

Oh, and good news for Sullivan fans….this is NOT the last of the series! *HAPPY DANCE and a YAHOO* Bella is giving us the first of the Seattle Sullivan’s this summer with Rafe Sullivan’s story in The Way You Look Tonight!  Rafe is the super sexy private investigator cousin of our original Sullivan family!  How exciting is that!?  Bella also has some other special things planned so be sure to keep an eye out!

5LovesRLBFive Loves

 

Review….The Education of Caroline by Jane Harvey-Berrick

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Dude Cover

 

Synopsis:

Ten years after their broken affair, Sebastian and Caroline meet again: this time in very different circumstances, against the background of the war in Afghanistan

Now a successful journalist, Caroline meets Chief Sebastian Hunter, US Marine. Will this chance encounter rekindle the erotic madness of her passionate affair with a younger man?

 

My Review:

This is the second book in the “Education of…” duet by Jane Harvey-Berrick. The first book, The Education of Sebastian, was really damn good….but, The Education of Caroline will go on the list as one of my favorite books of all time.

We met up with Caroline ten years after she left San Diego, and the love of her life, Sebastian, behind.  She has made a life for herself in New York City as a freelance reporter with a successful following and a knack for her reporting on military life overseas.  It’s that knack that lands her on her current assignment…and running into a certain blue-green eyed, tanned San Diego surfer boy.  Only now, that surfer boy is a Chief in the Marines and is assigned to help train the journalists going overseas, the journalists she is a part of.

Sebastian can’t believe his eyes.  Sitting in the hotel conference room in Switzerland is the woman he has loved since as long as he can remember.  She is also the woman who left him…and took his heart with her.  Now he was supposed to brief her on the dangers of reporting in hostile circumstances in dangerous countries.  How the hell was he supposed to concentrate on anything other than the anger, pain, frustration, desire and long-buried feelings of love and lust toward her?  Now way was he going to let her get away this time….

Dear God.  This book was freaking INCREDIBLE! I loved the first in the series but damn; this book was that much better.  The emotional turmoil starts from the very beginning and doesn’t let up until the very last page.  Caroline and Sebastian have mastered the art of push and pull and just can’t seem to catch a break.  They’ve lived a long ten years apart and have given up on ever ending up together, and now, they almost don’t have a choice.  Fate was surely on their side this time…of so we think.  They go through some amazingly loving high points and crushingly devastating low points.  I bawled my freaking eyes out the last 25% of the book!  But don’t worry, the ending is totally “dreamy sigh” worthy and I was delighted with it.  Sebastian is one of my all time fave book men.  Totally swoon worthy…the whole sexy, bad-assed, romantic, occasional-bumbling-idiot, delicious package.  Caroline is finally happy within her own skin at forty and is a great match for Sebastian, level-headed when he is fanciful but playful when he is lost in his head and needs distracting.  She also realizes Sebastian is just amazing now as he was when he was seventeen.  Better even.  Amazing book couple…even if I want to hate Caroline for having Sebastian to call her own and I’m seething with jealousy!

I read this book in a day.  I could NOT put it down.  I loved every word on every page…laughed and cried and thought it was blissfully perfect!  I already recommended The Education of Sebastian and I HIGHLY recommend The Education of Caroline.  Thank you, Ms. Harvey-Berrick, for writing the newest member of my favorite books.

5LovesRLBFive Loves

Review….Never Too Far by Abbi Glines

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Never too far

 

Synopsis:

He had held a secret that destroyed her world. Everything she had known was no longer true. Blaire couldn’t stop loving him but she knew she could never forgive him. Now, she was back home and learning to live again. Moving on with life… until something happened to send her world spinning once again.

What do you do when the one person you can never trust again is the one that you need to trust so desperately? You lie, hide, avoid, and pray that your sins never find you out.

My Review:

This is the second book in the Too Far Series by Abbi Glines and picks up where the first book, Fallen Too Far, leaves off.  After loving the first book, I was DYING for this book to release.  I read it in a day…..and I already miss Rush.

I’m going to do my best to give this review without spoilers, and damn, it’s going to be tough!

Blaire is back in her hometown in Alabama, and trying to get on with her life after leaving Rush.  Is there such a thing though?  Life after Rush?  She also comes to realize that the small town she grew up in no longer feels like home.  She had grown to like Rosemary.  Had friends there, and misses them.  She needs to find her own place and find where she truly belongs in the world.  Now, circumstances will arise and lead her back to Rosemary….and she will have no choice but to see Rush again.

Rush is a miserable bastard.  He realizes he can’t live without his sweet Blaire, but also realizes he totally screwed up and chances are she will never take him back.  Now, after three long weeks without her, she’s coming back to Rosemary.  He had no idea why she was coming back, and had no clue what to do to make things better, but one thing he did know….he was going to do his damnedest to get her back.  He wasn’t going to live without his sweet Blaire for another minute.

Together, Blaire and Rush have more obstacles to hurdle than I can even begin to tell you (trying to keep this spoiler free ARGHHH!) and damn, if it didn’t make me love the two of them even more than I already did. 

This book was freaking amazing.  I got a text from a good friend letting me know it was released a day early, which happened to be the day we left on our family ski vacation.  I downloaded it on my phone and started reading immediately…and finished it that day.  The intensity of what is going on between Rush and Blaire was something I could NOT stay away from and was glued to the story from the very first page.  Rush is even more amazing than he was in Fallen Too Far.  He turns into the book boyfriend we knew he was capable of being.  Damn, I do love me some Rush! Blaire is just as amazing as she was when we met her.  Strong and determined and always willing to do what she needs to do to survive on her own.  Together, their chemistry is delicious.  The emotions in this book go from each end of the scale in the most incredible way.  I went from laughing, to crying, to wanting to throw my eReader across the room. I’m sure people think I’m insane after the amount of gasping I did while reading this in public.  There were quite a few twists in this story I didn’t see coming….and they kicked ass!  Again, without getting into spoilers, which is REALLY TOUGH, just know that it ends how you would want it to end!!

Abbi, thank you, thank you, thank you for another taste of Rush and for an emotionally charged, beautifully written, insanely devourable read! I will be not-so-patiently waiting for Wood’s book and know it will be yet another kick-ass story!

4andahalfloves

Four-and-a-Half Loves  

Review…Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

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beautiful bastard

Synopsis:

An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Discover the story that garnered more than two million reads online.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other. Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over two million reads on fan fiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.

 

My Review:

A few months ago, I had seen this title pop up here and there and was dying to read it but realized it hadn’t released yet. The other day, I get a text from my husband asking if I had heard of Beautiful Bastard and said he had read an article on it and thought I should read it….it just so happens he sent me that text on release day. I ran right out and bought it. Gotta say, I owe this review to him because I LOVED this book!

Chloe Mills is working at Ryan Media for her MBA internship. Her boss, Bennett Ryan, is a total condescending, obnoxious jackass. So much so, that her and her two best friends have dubbed him “beautiful bastard”. Unfortunately, the “beautiful” part had to be added because the man is delicious. He never fails at finding something to criticize Chloe on. Her handwriting, the volume of her voice….anything. Sad part is, even with all of the jackassery, she can’t help but being attracted to him. So when Bennett shocks the hell out of her with a somewhat shocking advance, she will have to decide if she will allow it…

Bennett Ryan prides himself on being successful and in control. Always in control. At the age of thirty, he’s accomplished more in his professional life than most men even dare to dream about. He is not one to act on irrational impulses, which is exactly what this attraction to Miss Mills is. SO many things are wrong with wanting her. She is his intern, in his family’s company. In other words, wrong on so many levels. If only she could stop this push and pull with him and stop giving his attitude back when he deserves it, it would make it so much easier to remind himself of the wrongness of the attraction. It’s a shame that one night in an empty conference room will lead to the ultimate downfall in his decision to keep Chloe at a distance.

As you may already know, this was originally published as a Twilight FanFic story. In my opinion, it went far past FanFic and blew me away. When I first started it, I kept thinking it was going to be like Fifty Shades of Grey, since both stories share the young, attractive CEO, BUT, that’s really where the similarities end. I have to say; I enjoyed this story more than Fifty. The sex was HOT and the characters were amazing.

Chloe is a fantastic heroine. She is smart, educated, sassy and doesn’t take sh@t. Yes, she has to deal with Bennett’s prick moods, but she doesn’t let him walk all over her. She gives his snark right back to him and I freaking love that! She’s not going to let anyone push her around or jeopardize her career. I admire her tenacity, especially when it came to dealing with Bennett.

Bennett is the perfect hero that keeps us guessing. He starts out as the guy-we-love-to-hate and turns into the guy-we-want-to-win-the-girl. Yes, he’s douchey. Yes, he’s used to getting everything he wants without having to ask twice. He’s also genuinely unaware of how he comes off at times, which made him more real as a character. He wasn’t so set in his ways that he wasn’t willing to try and change…especially when it came to Chloe’s opinion of him.

This book starts off hot and heavy…and by saying hot and heavy, I mean sex within the first 20 pages. The emotion between Chloe and Bennett ran high and intense. They loved to hate one another, and couldn’t stay away. What starts out as angry sex, turns into much more than they were anticipating. One of the things I liked most about this book was that it really was entirely about Chloe and Bennett. Sure, there were some business and family things thrown in but it wasn’t overwhelming and didn’t take away from the developing relationship between them. My favorite thing about this book, however, is that the chapters switched back and forth from Chloe and Bennett’s point of views. BRILLIANT! It really made me value both characters and their run of emotions that much more.

As I enter my book hangover from having finished Beautiful Bastard today, I will tell you that I highly recommend this book and have to thank my hubs again for the text on release day! Thank you to Christina and Lauren for teaming up to bring us a kick-ass read! (Oh, and for giving me another reason to love my Je Ne Regrette Rien tattoo!)

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Four and a Half Loves

ARC Review & Giveaway…Edge of Dawn by Lara Adrian

Only a few more days until the newest in the Midnight Breed Series releases and because I’m a huge fan of Lara Adrian and her writing, I’m giving away an ECOPY PRE-ORDER for Edge of Dawn!

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Buy from Barnes & Noble   ~   Buy from Amazon

lara adrian

Synopsis:

In this pulse-pounding and thrillingly sensual novel, New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian returns to the mesmerizing world of the Midnight Breed, following new characters into a dark future where an uneasy peace can unravel into war—and a great betrayal can mask an all-consuming love.

Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost.

Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.

Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.

 

Review:

Although I have been a fan of Lara Adrian for some years now, I had taken a break a little while back and had sadly lost touch with the Midnight Breed world.  I had recently gotten back into the series and was extremely lucky to get my hands on an advance copy of the latest installment, Edge of Dawn.  Let me say this…I have been reacquainted with my Midnight Breed obsession and boy, it’s good to be back!

This story takes us into the future of the Order and gives us a glimpse into what is in store for our beloved otherworldly warriors.  The shaky truce that the humans and vampire races have been keeping is threatened to be broken beyond repair.  It is now in the Order’s hands to keep what little trust there is intact.  Dealing with the rebels’ usual antics and the typical human contempt toward the vampire race, the last thing the Order needs is another threat.  I’m not one to put spoilers in my reviews, so I can’t go into detail but I will tell you…this is one hell of mess.

On top of having to worry about normal Order patrols, Mira, the female warrior raised in the Order by Renata and Niko, is still nursing the broken heart she received eight years ago when her love, Kellan Archer, was killed.  She has vowed to dispatch retribution to the rebel scum responsible for his death.  It’s that desire for revenge that puts her on a security mission that will lead her down a path that will change her life forever.

Kellan Archer has been living a lie for the past eight years.  He’s currently the leader of a small rag-tag group of human rebels fighting for the side of good. The problem is….a rebel is a rebel no matter what side you’re fighting for.  The newest mission is to put a stop to technology that could wipe out the entire breed race.  Imagine his surprise when a certain female warrior member of the Order gets mixed up in his plan and ends up a hostage in his camp.

I friggin loved this story. Lara has such a remarkable style about her writing.  She switches gears from achingly tender love scenes to kick ass fighting scenes with such smooth transition that it is truly a gift to read. The characters have such depth…I laughed, cried, got utterly pissed and ultimately ended thoroughly satisfied. The twists and turns in the plot were stellar and the direction Lara has the future of the Order headed in is sure to keep longtime Midnight Breed readers on board and certainly will pull new readers in for years to come. Thank you, Lara, for another amazing read!

5LovesRLB

Five Loves

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