Read-Love-Blog

As soon as I felt him go, I let go again, thrusting and rubbing on him as much as I could, milking every last sensation out of him.

My Way Series by H.J. Bellus

Whose parents abandon them in a trashy trailer when they are five years old? Oh Yeah! Mine do!

Hey Hoochies! I’m Milly, and I am tired of taking kicks to the gut. A broken family, an asshole husband and the loss of loved ones have left me crying Uncle, and declaring a serious case of the Fuck-Its!

I had my heart broken, stomped on and shattered before I ever started on my journey to find my little piece of happiness. With a bucket list, a ’66 Ford and wild dreams, I set out on an adventure that changed my life forever.

I found Cree…

A pirate with a little princess and they swept me off my ever lovin’ feet, filling my world with sprinkles, mac n’ cheese and the courage to live again.

They forced my fragile heart to trust and love without fear.

But the truth is, nobody’s past stays hidden forever. It’s an invisible monster waiting to attack and destroy. It has the capability to ruin everything you’ve worked to set right.

All it takes is one final blow to the gut to end everything…

My review:

Cree is the debut work from author H. J. Bellus and let me say, she started her writing career with a real bang!  I was already hooked after reading the synopsis….and it only got better from there!

Milly starts out her story by giving us a glimpse into her awfully sad childhood…and I was crying by the second page.  Things don’t really improve much for the funny, spirited, entertaining southern gal until the loss of the only person that has ever truly mattered in her life.  That’s when Milly decides it’s time to take control of her life and happiness.  This is where the fun begins!  Starting off with a bucket list “thingy”, Milly takes us on an emotional ride that had be laughing hysterically one minute and crying the next.  C’mon, you all know I love that kind of book! After she decides on a new place to start her new life, she finds true friendship and gets a chance at real love. We meet some amazing characters along the way…Lacey, her new BFF, and Cree, the new man in her life but typical for Milly, things are never easy.  Cree has a past, and even though Milly is willing to take a chance and look past it, the past comes back to bite them in the ass. But Milly isn’t going to give up her new amazing life without a fight…and it’s one she’s determined to win.

I adored this book!  ADORED! I finished it in a day, it was that good.  Milly is just too amazing.  She’s fun and bright and foul-mouthed and simply incredible. Her outlook on the craptastic cards life has dealt her is truly admirable. Life handed her lemons and she turned it into a spiked lemonade cocktail with a paper umbrella!  She is a gal I would love to hang out with! Cree is freaking drool-worthy to the max.  He’s gorgeous with a charm about him that had me sighing out loud on more than one occasion.  Don’t even get me started on his magic sprinkles!  (can’t spoil it for you, you just gotta read the book!) He is one hell of a catch and together Milly and Cree are book-couple perfection.  They each bring the missing piece into one another’s lives and it’s magical to see play out.

I also have to mention that Lacey and Milly together are freaking HILARIOUS and have language that gives an insight on what girl talk is really like…at least for me and my gals it is!

So, add this book to your summer reading list and sit back and enjoy the ride….I know it’s going to be a book I will be recommending for quite some time!  Thank you, H.J., for a kick-ass read and I can’t wait for more!

Five Loves

Also Check Out Book #2 in the My Way Series:

Coming Soon… May 2014
Miles- Book #3

Contact H.J. Bellus on Facebook (Click image)

Welcome to my stop on the Embrace Entangled Tour!

I was lucky to be a part of this tour and review Full Measures by Rebecca Yarros and I loved it!

Thank you for stopping by… please enjoy my review and be sure to enter the tour-wide rafflecopter below!

Book links:

Amazon  ~  Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:

Three knocks can change everything…

“She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead.”

Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart.

Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.

Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.

My review:

Full Measures is the debut from author Rebecca Yarros and one of the most amazing debut novels I have ever had the pleasure of reading.  I will warn you now; this may be one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to write.  Not for any other reason than I loved this book so much and I hope I can convey my feelings adequately.  (feel free to ignore my blubbering from this point on and just buy this book….because it’s that good.)

When Ember Howard’s little brother came into her room that morning and said there was someone at the door, and her mother wasn’t answering it, she knew her life would never be the same.  The men in uniform standing on the other side of her front door waiting to deliver their life-altering news would be certain of that.  Now came the choice: break down or be the only person holding it together.  Her father was dead.  An army surgeon….killed in action.  Her mother shuts down, her sister checks out and her little brother needed her.  She could do this.  Little did Ember know she would find strength in her brother’s hockey coach, and former high school hockey star slash huge past crush, Josh Walker.  He’s different now, Ember realizes.  He was something back then, but now?  Now he was so much more.  Mature, kind, patient, gorgeous, sexy…the whole package.  Beyond that he will prove to be the rock she so desperately needs and will ignite the flame she had dismissed as a teenage crush.  Could she be so lucky to call Josh Walker hers?

Josh Walker has more of a connection with Ember Howard’s family than he hopes she will ever know. Because if she ever knew how deep his connection went, she would never speak to him again.  After losing her father, he knew she needed someone to help her carry the burden of caring for her family until her mom got herself together and he wanted to be that man.  Wanted it with a passion he knew he couldn’t deny.  As he and Ember spend more and more time together he knows he’s falling deeper and deeper and he’s so scared of losing her.  He’s determined to do any and everything he can to prevent that from happening…but deep down he knows eventually she will find out the secret he’s hiding.  Will the love they’ve found be strong enough to keep them together?

The stakes are high when you’re dealing with love this deep and intense and with emotions running high from an unimaginable loss, the obstacles Ember and Josh have to overcome are immense.

I can’t say that I remember that last time I got this emotional over a book.  Yes, a whole lot of books make me cry but holy hell, this book had me sobbing uncontrollably.  Please, don’t let that turn you away from reading this book.  The emotions were intense from the very first few pages and carried on throughout but it was unlike recent books I have read in the sense that the emotions weren’t centered on one single relationship.  These emotions were from a loss of a father, husband, son, and soldier and they were so very real and incredibly touching.

Ember is a heroine that commanded my respect from the very first chapter.  She was able to push her own emotions aside to help care for her family.  That, to me, is beyond admirable.  She was strong when she needed to be and but her share of breakdowns and it gave her such a real feeling.  Josh is just amazing.  He gave Ember exactly what she needed, even if she didn’t realize it at the time.  He was patient with her, and kind and caring beyond belief for a handsome guy with a player reputation.  He goes down as one of the most amazing book boyfriends.  And knowing how many books I’ve read, that’s saying something.  The heat and chemistry between them was delectable and builds at a delicious pace…with Josh being the quintessential gentleman the entire book.  He is just too amazing for words.

Ok, the secret that he’s keeping?  Whoa.  I can’t give it away but I will say this:  just when I thought I had cried all the tears I could shed for this book, the waterworks were back.  Full force.  Big, ugly cry.  That being said, I couldn’t be mad at Josh.  In fact, I loved him even more and it in the end it brought a deeper meaning to Ember and Josh’s relationship and the relationship he has to her family.

Now, if you’ve stayed with me up until this point, I hope I’ve conveyed to you just how amazing this book is.  I gave it a “five loves” and I would give it more than that if my rating system went higher.  Rebecca poured heart and soul into this story and it showed with every page.  I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this awesome up and coming author!

Thank you, Rebecca, for giving me puffy eyes and for giving us Ember, Josh and this incredibly amazing story!

Five Loves

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She’s a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her blog, The Only Girl Among Boys, has been voted the Top Military Mom Blog the last two years, and celebrates the complex issues surrounding the military life she adores.

 When she’s not writing, she’s tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of eleven years, and they’re currently stationed in Upstate NY with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog, but she would always rather be home in Colorado.

Blog  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Author Goodreads 

Welcome to my stop on the Love, Lies & The D.A. by Rebecca Rohman Blog Tour.

Thanks for stopping by and please enjoy my review!

Book links:

Amazon   ~  Barnes & Noble 

Synopsis:

Jada McLean is about to get married in nine days, when she walks in on her fiancé in a little more than a compromising position. Days later, she’s on a trip that she intends to be relaxing and a prelude to her fresh start, when she runs into the rude, obnoxious, but gorgeous Jonathan Kole.

Jonathan Kole is San Francisco’s newest District Attorney. When he finds himself deeply attracted to a stunning beauty, he has no idea that she’s about to get into BIG trouble with the law—and he’ll be the one presiding over her trial. To make matters worse, his father is the lawyer representing her in the high-profile case.

When a series of events force them together over New Year’s weekend, Jonathan’s feelings and ethics will come into question, while Jada comes to terms with the fact that she is falling for the man that will be responsible for attempting to put her behind bars… Little do they know, they’re both about to fall into a whirlwind so deep, it will send both their lives spiraling out of control.

My review:

Love, Lies and the D.A. is the latest release from author Rebecca Rohman and the first of her work I have read.  Well, Rebecca has a new fan in this blogger.  This book was wonderful.

Young, beautiful, smart, savvy and über successful businesswoman Jada McLean has worked hard at building her popular up-and-coming hotel chain and is now just a week away from the next meaningful chapter in her life….her wedding.  It’s in preparation for that day that she heads home early one afternoon and finds her fiancée and her best friend in a very compromising position.  A very naked, bent over her desk, hot and sweaty compromising position.  Immediately Jada calls off the wedding and cuts her now EX-fiancée and EX-best friend out of her life.  Trying to seek some solace and time alone, Jada heads to Lake Tahoe and almost immediately upon arriving meets an arrogant man who irritates her every time they run into one another.  Unfortunately that seems to be an awful lot.  Just when she can’t imagine things getting much worse, she gets the horrible news that her ex-fiancée has been murdered.  Now, instead of mending a broken heart, Jada finds herself a suspect in his murder investigation.  Jada also finds herself getting closer and feeling a bit warmer to the irritating man, who just happens to be the D.A.

Jonathan Kole has just been appointed to the position of D.A. and he couldn’t be happier.  He’s smart, handsome and things seem to be going well…unless you count how many times he’s put his foot in his mouth with the beautiful new face around town in Lake Tahoe.  It seems he can’t manage to stop being a jerk around him and he needs to change that.  He gets his chance when she becomes his father’s law firm’s client and he starts seeing more and more of her.  Jonathan also realizes that she is completely off-limits and could be career suicide considering her suspected role in a murder but he can’t help it.  She needs a shoulder to lean on and dammit; he wants to be the one.  Is she worth risking it all?

What starts out as a relationship of annoyance between them slowly builds into more when Jada and Jonathan find themselves in the middle of some intense situations.  Murder, kidnapping, theft, and deceit, just to name a few.  But can something good and true come from such an impure origin?  Only time will tell.

This story started out with a one-two punch in chapter one and just got better from that point on.  Jada has ben dealt quite a crappy hand and needs to pick up the pieces.  That proves to be easier said than done and the hits just keep coming for her.  Luckily, even though Jada and Jonathan’s relationship started out a bit strained, they find out pretty quickly that the attraction they feel is something that shouldn’t be pushed aside.  In the meantime, the investigation into Jada’s ex-fiancée’s murder leads to some incredible findings that involve many more players in a plot that I never expected.  I can’t give anything away but I will tell you this:  You will be on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Oh, and the epilogue?  Simply perfect.  I had a big grin when I read it and let out a happy sigh.

If you enjoy romantic suspense with every emotion packed into the pages, this is definitely a book for you!  Thank you, Rebecca, for an amazing story!

Four Loves

Excerpt:

The pretty, young host escorts me to a table for two near a window with panoramic water vistas. Within minutes, a server takes my order. As my café latté arrives, I can’t help but overhear a rude exchange between a man and his leggy blonde with the host that escorted me to my seat.

“Look, I reserved that exact seat yesterday,” he says.

“I apologize sir, but that seat is not available,” the host replies.

“Well, if you were doing your job in the first place, it would be available to me, wouldn’t it?”

“Sir, I’m sorry for the error, but it wasn’t written here. If you like, you can wait at the bar where I’ll be happy to serve you a complimentary beverage of your choice while you wait, or I can accommodate you at an available table now.”

I can’t help but look to see who this asshole is.

Everything about him smells of money. From the designer jeans that hug his ass, all the way to the Jaeger Reverso watch that graces his wrist. He’s hot—probably in his mid to late thirties, tall, broad shoulders, piercing grey eyes, and a head of black hair like I’ve never seen.

Ordinarily, I might have found him attractive, if only he would just shut up.

Everything he says to that poor young girl, who has tried so hard to rectify someone else’s mistake, pisses me off. He’s been nothing but rude and condescending. As I look up, my eyes land straight on his. Then I realize they’re all looking my way. I turn around to look behind me, but there is no one. Then it dawns on me that he’s arguing with the host about my seat.

My meal arrives. I mind my business, and I proceed to enjoy it. Before I know it, I see him approaching my table. I pretend not to notice and focus all my attention on my lemon ricotta pancakes before me, but within seconds, he stands beside me.

“Excuse me, my name is Jonathan Kole. Would you mind terribly if you were seated elsewhere?”

My eyes travel across my pancakes to his broad thighs, to his crotch, and to what I suspect is an extremely trimmed stomach beyond his black ribbed sweater. Then I stare into his grey eyes in silence.

“You see, my girlfriend and I met right here at this table a year ago, and I wanted to propose to her.  Here. Today.”

“Actually, Jonathan, I do mind. Seeing that I’m enjoying my meal, surely you wouldn’t mind waiting until I’m done. Or perhaps you can let that polite host, who has done everything possible to accommodate you, have you seated elsewhere.”

“Do you have any idea who I am?” he asks.

Asshole! Your name might sound familiar but who cares… 

“No. You could be the king of England and I wouldn’t give a damn.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

“You really want to know?” I ask quietly.

He lowers his head slightly, as if he’s seriously interested.

“I am a woman who walked in on her fiancé screwing her best friend one week before her wedding, so forgive me if I’m not in a sentimental mood.”

His mouth drops open at my response.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mr. Kole, I’d really like to enjoy my brunch.”

His piercing grey eyes are glaring into mine. I know he’s angry. His temple pulsates as he stares at me. He walks away completely flushed.

I don’t care. Perhaps if he had been nicer to that host I would have considered his request. However, because he comes from money doesn’t give him the right to speak to people any which way he wishes.

I continue to enjoy my meal and notice him walking hand in hand to the bar with Malibu Barbie. Half an hour later, I ask for the check then purposely make him wait an additional five minutes before I leave.

On the way out, the host looks at me bright-eyed. “No one ever speaks to Mr. Kole that way, Miss McLean.”

“Well, it’s time someone taught him some manners,” I reply. I hand her a healthy tip, and I’m on my way.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Rebecca Rohman is a wife and designer currently living in the Northeastern United States. She was a Sales Manager for a tourist magazine, and for many years prior, she was involved in marketing for a jewelry company, and later for a fine wine distributor.

About fifteen years ago, she started writing her first romance novel, Uncorked, just to purely entertain herself. It was not until early in 2012 when she decided to complete it and share it with the world. The story was published in February of 2013. Love, Lies & The D.A. is her second novel.

www.RebeccaRohman.com  ~  Facebook Rebecca Rohman Page  ~  Facebook Love Lies & The D.A. Page   ~  Goodreads  ~  Twitter  ~  Pinterest