Making It Last is a lovely story about life and living it, about marriage and how the "worse" in "for better or worse" is sometimes hard to define, and even harder to face. And its about how love can get you through those times.Amber is in a bad place mentally. Her children are growing up, her husband is buried in work stuff and she's all alone to deal with her life. And try as she might to fix whatever is wrong, she just struggles with it. I felt her pain in this story. It was real and intense and familiar. I'll warn you now, if you are an emotional reader, you will need tissues for this. Tony is swamped with work worries, money worries and family worries. He too, carries the weight of his life and everything going on around him. He's a good man, but that isn't enough. My heart broke a little for Tony because he's just as scared as Amber about where life was leading them.This is a story about how love deepens and grows in the long haul. It's every bit as romantic as a "falling-in-love" story. I'd call this a power of love story, and Ruthie Knox doesn't take any short cuts or use any miraculous events to make everything magically fall into place. It is through the simplicity and strength of love that this story ends on a hopeful note, much like it does in real life, and that it what I loved most about Making it Last. Thanks Ruthie Knox for taking a chance with this. I think you nailed it.I'd recommend this and the entire series. ARC courtesy of Random House/Loveswept and Netgalley
This sweet little novella is definitely worth the price, especially if you are a fan of this series by Cherrie Lynn. Its a great lead-in to Leave Me Breathless if you haven't read that yet. If you've read the series, there aren't any huge surprises in this, although I did like the fact that Ghost had some serious feeling brewing for Macy much earlier than I had thought originally. As with all the books in this series, Cherrie Lynn sucks you right into the story. Thanks for giving us a little more of Ghost and Macy and Brian and Candace. Now when do we get a book on the girls of Dermamania??? :)
Just read the first two books in the Chaos series and cycled back to read this one about Tyra and Tack. One thing I like about these three books is that we get to see quite a few changes in the characters over the course of the books as they deal with the various conflicts in their story arc. What I find annoying at times is that there is a lot of telling in these books. At times, everything is building to a particular moment and then there is a chapter break. Many times the next chapter starts with a scene that takes place later, and the character then tells the reader what happened through their inner monologue. It's a lot of telling. I didn't care for how the big climax of this book was presented either with multiple POV's from characters I really wasn't all that invested in. Maybe if I had read the first three books in the Dream Man series, that might have helped, but it was still annoying to have the focus taken away from Tack's reaction at that point. The scene where Tyra confronts Tabby's older boyfriend was really awesome, because we got to read that happening, not just hear her tell about it. As a reader, I want that, not the character telling me what went on. It was great to get more of the boys of Chaos, and I did enjoy that. I also liked how Tyra changed from the beginning of this book to where she was at the end. It was also great to see the beginning of Tabby and Shy's story. So if you have read the Chaos series, and haven't read this, you really need to. In spite of the problems I had with the telling and the multiple POVs, I still liked this story enough to inhale it in a day, which is why I'm rating it higher on the content, rather than the delivery.
Oh my, let me start out first by saying that I love the world Kristen Ashley has created with the Chaos Motorcycle Club. This was the first book I read in from Kristen Ashley, and I loved it. I immediately Own the Wind, the first book in the series, and then to Motorcycle Man to read Tack and Tyra's story. Yeah, I've been stuck in this world for a little while and I've enjoyed every minute of it.Lanie and Hop's story runs almost parallel with Shy and Tabby's story from Own the Wind, so there are some scenes where you get some alternative POV's for a scene from the first book. I liked that. But back to Hop and Lanie.Lanie is mostly a mess, having not moved on from her experiences with her former, now dead, fiance. She also carries a metric ton of guilt for what happened to her best friend Tyra in the process. She also has some pretty big baggage from her childhood she carries around too. When she finally decides to move on, she chooses to do it with Hopper Kincaid, one of the Chaos brothers. He's hot, she wants him, and its supposed to be just for a night. Yeah, right. Hop goes along with it, and it's not just one night for him. He gradually wears Lanie down, and they attempt to make a go of a relationship, mostly at Hop's insistence. He's gone for her and she's gone for him, she just doesn't want to accept that and looks for ways to sabotage their relationship.Hop does many sweet things for Lanie in Fire Inside. I loved that this story is about two people that have some mileage on them in the relationship department. It's not first love for either of them, and they have to deal with that too. One of my favorite parts of the story happens when Hop does something really sweet for Lanie, and it involves his kids, so you get to see their importance in his life.It was great to see Hop's reaction to what was happening with Shy and Tabby situation too.There are some issues with alternating first person and third person point of views. I'm not sure why we don't get first person point of views from the men in these books. The third person pov keeps us from getting close to the men of these books.I am really looking forward to where this story goes to next, as the book leaves the reader with the potential for some serious stuff going down with the bad-guy, Benito. There's so much potential there, and I hope Kristen Ashley gives it all to her readers in the upcoming books in the series.Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 starsBachelor’s Special is a slightly uneven, but nonetheless entertaining story of the attraction between Jill Adgate, chef and possible catering service owner and Chet Castle, a businessman with trust issues. After an explosive first kiss before they even really know each other, Chet and Jill end up in close proximity when Chet hires Jill as a live-in chef. He denies his feelings for her. Living together pushes these feelings to the surface, and well, sparks and accusations fly fast and furious as these two figure out just what they want out of a relationship.I did like the cooking theme, and one of my favorite scenes is Jill teaching Chet to cook. There were a few scenes that didn’t quite get there for me, though, making the story slightly uneven in presentation.This was a quick, pleasant and a bit predictable read. There are some nice steamy moments. It's perfect for when you are looking for something light and easy to read.
I loved this. There was a lot packed into this story, and Shy and Tabby carried it beautifully with unique and interesting voices. I love that their path to getting together was filled with a lot of obstacles because it only made it sweeter when they finally get together. And the story didn't stop there.I'm not saying anymore. Go read this. It's definitely on my favorites shelf. Really looking forward to more of this story and Chaos.
5 huge stars for Obsession! Jennifer L. Armentrout proves once again that she is a masterful storyteller and an awesome world builder by giving us a new perspective of the Lux world from the eyes of the Arum.Obsession will scramble your thoughts about who is the good guy and the bad guy when it comes to the aliens and the government. Not only do we learn more about the Arum in Obsession, we learn more about the Luxen and their ultimate goal.Hunter’s got a arrogant attitude, a smart mouth, and a hot body to go with it. His early scenes with Serena play out with snappy, snarky humor that reminded me of an updated 2013 version of the old Cary Grant movie, His Girl Friday. I liked Serena, too.She was perfectly suited for Hunter and didn’t take any of his crap. nor did she deny her growing feelings for him. It’s great fun and also incredibly romantic to watch Hunter change from his initial attitude toward humans to his loving declaration to Serena, “You are perfect for me, only me.”Hunter … oh,yeah. Jennifer L. Armentrout definitely delivers on the hotness in Obsession.Even though we get both Hunter’s and Serena’s POV, this is so very much Hunter’s book. He leaps from the page and it made this reader ecstatic he was in just about every scene of this book. His character goes through tremendous changes in this story, and J. Armentrout plays out his awakening beautifully There’s plenty of action too. When Hunter and Serena end up back at club alien looking for Luc’s help, the dialogue and action sizzles just a little more, ending with a visit from our favorite green-eyed Luxen and a conversation that makes me both want and dread Origin at the same time. (Origin is the next title in the Lux series)Obsession is a fabulous addition to the Lux world for fans of the series and a nice lead-in to the series if you haven’t read it yet. You don’t need to have read the other Lux books before reading this one.
Once again, I finished a book in this series and have mixed feelings about it. Eyes Wide Open picks up where All In ended, with Ethan and Brynne on their way out of town after a threat to Brynne’s life. This subplot is then moved to the background while Ethan and Brynne work out some personal issues, setting the stage for an ending that brings it all together.What I do like about this series is that Raine Miller has created two interesting characters. They are not perfect, and for me, that’s part of their charm. Ethan is a step away from being obsessed by Brynne, and at times, he got on my nerves with his need to use sex to possess and overwhelm her, but it also made him vulnerable. In some ways, Brynne is farther along on her quest to get over the legacy of her past. I love that she keeps pushing at Ethan to share with her, and in the process, enhances their relationship. It’s their personal struggles and how they work them out that keep me coming back to this series.I was happy (at first) to see this book was longer than the first two in the series. It starts with a prologue that promises more surprises but then I was disappointed that the first half of this book was spent dealing with Brynne’s illness, and not the contents of that prologue. It really slowed the pacing of this story for me and I did find myself skimming a little bit. Maybe shorter is better with this author.Things heat up when the threats start coming in again, and when Brynne’s stalker finds a way under Ethan’s radar (which was not easy) the pace picks up. The storyline was resolved rather quickly though, but left some questions that I hope will be addressed in the next book. This is a solid 3-star book and series for me. The characters are interesting, the storylines have promise, but overall it just doesn’t hit the mark for me. It will be Ethan and Brynne that bring me back to reading the fourth book in this series.Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title in exchange for an honest review.
I liked that this book was from Ethan's point of view. We really get deep inside his psyche, which I have to say, seemed a little off the deep end at times. His obsession with Brynne and his need to possess her totally went a little far at times, and I wondered if this was going to turn into a different kind of story. (Think Fatal Attraction). BUT..as I learned more about Ethan's war experiences, it became clear that his emotional scars are just as serious as Brynne's. I liked the thought they could help each other.The book picks up were the first one left off, with Brynne and Ethan apart. I have to say, I did like seeing the breakup from the male point of view. One of my favorite scenes was Ethan talking to his Dad about his heartbreak. Nicely done, and believable. I really like the suspense plot in this, and look forward to more of that in the next book. The writing still seems just average to me, and in need of another round of polish, but that might just be me. It was still an engaging read that made me want to start up the next book in the series right away.So overall, a quick read that may leave you wanting more.
As with all of Jeaniene Frost’s titles, I fell into Twice Tempted and I didn’t surface until I turned the last page. I love this world and the characters she has created.Vlad and Leila hit a rocky patch in their relationship, and there are betrayals among Vlad’s people, in spite of his reputation. That was the first surprise in Twice Tempted. Interesting to think that Vlad might not be as feared as we are all made to believe. Ms. Frost peels away another layer of this complex character in Twice Tempted, giving us a glimpse of Vlad’s vulnerabilities without him losing a single ounce of his kick-ass persona..Most of the book is spent trying to figure out who is trying to kill Leila, and for the most part I found this storyline a bit predictable. It was Vlad and Leila’s negotiation of their relationship that was much more intriguing, as Leila pushed Vlad’s boundaries.Leila won me over in this book with the way she understands Vlad and how his brutal human life shaped him. She gets that dark side of him. And kudos to Jeaniene Frost for portraying the human side of Vlad Tepes in her vampire Vlad. The historical tidbits in this series have been just lovely for this reader. What I missed in this book is Vlad’s sometimes-sarcastic, stick-it-to-you banter. There aren’t any biting jabs at Bones or playful interactions with Cat. There is very little humor in this book to release the tension. Maybe that was the author’s intent, but I still missed that side of Vlad. Jeaniene Frost has created many interesting and loved characters in the Night Huntress World. I did wish she had given her die-hard fans a little more of them in this book. I understand this is a separate series, but I think the original characters deserved a few more lines of dialogue than they got in this book, and it would have helped to bring a little light into this very dark story.
This novella-sized start to this series introduces the characters and hints at the conflicts to come. I had mixed emotions about this one. I thought the writing could have gone through a few more revisions for some polish. Even with that, the story has some interesting elements and a nice cliffie. It was enough to send me into book 2 of the series. I did think the book a bit pricey for the length of it.
I struggled a bit with how to rate this one. Even though the story was somewhat predictable and the characters could have been developed a bit more, I still liked this. It’s a sweet tale of first love.True is the story of misunderstood bad-boy Tyler and twenty-year old virgin good girl Rory. I could understand how Rory would be attracted to Tyler, and vice versa. Even though I’ve seen these character-types in other books in this genre, I was able to relate to them.The book was on the shorter side, and the story was predictable but still enjoyable. I cared about the characters enough to keep reading to find out how they would resolve the fact that they came from two different worlds. I really liked Tyler’s sense of honor, and I liked Rory’s “love conquers all” thinking, even though Tyler was much more practical in his thinking when it came to that. Like I said, first love.Things wrap up very quickly in this story and I would have liked a little more there. These two had so many hurdles to face, and it was hard to see at that point how this couple was going to make it. For that reason, it was a dubious HEA for me.One real problem I did have with this book was that I didn’t care at all about the secondary characters. They were unlikeable to me. I would be challenged to read a follow-up book about them, I’m sad to say.So overall, for me, True was an quick, emotional read with a predictable story and likeable main characters. 3 out of 5 stars.
There’s plenty of sexual tension in this erotic romance from M. Leighton.Until I Break is an interesting psychological romp that leads to some steamy moments and the possibility of healing from past sins and childhood trauma.It’s clear from the get-go that Samantha / Laura has some serious baggage from her childhood. She’s so broken that she hides behind another identity for her writing career. When a man who reminds her of her leading man arrives at one of her book signings, she is immediately drawn to him. Things get even more complicated when she meets this same man as Samantha, and that’s not the last surprise in store for her when it comes to Alec Brand.Alec is damaged too, although the nature and severity of his issues isn’t clear from the start. He’s got a whole arsenal of defense mechanism at his disposal, but he can’t hide his problems from Samantha for long.The first person point of view from both Alec and Samantha, and the present-tense of both of these characters really stood out for me. It made for a very intimate view of these characters and contributed nicely to the pace of the story, particularly in the first half.If you are looking for a dark, intimate erotic romance, this might be the title for you.
I didn’t make a single review note while I read this. I sank into the story and kept reading until the end. That’s one indicator of a 5-star book for me. And when I wanted to re-read all or part of it again, well, that was the second indicator.Flirting with Disaster was just perfect for me from start to finish. I love Ruthie Knox’s writing. So many smart lines. It was really terrific.Katie’s been dumped by her husband and returns to Ohio from Alaska to start her new life. I love that she isn’t defeated by what happened to her. She smart and strong and doesn’t take any crap. Both Sean and Judah fall for her.Sean is just a mess. He’s smart and sexy and sorta messed up in the head. He’s been running for a long time. But when he finds out that he and Katie are good together, not just as partners, and work colleagues, but also in the sack (or should I say SUV?), their relationship starts changing to something more than just a fling. Ruthie Knox does a fantastic job of portraying Sean’s pain without making him look weak. Katie is a strong, smart woman who has had her share of bad luck, and its so easy to want her to have her HEA. I was surprised to find I ended up liking Judah, when he was sort of a pain in the anatomy at the start of the book. I thought he was a great secondary character. I loved the relationship he developed with Katie, and maybe it was Katie that was just really good at people. She knew when to push and when to step back.So wonderful to read a book that you can just sit back and enjoy, where the writing is smart and polished, the story tight, and the secondary characters bringing that little extra dash of spice to the story. I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like about this. .I couldn't put it down. Just what I want in a romance. A good story, lovely characters, a bit of angst, and HEA. Go read this series.Thanks to Random House and Loveswept’s Netgalley Catalog for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
This is not the story of Sookie Stackhouse’s Happily Ever After. This is the sad story of a break-up and moving on. A story of revenge and paybacks. Whether that was Charlaine Harris’s intent with this story, I don’t know, but that’s how it read to me.If you’ve read all the books so far in this series, it was obvious that Eric and Sookie were having major problems in their relationship. Eric had vampire obligations, and Sookie found excuse after excuse to avoid talking to him about them. It’s been a slow decline of this relationship since Dead in the Family, and the conclusion of the series had very few surprises.As a reader, I have no say in how the author chooses to end the story. I just hoped that Charlaine Harris could give us something spectacular to end this series. Dead Ever After wasn’t as bad as I thought, but I don’t think Charlaine Harris delivered anything near the quality of the first nine? books in this series. The plot was predictable, the pace slow and tedious except for a few key scenes, and the characters were "off" in many places. The dash of hope at the end between Sam and Sookie wasn’t enough for me. That’s why I am ranking the book at 2.5 stars.As for the Southern Vampire Mystery (do they still call this series by that name?), it was the same old, same old. Someone is after Sookie. There it is in a nutshell. How many times have we seen some character having it in for her? Mostly the same old villains, too. It’s clear that this series has reached end-of-life when the author can’t come up with some new ideas. In Dead Ever After, the reader knows more about the plot against Sookie, instead of watching Sookie unravel it. There was little mystery in Dead Ever After.There was something a bit strange in this book. It left me with an odd feeling that I still can't entirely put my finger on. From the start I found myself wondering how much of this final book was very personal to Charlaine Harris. Was it a coincidence that the opening scenes are of someone selling their soul to the devil? Some have said CH sold out when she sold the rights for these stories to HBO. I don’t know for sure, but there was something in that beginning that made me think of the parallels.There was also a comment that made me think about the drama surrounding the release of this book. Sookie says:Do you sometimes wish you could fast-forward a week? You know something bad’s coming up, and you know you’ll get through it, but the prospect just makes you feel sick.Charlaine Harris knew that this book would not satisfy readers looking for a Sookie / Eric HEA. Is this her commentary? I don’t know, but there a few times I took notice of such lines in the book. Almost like the last word or a parting shot.Anyway, the middle third of this book was excruciatingly slow. At 40% I couldn’t imagine what more could be in this story. Endless pages of minutiae: hamburgers (although the thought of Quinn sneaking a raw hamburger did put a smile on my face), chicken fried steak, and on and on. I had hoped Charlaine could have at least delivered some excitement, but it just wasn’t there.At least the Eric and Sookie scenes were the most emotionally charged in the book. This romance had been at the heart of this series, and in many ways, it was still front and center in this book. Only it wasn’t all fairy blood and gracious plenty; it was the emotional pain of breaking up. Hard to say whether Sookie truly loved Eric, and vice versa. But it was clear over the last two books their relationship was in serious, possibly permanent trouble. Sookie just never seemed to cut him a break, even in this book.It didn’t bother me that they broke up. It just wasn’t meant to be. Neither one of them wanted it enough.I had some problems with Sookie in this book. She seemed very out of character with her frequent swearing, her hardened attitude, and her depression and loneliness. I wondered how much of this Sookie was influenced by the TB Sookie. Seemed that way to me. I didn’t like this Sookie. At one point in the series, she valued the supernaturals, understanding their challenges of mingling with the humans. She always treated the supes with respect, but in Dead Ever After, she refers to them as creatures, as something less than.As for Eric, much is made throughout the book about his pragmatism, as if it is something that couldn’t exist together with his strong feelings for Sookie. As if being practical meant that he didn’t feel any loss here. But the scenes between Eric and Sookie were the best in this book, with the divorce scene reminiscent of early series scenes. It was emotionally charged and I wish it had been longer. There was some real pain there, much like real divorce and breakups.The ending of the book seemed to be fabricated to explain how Sam and Sookie could potentially have a relationship. I could have done without another scene where Sookie is abducted in a car.With Sam, I wish there had been more build-up to the changes in Sam’s life. He just seemed confused for most of the book until the two of them boink it out. We won’t talk about the sex with Sam. No. We. Won’t. I did like the inclusion of Karen Slaughter. Perhaps my favorite scenes is between Pam, Karen and Sookie, as Pam heals her with vampire blood for one last time, and the three women realize their connection. I was sad though, that Pam and Karen would so easily disparage Eric’s motives for taking care of Sookie. It seemed like even they could not believe he could love.While I thought this was a better book than the last two, it was still a disappointing conclusion to the series.
Short. Sweet. and Smexy! Last night I was looking for something I could read in one evening, wasn't too angsty and was on the racy side. This title was just right for what I was looking for. It's the story of high school frenemies reuniting years later. People change. There is a reason girls go for sexy geeks! I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that this was an enjoyable one-night-read. Definitely check it out.