Heartbreaker

Kat Bastion and Stone Bastion

Unbreakable #1

Release date : Mar 22 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

Kiki Michaelson wants one wild night to forget her starving-artist worries. Simple.Only instead of Darren Cole becoming her one-night stand, he taunts her with a challenge. Then while she’s trying to best him at his own game, he turns out to be the last thing she’s prepared for: someone she wants to keep.

Which means all he can ever be…is a friend.Darren Cole never allows a girl to get close—not close enough to matter.

Then storms in Kiki Michaelson, a beautiful, fearless temptation that rocks his world off-balance. But he fights their attraction, unwilling to gamble something physical with their close ties. Until the passionate sculptor exposes her heart and breaks his wide open.

In that moment it becomes clear: she could never be just a friend.Sometimes what you run from…is exactly what you need.

It has been a long time since I read a love story like this. Solid from beginning to End “Heartbreaker” by Kat Bastion with Stone Bastion draws its readers into the world of sacrifice and deep love.

Darren and Kiki ‘s is relationship is far from “friend zone” no matter how hard they try – that much the reader can tell from the beginning on. The only question that remains throughout the pages is if they will give into it or not.?

And if so – what will be the consequences ?

The author drew interesting characters and placed them into a solid plot.

The writing is solid and flawless. I personally would have wished for a little more emotions as I sometimes could not feel with the leads, but in total it was a really good read that I can fully recommend

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Title:Clouded Hell

Author :J.R. Gray

Series:N/A

Release date:March 23rd 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

I survive on avoidance. Physical pain to avoid the mental. Disposable flesh to avoid relationships. Work to avoid attachment. My club became my empire of avoidance. Inside the ring millions are won and lost. The fight is confined to breaths, actions and reactions, fists and pain. Rules don’t exist. Only my opponent exists. I’d been avoiding my needs for far too long when Remi stumbles into the Inferno and I’m hungry. The promise of a submissive with no attachment is far too tempting. I can’t resist him.He was only supposed to be a distraction, but I know I’ll never get over him. There isn’t a chance in this clouded hell.

#Drumrole …. I just read “Clouded Hell” by J.R. Gray

Why #Drumrole you wonder ? … because I do not read this kind of genre – like in “never”, well actually I cannot say “never” anymore – can I ?

I feel like right in the middle of the Katy Perry’s song “I kissed a Girl” – because .. I LIKED IT…

The plot sounded so interesting that I could not stop myself from requesting an ARC for this book. It is dark, raw at times but honest and not at all what I would have expected it to be.

While it was difficult to relate to some things at certain points, it was still so well written that I had no other choice than to read it until the end AND like it.

The character development was good and I felt they were both equally strong persons even if in different ways, but still I liked Remi the most.

Even if the whole concept of him as a submissive took some time to get used to, it worked for him (somehow- don’t ask me why).…and on that note I especially liked him in the end.

So take it from someone who #never reads books of that genre when I say this is a good one…

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Title:Soldier of Love

Author : Allie Boniface

Series:N/A

Release date:18 Mar 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

Welcome back to Lindsey Point…Franny Thompson has owned a bed and breakfast in Lindsey Point for the last five years, ever since a family tragedy left her broken. Running The Hideaway has been good therapy, but this thirty-year old doesn’t have the slightest idea about dating, fashion, or men. When a lonely soldier comes to town in need of a place to live, she offers him an empty room to rent, never dreaming he’s about to change her world. Heath Garrick has spent the last 17 years as an active duty solider, but when he retires from the Army, he finds himself plagued by PTSD and no place to call home, until he moves to Lindsey Point and Franny offers him a room. Franny is quirky and naive, everything he’s never wanted in a woman – and everything he might just need.As Franny and Heath find comfort in each other’s friendship, a powerful attraction develops. But when a national magazine chooses The Hideaway for a makeover, they are thrust into the spotlight. For Franny, it’s a dream come true. For Heath, it’s the worst kind of trouble. Can two lonely souls help each other find love and hope again, or are some battle scars too deep ever to heal?

Reading “Soldier of Love” by Allie Boniface I found exactly what I expected. A wonderful and sweet small-town romance.

This book is No 5 in the “Hometown Heroes” series, but it was my first by this author, so I think it can be easily read as a standalone if you can accept some references to stories or characters of the former books.

The leading characters were wonderful and deeply developed. The author used just enough feeling to make it count and not overdo it.

The plotline has all the clichés of a small-town love story but I did not mind at all because that was just what I was looking for at that time.

I liked Franny – because no matter her background and even if she might have thought of herself as broken. She was far from it. In fact she was sweet and caring and loved by everybody.

Heath was an interesting character – during my reading journeys, I encountered many soldiers (and I admit his background was what drew me to the book). I saw several approaches of authors to tell stories about PTSD but this approach felt slightly different from others. Which made it refreshing and new to me.

Also I have to say that the author used vivid descriptions of “The Hideaway” and its surrounding, that evoked pictures in my Mind, making it so much easier to bring the story to life – while reading it.

Great Book and an Author to keep an eye on

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Title:Promise

Author :Dani Wyatt

Series:N/A

Release date:March 25th 2016

Rating : 3 Stars

Some promises are made to be broken. And others start out that way.Promise Henderson knows all about being broken. She’s a down-on-her-luck former foster kid who needs to figure out how to get her brother into her custody before the State of Ohio ruins his life forever.Enter Beckett Fitzgerald. A SEAL with a scarred face, a bad sense of humor and no place to call home. He has another asset though. A big one.For ten years he’s tried to forget the girl with snow white hair and an angels eyes, but when fate throws her into his path once again, his obsession turns possessive and sparks fly. Only, Promise has a Judas by her side vying for her heart and Beckett needs to reveal the truth before he loses her forever. Debts of the past come calling and Beckett shows her just how far he’s willing to go to protect what is his.

Promise by Dani Wyatt was a kind of confusing book.

And I guess I am the odd one out here. I did just take a look at other reviews before writing mine which I rarely do, to not get into quoting other reviews. But since I found no indication on the book blurb itself – I checked the reviews that I saw but there is also no reference in them – so I am just going to put it out there …

Is there a second book ? Am I the only one having a #cliffhanger-kind-of-feeling ???

Not going into more details but it is something I do not like at all. I always want to know if I will be reading a standalone or not (you can thank Sylvia Day for that problem but she really messed me up when it comes to this)

I went into reading the book very open minded as I never read anything by this author before. And I liked her plot idea a lot. But during the actual story development there were a lot of additional side stories woven into the original that I felt were overdone.

They were distracting the whole plot. Actually they were also turning it into something more of a thriller kind of book. Which is not my genre anymore (I used to read it a lot).

The characters – Promise and Beckett – were developed with an interesting background and described well. But I had a problem into placing them together as a couple – again probably my bad.

It wasn’t a bad book by all means, the writing is actually pretty good – It was just that for ME there were to many layers within this story and with my problem in connecting the leads it did not work out for me that well.

On the other hand I assume this book will appeal to readers that like a more “thriller-related” approach in their romance novels – so enjoy.

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As Good As New

Jennifer Dawson

Something New #4

Release date : 29 Mar 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

He was the high school hottie. She was the teacher’s pet. But in private, none of that mattered…At the tender age of six, Penelope Watkins fell for her best friend’s brother, Evan Donovan, future hunk. By the time they were teenagers, they were having heart-to-hearts…and hot and heavy top secret make-out sessions. All that changed when Evan’s father suddenly died. Abruptly, Penelope lost him to grief—and to his true love: football. But now an injury had ended Evan’s NFL career. The notorious bad boy was in a depression no one could penetrate, except maybe the one woman who still knew him best—and still wanted him most…Penelope is the last person Evan wants to witness the wreck he’s become. So when she shows up at his door he’s less than welcoming—even though the sight of her brings back the same old rush of desire. As a teenager, the emotions overwhelmed him. Now, when he wanted to be overwhelmed, Penelope wasn’t playing. She was telling the golden boy it was time to man up. It may have taken a concussion for Evan to realize it, but that’s exactly what he wants to do—starting with her…

“As Good As New” is not my first book by Jennifer Dawson – but it was my first from the “Something New” series – and I can honestly state that it is indeed readable as a standalone novel.

After reading “Crave” last year it was no question for me that I was going to like this authors writing style (unless she would have changed something significantly) – So it was an easy decision to pick up this book as the plot seemed more than interesting.

And I was not disappointed.

I am honestly not sure if I really “liked” Evan very much in the beginning – he seem superficial at best.

But Penelope was an easy likeable character. I loved her from minute one.

And I wanted to “high five” her when she read Evan the riot act in his apartment to set him straight.

If a book features a second chance love – I would like it to be like this – strong characters that show their ability to grow and change without loosing themselves in the process.

Recommendable read

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