Title:Heinous

Author :Alexis Noelle

Series:Deathstalkers MC #2

Release date: April 18th 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

Blurb :

I was never meant to have a happily ever after.

It was a fate I accepted a long time ago.

Before he came for me, taking away who I am, I needed to escape.

Just for one night.

One man turned my entire world upside down.

I should have walked away, but something about him wouldn’t let me.

Now I’m lying to him.

He’s going to find out the truth, or my life will catch up to me.

Either way, I lose him.

It’s a thought I can’t bear.

People have always told me love is amazing and powerful.

They’re wrong.

It makes you weak…exposing your vulnerabilities…making you easy prey.

Love is heinous.

Well if you “know” me than you know that I do not read MC books. Why ? I simply don’t because their blurbs usually do not appeal to me.

Having said that – the next thing to say is that I just read “Heinous” (Deathstalkers MC #2) by Alexis Noelle.

Wait … What?

Yeah you read correctly I just read one of the books that I do not read.

And this is where it becomes interesting. Something about that blurb really spoke to me and I thought I would take the chance. This was the second book of that series but I had no problems to read it as a standalone.

What can I say… I was not disappointed.

I would not go as far as to say I am now a reformed MC reader – no far from it.

But the writing style of this particular author is compelling and well developed that it drew me into a surrounding that I feel normally not comfortable with.

The characters were painfully well developed and the story was painfully too.

So if you are looking for bunnies and roses I am afraid you came to the wrong place.

Heinous is when love gets in the way of an ugly reality

Heinous is when lovers see no light at the end

Heinous is when fairytales die

reviewed by

Lust is the Thorn

Jen McLaughlin

N/A

Release date : 19 Apr 2016

Rating : 5 Stars

Growing up hard and fast on the mean streets of Chicago, Thorn McKinney didn’t have a prayer—until tragedy inspired him to join the seminary. Now the time has come to take his vows, and yet he’s haunted by the woman he can’t leave behind: his best friend’s little sister. Despite Thorn’s promises that he’d keep her safe, she’s going through hell. And now he finds himself torn between duty and desire, entranced by the seductive pull of her trusting eyes, innocent heart, and sinfully sweet curves.Trying to let Thorn pursue his calling, Rose Gallagher has been hiding some things: namely her abusive boyfriend and her job as a stripper. But when she hits rock bottom, Thorn is there for her—and now there’s no denying the raw temptation that draws them together in their darkest moments. Rose may have found salvation in his strong arms, but she knows that Thorn must choose his own path: in the church, or in the warm embrace of a woman’s love.

It often happens that I have a song on my mind AFTER I finished a book – but it rarely happens that I have on in my mind after only the first pages. Here that song was with me from the beginning on and I actually listened to it often during reading.

The song was “Every Rose has it’s Thorn” by POISON.

And I am starting to write this review while I only finished 54% of this book (which is a first for me) because I do not want to loose my thoughts and I am afraid that maybe If I do not like the end it might influence my opinion of the book ( I am known for that). But this story deserves to be reviewed for those 54 % only alone.

When I read the Blurb of the Book I was contemplating if I wanted to read it at all. I am kind of burned by an old TV show that my mother used to watch in the 1980’s – “The Thorn Birds” and I hated that show for the weakness the lead showed.

Not for the weakness to fall for a woman but for the weakness to never fully stand behind his decisions and to always weaver around leaving everybody hanging . But well – my mother adored the actors – so it was running on our TV and I only had the option to leave or stay and watch. So I watched and I kind of resented the whole subject afterwards.

But anyway something in that book blurb spoke to me and I choose the book needing to find out what it was.

And now I am sitting here and I feel … I feel for Rose… GOD (sorry) but she is so strong, written so believable that I can only admire her. There is no bullshit with her – she states from page 1 what she thinks and that is just WOW.

Thorn – Well I get where he is coming from and why he is following his way. But I also see what he is missing and feel where he went wrong in his assumptions. He really repairs that damage in vision of the image of temptation that TV show did to me. I feel his struggle – it is written so believable that I almost want to reach out and put my hand on his shoulder to tell him to let go of his pain.

In my good old “lets mark on your kindle all the lines you like” – kind of way – I think I marked like 80% of those 54% that I read so far.

I hope – and pray (sorry again) for the end that I wish for them both – but as I am afraid because of that stupid TV show – I needed to finish this before reading the end because the development of these characters alone deserved the 5 stars I gave.

And just in case I will not like the end I had to save those from myself.

Well I will return now to finish the rest of the book whish me luck or a big box of tissues – who knows …

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Title:Let Me

Author :Cecy Robson

Series:O’Brien Family #2

Release date:April 19th 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

Once he was broken beyond repair. Now this MMA contender is fighting to be a better man—for her. RT Book Reviews proclaims that the O’Brien Family series from award-winning author Cecy Robson “has the hottest brothers ever!” And in Let Me, it is Finn’s turn to discover how love can heal the deepest wounds. A mixed martial arts star on the rise, Finn O’Brien dismantles his opponents with brutal precision. And yet beneath his fierce persona, Finn is raw from a trauma he’s buried for years . . . until the day his deep-rooted rage erupts and lands him in court-mandated therapy. Finn’s not one to bare his soul, but if talking it out means meeting beautiful women like Sol Marieles, he’ll give it a shot. Sol is working toward her masters degree in psychology, and already she feels like she’s in over her head. With an important internship on the line and a scary family situation demanding her attention, the last thing Sol needs is Finn around to distract her. The man is ripped and seriously sexy yet it’s his troubled side that warns her to keep her distance. But their attraction is intense, and he clearly has the heat to see how far and fast their passion takes them.Alone, Finn and Sol have been fighting to find happiness in their lives. Together, there’s no stopping them as they face their greatest challenges—not in the ring, but in their hearts.

I just had to pleasure to read my first Book by the author Cecy Robson. The book is called “Let Me” and is the second book in the O’Brien series. But you can trust me when I say it can be read as a standalone without any problem, because that is exactly what I did.

The story is written in an engaging way and drew me in. I liked the writing style and the plot.

Finn is an interesting character and he is easy to relate to as a reader. It was an interesting journey following him through the book.

Sol on the other hand I had my difficulties with. I could not find any handle on her to bring me closer to her.

The leading characters are well developed, so even me not liking Sol feels like a part of the process of the book.

It was an enjoyable read and I am confident it will not be my last book by this author

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Title:No Angel

Author : Tara Hart

Series:N/A

Release date:April 18th 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

Blurb :

Charlie Hunt is a slut.

Have you ever let one word define you? Allowed one single word to shape your reality? I have. I’m not the girl you take home to meet your parents. I’m the opposite. I’m a sure thing with no strings attached, but one college jock took it too far, and for once, I’m the person who needs saving.

Evan Dawson is lost.

I never imagined myself back here, in my childhood home, looking after my wayward brother, but here I am. This isn’t the life I planned for, but as soon as I set eyes on her, everything made perfect sense. The reason I’m here, the purpose of my existence is to be with this girl and make her see her worth.

For Charlie and Evan the journey has never been easy, but can two complete opposites become one whole? Or will Charlie’s reputation tear them apart?

No Angel is intended for readers over 18 years of age. It contains graphic sexual scenarios and strong language.

You can learn a lot about judgement and the prejudices from Tara Hart’s new book “No Angel”.

Charlie and Evan give the reader a new perception on things.

If you are honest with ourselves – how often have we judged people based on stuff we heard others telling us about them without even knowing how much of it is true?

I connected with a lot of things Charlie thought but also Evan was right on a lot of stuff. Surely there were some wrongs in their thoughts and idea’s too, there needed to be, because otherwise this story would not have had a single twist or turn.

I think this book gave me a little insight in some things I never understood when they were mentioned in other novels … so yes I really learned something I hope.

The story is well told and definitively the author poured her heart into it – so yes I liked my first novel by this author and I would like to recommend to read it to you if you feel the blurb might be interesting to you

reviewed by

Broken Down

Amanda K. Byrne

Hidden Scars #2

Release date : Apr 12, 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

The one thing he could do for her was let her go. Until he couldn’t.When Thieves’ guitarist Shane Jones lost his close friend to a freak accident, Krista Conner helped him through the worst of his grief. He kept their late-night trysts a secret to protect her from the tabloids, and when she broke up with him, he let her go.But he never got over her.Months later, his world is rocked again by the death of his brother mere weeks before the biggest Thieves album yet. Grieving and desperate for peace, he tracks Krista down, craving the salvation he found in her sweet spirit. Only this time, he’s determined not to leave.Krista left Shane because her life was a mess. She’s rebuilt it, piece by challenging piece, making some hard decisions along the way. She’s settled into a new city and a new life, and for the first time in a long time, she’s content and happy. Then Shane turns up, promising to stay, promising to care. Promising everything.Shane’s the one she wants, but the toughest choice she made could drive him away for good.

With her first Book “Hidden Scars” Amanda K. Byrne established a very special “tone” of storytelling, that she effortlessly transferred to the second book of the Hidden Scars series as well.

“Broken Down” is quiet book even when reading in the Blurb about rock stars, the reader will NOT find a fast paced and heavy novel.

The tone is more deep and intense.

With a plot filled with well developed characters it is fun to follow the story.I am really getting to like this authors writing style – very recommendable

reviewed by

Jagger

J Chelsea Camaron and M.J. Fields

Caldwell Brothers #3

Release date : Apr 12, 2016

Rating : 3 Stars

Jagger Caldwell is no one’s hero. With a reputation busting heads and breaking hearts on the underground MMA circuit, he lives for easy cash and easier women. But when he stumbles upon an all-too-familiar scene, painful memories awaken Jagger’s sensitive side and compel him to act. As a kid, he stood by helplessly as his old man beat his mom. Now, Jagger won’t let seventeen-year-old Tatiana Rand suffer the same fate. Nothing matters except saving her. Tatiana is a prisoner in her own home, at the mercy of her violent father—until an unlikely savior bursts through her door and into her life. Six-feet-plus of tattooed muscle and raw power, Jagger is no prince charming—but Tatiana stopped believing in fairy tales long ago. Despite their differences in age and, well, everything else, the sexy bad boy sparks a fire that Tatiana never knew she had—and desires that only Jagger can quench.

Starting his book by these two authors made me think: “This main plot line really sounds interesting.” Which it really is. I am not going to spoiler in this review which makes it quite diffiult to write this down. A main plot line that left you wondering what is going to happen.

Including really deep characters that together created this intense atmosphere.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Discovering what the authors made out of this really good first half of the book. I also enjoyed the other half, I really did. But at this point I also have to say that it feels like they lost their focus on the main ideas which made it more and more difficult to stay part of the story.

I really enjoyed seeing them gtting closer and closer while it actually got quite difficult to follow the main story as at some points even too much story lines get added to the main plot line.

I would love to get to know more about , especially, Tatiana as she is a really interesting character.

reviewed by

This One Moment

Stina Lindenblatt

N/A

Release date : Apr 5, 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

When Nolan Kincaid skipped town to chase the music career of his dreams, he knew he wouldn’t miss the reminders of his broken family—he wasn’t so sure he could forget the girl he left behind. Now his band is touring nonstop, the recording sessions go all night, and the groupies are crazed. But when he hears that Hailey Wilkins is in trouble, he drops everything. Hailey thought she’d missed her chance with Nolan. Five years ago, the moment she realized she loved him was the moment he decided to leave. Now, when a brutal assault lands her in the ICU, Nolan flies straight to her bedside, acting like nothing’s changed. What’s a rock star like him doing, canceling shows and risking his record deal, just to nurse an old friend back to health? And why should Hailey believe he’ll stay this time? With her attacker still at large, Nolan’s ready to rise to the occasion. He knows he let Hailey down once before, but he’s ready to give her everything, heart and soul—and he’ll fight for the chance to prove it.

If you asked me straight forward on my thoughts about second chance romances books than I would say “NOPE – not for me.

But I guess you can always count in some exceptions to the rule. ”This One Moment by Stina Lindenblatt is one of those exceptions.

It seems – with me it is really depending on the package of the second chance. Nolan and Hailey had been friends for such a long time so actually it is almost a “friends-to-lovers” as well as a “second-chance” setting.

And also the reasons for them to be apart made sense in a big way.

I could easy relate to Nolan’s thoughts even if the way he handled it were, well … kind of “typical male” …

But the author made sure to show the reader that he was never far away from Hailey. Even if she did not say it out loud – the reader could also be quite sure she knew somewhere deep down that that there was always some connection to Nolan. #Hence the friend that is taping the games even if it is well known he does not care for the games himself.

So is this really a second chance novel ? or more a “took you a long time to see the obvious” novel – I am not sure …

But I liked it … like in REALLY liked it – and from what I learned from Nolan’s Band – I really would like to hear more about them in future books.

I could not totally understand some of the reasons that led to the final solution of the mystery of her attacker (no details because of spoilers) but in the grand scheme I think they did not matter so much as the focus was on the leading characters.

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