Believe

Natalie Gayle

Oni Fighters Book 2

Release date : Dec 1, 2015

Rating : 5 Stars

Have you ever hit a point in your life where everything looks good from the outside but there’s this feeling deep in your gut that tells you something is wrong? Dane Roberts was just an ordinary guy—so he thought. Best friend to MMA fight sensation Xander Todd, and all round decent guy. But now a restlessness surrounds him. Dare he reach for more? Could he too emulate his best friend’s results in the cage? Arianne Le Flegg was a woman starting over, with her son. Running from a past littered with broken promises, manipulation and violent abuse at the hands of family. Violence terrified her on every level. She longed for an “ordinary life”—safety for herself and her son. Can there ever be a future for two people who view violence so differently? One embraces it, the other dispels it. One is seeking the extraordinary, the other ordinary. She longs for the type of man he’s trying to leave behind. For there to ever be a future together, they’ll need to dig deep and decide what really is important to each of them. To do this, they must first accept—The hardest demons to defeat are the ones inside. They’ll have to BelieveBelieve

Review :

“Believe” Oni Fighters Book 2 by Natalie Gayle was another surprising read by this author. Already the first novel “Brave” came as a surprise to me several months ago. And the second one did not disappoint too.

While being basically standalone novels that could be read separate if needed – the author still managed to use a very interesting approach in the storyline. Basically both novels run within the same timeframe.

But if you did not read the first one – you would not necessarily notice this, which is a very intriguing plot. But given the fact that I read the first book, I even sometimes felt compelled to take a look in the other novel to check if the settings really fit or not . (In the end I did not give in to this temptation but still it was an intriguing idea)

Dane is a sweetheart – interesting enough when reading the first book I did not notice that so much – as my focus was totally on Xander. Now on the other side to see Xander again through Dane’s eyes – there was that temptation again to go back and check up on in “Brave” how exactly Xander saw Dane at certain points of the book.

Ari on the other side I could not fully connect to – where Xander’s Eden was a very intense and deep woman – Ari felt cool and sometimes detached to me. I guess the author wanted to transfer the “mathematical” feeling, but at certain points I wondered if there was really a fire from her for Dane. (the other way around it was obvious from the start)

In the End it was a well written and intriguing Novel and I can not wait to read more from this author.

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Till Death Us Do Part

Cristina Slough

N/A

Release date : December 29th 2015

Rating : 3 Stars

The fateful day Mimi Marcus has dreaded begins with a phone call… The wife of a U.S. Marine, Mimi spent countless nights worried that her husband Joel would fall in the line of duty. He had fought valiantly and served his country with honor. That’s exactly what they tell her when they deliver the news—Joel was taken by the enemy in Afghanistan. Her husband is dead. In desperate need of closure, Mimi travels to the one place Joel still has ties—The Marcus Ranch in Texas, inherited by his handsome younger brother Austin. New beginnings are only an illusion… The closer Mimi grows to the Marcus family, the more she considers it home. But when suspicions of Joel’s past surface, Austin refuses to disclose family secrets—even to his brother’s widow. It’s only by accident she uncovers evidence of Joel’s tainted past. Devastated by his lies and betrayal, she slowly opens up to Austin, and together they unfold layers of pain and grief. Mimi is sure she’ll never love again, but is Austin the man to prove her wrong? Then the unthinkable happens… Just as Mimi finds new hope in a future with Austin, Joel returns home from war. Enraged, traumatized, and teetering on the edge of insanity, Joel confesses to a history of deception, revealing yet another secret—this one too terrible to forgive. In an awful twist of fate, Joel proves marriage vows are made to be honored. No matter what.

Till Death Us Do Part by Cristina Slough was not an easy read for me. In fact it was a very hard one.

And I had to try twice to get myself to continue reading.

It might have been a mistake to read the Blurb – but on the other Hand I might not have chosen to read it at all without reading the Blurb.

And those divided feelings continue for me throughout the whole book. It is a well written novel with fully developed characters.

The problems I encountered are my personal ones only and result ín my very personal point of view on a soldier novel.

The storyline of this book definitively deserves reading attention and I am sure it will find many lovers.

As usual I will not comment on the story itself in this special case also to refrain myself from rubbing off my personal point of view on to fellow readers.

Instead I would like to invite you to read this story because I am curious what you think …

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The Truth About Him

Molly O’Keefe

Everything I Left Unsaid #2

Release date : November 24th 2015

Rating : 3 Stars

We played our roles, told each other lies.But now Dylan is no longer just a mysterious deep voice on the other end of the line. We’re face-to-face and our relationship is very, very real. We still have secrets—but so much is crystal clear: The thrilling danger.The raw, naked desire.The need to keep feeling the way he makes me feel. Forever.Dylan is putting up walls, trying to keep me safe, but he can’t shut me out. He has seen my darkness and rescued me. Now it’s my turn, if only he will let me.

The second book of the “Everything I Left Unsaid ” series starts where the first one finishes. We directly are confronted with this very tensed situation that makes you wondering: what is going to happen the next round about 350 pages…. Some things happened, but in my case not enough. While I really enjoyed getting to know more about the very special characters, it was difficult for me to fully enjoy the story as it all gor a bit confusing in my opinion. It felt like the author was not able to completely focus on the story in general which is why it was difficult to follow the story.

Because of the missing focus, it was also difficult to actually “feel” the relationship of the two main characters. Something we don´t have to talk about is the writing-style. Again as flawless as it could be!

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29

Nancy Pennick

N/A

Release date : November 3rd 2015

Rating : 4 Stars

Allie Sanders thinks life in a small town can’t get any more dull and boring. She plans to escape after graduation. After a bad break-up, she wants to sail through junior year without distraction. Then the mysterious loner sits down in front of her in AP English. He’s the guy she noticed last year desperately trying to stay invisible. She wants to know his secrets.Suddenly her much older military brother, Doug, makes a rare appearance. He takes a special interest in her life. Suspicious of his motives Allie holds back, never really trusting him. Doug wants what she wants—the boy she has come to love. No way would she let that happen. She’d go against family and friends to protect him—and his secrets—even if it ends up breaking her heart.

SPOILERALERT (if you want to call it like that) … THIS is NO STANDALONE …

I know I know – I am starting again with what annoys me most. I really dislike the fact when I stumble into a novel not knowing if it will be part of a series or not.

Do not misunderstand me – I know that some stories require more than one book to be told but as in all things life there is a time for everything and sometimes a reader just needs to have a story being told when he is turning the last page of the current book.

Well… that is … IF there will be a next book… after finishing the book I wondered so I checked what other readers think on that point and they all commented on looking forward to the next book… but will there be one … Or will we be left with what we know so far ?

Because again do not misunderstand … THERE IS AN ending … it just seems that me as well as the other readers I saw so far EXPECT there to be something “else”…

But I am afraid you will have to read the book to find out what I mean.

Other than this complain (if you want to call it like that) there is really nothing even remotely negative to be said about this book.

The readers will find an intriguing and well-developed plot. In the beginning I struggled a little with the love story within the plot as it seemed to be more the mystery of the loner than the person itself that was interesting to Allie.

But as the story continued those issues dissolved for me .

This book will draw the reader into its story and I am positive it will leave all other readers in the same position as the ones that already read the book. Expecting the next one….

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Someone Else’s Fairytale

E.M. Tippetts

Someone Else’s Fairytale #1

Release date : December 6th 2011

Rating : 3 Stars

Someone Else’s Fairytale (Someone Else’s Fairytale #1) by E.M. Tippetts (Goodreads Author) 3.67 · Rating Details · 4,957 Ratings · 516 Reviews Jason Vanderholt, Hollywood’s hottest actor, falls head over heels for everygirl, Chloe Winters, who hasn’t gotten around to watching most of his movies. She becomes the woman every other woman in America is dying to be, but it just isn’t her fairytale.

Review :

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The Fractured Heart

Scarlett Cole

Second Circle Tattoos, #2

Release date : Jan 5, 2016

Rating : 4 Stars

All things, when placed under pressure, eventually break or leave a mark.Tattoo artist Brody “Cujo” Matthews knows how to keep things simple. In life and in love. Abandoned as a child by a mother who refused to stick around to raise three boys she didn’t want, he’s intent on staying clear of complicated women. The only things complicated in Cujo’s life are the killer tattoos he designs and inks. That all changes when he’s asked to help organize his best friend Trent’s engagement party, which means working with Trent’s fiancée’s best friend, Drea, the definition of high maintenance and sizzling curves. And the one woman he doesn’t want to walk away from.Andrea “Drea” Caron is broke and tired. After years of caring for her ailing mom, she’s at the end of her rope trying to manage the piling medical bills, two jobs, and a life placed on hold. She certainly doesn’t need the added frustration of a sexy playboy tattoo artist messing up her best friend’s engagement party or her carefully balanced life. But when Drea witnesses the abduction of a woman from the café she works at, she can’t help but turn to Cujo who’s determined to prove to Drea that he’s someone she can count on forever…but as they attempt to bring the truth to light, someone is working to bring that forever to a sudden, deadly halt.

The “Second Circle Tattoos” series by Scarlett Cole is just the kind of series that draws the reader in. With its second Book “The Fractured Heart” the author again managed to make me think the precise same things I thought when I finished the first book “The Strongest Steel” a while ago.

Which would have been

– that I totally did not expect this to be again this good as the first one was

– And that I can hardly wait to get my fingers on the next book from this author. Yes I am aware that I say this frequently and people might think that I do not mean that – but you have to keep in mind that I do NOT read books – I breath them. I devour them. I live them – so I need to be able to say this at list for one review a day otherwise it is like and I may quote another book freely on this “like eating tofu – you are sated but you are never truly satisfied”

The readers will love Cujo I am sure – he really never deserved that name. Drea was a quite complicated character but I could “live” with her as Cujo’s women. There were times when she annoyed me a little but I guess that also came with the way the author wanted the story to be told.

Unfortunate was that I got the twist in this novel a little too easy for my taste. In fact it was almost so easy that I thought I had it wrong. But that was not the case.

Otherwise this novel would have been a 5 star one. As it turned out this is a fat and full 4 star novel which deserves your attention and a follow up by a third one that I can already see at the horizon 🙂

#can’t wait

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Firsts

Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

N/A

4,5 Stars

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time-the kind Mercedes never had herself.Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy – so far. Her mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn – or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her own reputation -and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, Laurie Elizabeth Flynn’s Firsts is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

The first thing I need to say is: the author did an awesome job! The way she dealt with this topic is incredible. I was afraid , because I have read books by authors about this topic that just…well let’s say did not convince me.

Because of that I wasn’t sure what to think about this blurb first, so I tried to look at this book as objective as possible. But I didn’t need to be afraid.An awesome book with awesome characters, a very interesting story-line -glued to each other with a very good writing-style. I especially want to point out Mercedes as se is a character I won’t forget that easily.

This books provokes all the emotions I am searching for in a book. Thanks for accepting our request!

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Manwhore +1

Katy Evans

Manwhore #2

Release date : July 7th 2015

Rating : 4 Stars

Billionaire playboy? Check. Ruthless businessman? Check. Absolutely sinful? Check.Malcolm Saint was an assignment. A story. A beautiful, difficult man I was supposed to uncover for a racy exposé.I intended to reveal him, his secrets, his lifestyle—not let him reveal me. But my head was overtaken by my heart and suddenly nothing could stop me from falling. I fell for him, and I fell hard. Malcolm Saint is absolute Sin, and I’ve become a hopeless Sinner.Now that the assignment is over, Saint wants something from me–something unexpected–and I want this wicked playboy’s heart. But how can I prove to the man who trusts no one that I’m worthy of becoming his plus one?

Another story that is unbelieveable sexy by an author that isvery talented! When it comes to Katy Evans , you usually know what you get. She is one of these authors that always are able to create this special feeling. Reading her books is always like a roller-coaster ride that takes you on a journey including not just sexy as hell scenes, but also touching situations filled with loads of emotions. And this is also the case with this book! I really enjoyed reading the second book tho the Manwhore series, even though there are some things which made me rate this book with “only” 4 Stars.

You just have to love the characters-Malcolm or “Saint” and Rachel are both such emotional characters that are able to create this special tension you are always looking for in a book. Always my highlight of the story!

About the story-line I have to say that it was good, but I expected a bit more plot. I enjoyed seeing how both characters started to , again, getting closer after all the things that happened in book 1. But still, for a book with this length I expected more. In other words: Not enough story for the pages.

About the writing-style we don´t even have to talk. I mean, it´s Katy Evans we are talking about. 😉 She asways creates this special atmosphere-something she also did in this book.

So all in all a good story with some flaws -but flaws that didn´t make me rate this book lower because it´s still this kind of book you just have to enjoy!

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Defaced

Marissa Farrar

A Dark Romance Novel, #1

Release date : Nov 30, 2015

Rating : 4 Stars

Monster

Hidden away from society by his criminal father, there lives a man who has never entered the outside world. Now, having taken over his father’s business, he has all the money and power he could dream of, yet still he refuses to let himself be viewed by the rest of society.

Lily

Traumatised by an event in her past, Lily Drayton has a phobia of being touched. Though she helps people externally with her skills as a laser therapist, she refuses to let anyone in, emotionally or physically. When Lily is kidnapped on the way home from work one evening, she discovers she’s not the only person who keeps themselves cut off from the rest of the world.

Defaced

A man owns her now—a man both dangerous and enigmatic. Drawn by his dual beauty and hidden pain, he awakens something inside her, something she believed was long dead. Brought to a room without windows, she’s given an impossible task: to make her owner acceptable to the outside world. Can altering his face change who he is as a man, or is he truly a monster, both inside and out?

Defaced (The Monster Trilogy #1) was my first book by Marissa Farrar. Announced as “Dark Romance Novel” I felt it presented itself as more on the soft side of that genre … on the FAR soft side. Not that I was disappointed to be honest.

The blurb made me want to feel “Beauty and the Beast” and I am not sure if I would have liked it that much if it would have been to dark. So I basically took a chance on it as its Description stood in contrast to the Headline.

I liked the way the story was told as there was enough background to let the reader connect to the characters. The storyline is well developed and looking back it is interesting to see the way my opinion on the characters changed during reading the book.

The connections between the characters felt real to me. In its basic it is the story of two people that are imprisoned by their pasts and that long for more. The setting may have been used many times before but I believe the approach of this author makes this book unique and I am looking forward to more.

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